She's A Real Betty

If you haven't taken a look at Nick and Nora's Lovely Link List, please do.

It's certainly worthwhile.

After taking a look today at Manolo the Shoe Blogger, Nora was charmed to find these pair of shoes by an English designer.

Of the pair - Betty and Veronica, Betty has always been the favourite - probably for the same reason that in a popularity contest, Mary-Ann always trumps Ginger.

Why? Because they're charming, approachable girls next door.

If Betty triumphs in the likeability stakes, then credit should go to comic book writer and author Al Hartley who during the late 1960s through to the 1980s was the prinicpal artist behind the Archie series of comics.

In fact he has been the only person who has been give a licence to publish Archie outside the 'official' comics for the Spire Christian Comic series of the 1970s.


The last word on Betty comes from one of Al Hartley's Archie successors Kathleen Webb:

"It was Al's 'Betty's Diary' stories that intrigued me the most," she told the Journal. "He wrote a lot of them for the Betty & Me books in the early 1970's.

"At that time, he was 'getting away with murder' - writing blatantly Christian stories that Archie went ahead and published, regardless of the fact that the publisher was Jewish.

"Al's way of handling Betty as she shared her thoughts in her diary was with insight, humor and care. He never 'preached' in those pages; he just had Betty share her feelings, good and bad.

"His other Betty & Me stories were also written well, tackling Betty's relationship with Archie carefully, never making Betty out to be so much the 'sore loser' as the 'never-give-up-gal.'

She wasn't bitter - she kept in there, swinging, believing that someday, Archie'd come to his senses.

It's the type of charm and maturity that every parent wishes for their daughter when going through the awkward and sometimes fractuous teen and dating years.

Not quite sure?

Then take a look at the five lovely comic pages where Betty shares her thoughts about Archie, her rival Veronica as well as life and love in general.

(Don't forget to click on the images for a larger view.)

Achy Breaky

Ah sadly, the course of true love never runs smooth and the sooner teenage girls realise their fickle ways end up in heart ache the better.

Or at least that appears to be the thinking of the nameless author of this romance story found in the first edition of Man And Woman, a locally produced DC reprint comic. (Click on the pictures to view larger images)

The story starts with our forelorn Martha, filled with regret, standing in a phone box doing one of two things:

a) testing the world's first mobile phone (note the lack of cable connecting the handset with the phone), or

b) in her distraught condition the poor lass is actually using the phone UPSIDE DOWN.


Martha and Carl fall in love with the rapidity one expects in these publications, but by the sixth frame, someone else is whispering sweet nothings in her ear:

Honey -- that's not love! I've been watching the two of you all evening... You're kidding yourselves!

Mmmm, stalker huh?


Oh dear, Martha's head has been turned by her handsome admirer.

I'm taking a ride over to Fairview for a double malted... I'll treat you to one if you'll come along.

Double malted. Right.

Translation: "I'll ply you with hard liquor until you come across."

Wait a minute, (checks further down the panel).

No, he really does mean a double malted milkshake.

But wait. What's this? Carl's going away for two days?

Gil must be rubbing his... hands with glee.


Parties, golf, swimming, dancing, galleries, the fair, the opera, the engagement ring and the house.

In two days.

Let's count 'em again. TWO DAYS.


Well Carl seems to be taking the news well.

Or perhaps not.

Did you know he had never even touched a cigarette before that moment?

Now he's committing suicide just one nicotine laden cancer stick at a time.

At this rate he'll be dead in another 50 years.

Poor lad.

Our runaway bride then seeks professional counselling in order for her to come to terms with her inability to commit to a serious adult relationship.

Only kidding.

Useless superficial flings it is.


And now here we are.

Back to the first frame.

Will Martha win back back Carl before he turns into a two pack a day man?

Nope.

Yes, You Shall You Go To The Ball!

"Oh no... I'm not BUYING, just LOOKING!"

And with those fateful words, Cindy knew that not only had she wasted time looking after the Energizer Bunny but also she'd been diddled out of potential commission.

Useless bint.

And before that was the cow with the helmet hair who criticised EVERYTHING in the store.

You really have to feel sorry for poor ol' Cindy The Sales Girl

Now there is a new problem:

You call THIS RAG something to impress my boyfriend?

BEEYYITCH!


Well blondie, don't get yourself too smug there. Your friendly neighbourhood store detective has your number, Toots.

Steps in our hero, saying flattering things about what is arguably the least impressive frock in all of this fashion featurette.

Say... that's looks great on you!

Keep going bub, you're in like Flynn. He shoots...

In fact, you look so great in it, I'd like YOU to wear it at the big dance tonight! I've got two tickets for it!

He scores!

And it's appropriate that long suffering Cindy gets the last word in:

"Sorry miss... but I told YOU to wear it!"

Ripping Yarns

Browsing a country swap meet we acquired this classic example of late 1960s romance comic books.

Cheaply printed (despite the publisher's name, Colour Comics Pty Ltd, only the front cover is in colour) for magazine distributors Gordon and Gotch, Magic Romances is not exactly the finest of the pen and ink artist's craft, but it's a delight in what it reveals about the tastes and expectations of Nora's mum's generation.

As for the cover story, it's classic Cinderella stuff, Karen Wilder Sommers breaks the heart of her one true love, Dr Greg Marsh, to pursue her dream of being a Hollywood star (like you do). She returns home just as Rita Phillips whom we're reliably informed is... aw, forget it, let us draw you a picture:

So, how does it end? Dunno, it's to be continued and this is the only edition we have.

Another fun find with this comic book is the fashion feature spread which we'll share in future updates.

So what happened to the romance comic. On first appearance it would seem that it outgrew its audience who were having real romances of their own and also moved on to the Mills and Boon type of fiction.

But you'd be wrong. The art of the romance comic book isn't dead, it just moved to the Internet.