Legendary pin-up model Bettie Page -- who has starred in Dynamite Entertainment comic books since 2017 -- is getting a relaunch courtesy of writer Karla Pacheco (Spider-Woman) and artist Vincenzo Federici (Army of Darkness). They are joined by colorist Rebecca Nalty and letterer Becca Carey.
The new Bettie Page #1 is slated to arrive in comic shops this summer. The series follows the Tease from Tennessee, who -- after becoming a spy in Dynamite's previous comics -- tries to make a name for herself in Hollywood... as well as clear her name after being suspected in a murder.
Dynamite's relaunched Bettie Page title takes place circa 1954, with the eponymous model taking minor roles in various plays and B-movies. However, after landing a supporting role in a "tastefully sensual" fantasy film set on a tropical island, a murder takes place and havoc ensues.
"Bettie Page has always been a huge idol for me," said Pacheco. "Not just for her iconic style, but the way she brought such a sense of joy and delight to her performances and sensuality. We're taking Bettie Page's amazing spirit, and imagining a timeline where she was finally given the chance to reach her full potential as a star -- even though it's far from smooth sailing!
"We've got twists, turns, secrets and lies -- the whole shebang!" she continued. "Plus we have Vincenzo, Rebecca and Becca all coming together to create a drop-dead gorgeous, colorful dream of a book! It's brassy, bold, (frequently criminal) fun, and I think it's going to be a really exciting adventure for both readers and 'our' Bettie."
"Being on this book is simply… incredible!" added Federici. "When I was a teen, I totally fell in love with Bettie as an icon. Now I have the opportunity to work on her stories and with Karla, one of the coolest writers in the industry! I know it will be a challenge because we have a lot of characters and maybe a lot of elephants (Karla says!), but I'm taking inspiration from my idol Alan Davis, a master in stories full of characters. It's super fun—guaranteed!"
"I'm extremely excited to join on this new adventure with Bettie," said Nalty. "She's had a major influence on pop culture for decades, but it's in both her image of pure, confident sexuality and the reality of her real life personal struggles where I think the world found our love for this woman who broke all the rules to be herself."
Dynamite explains that this new Bettie Page book "weaves together inspiration from dusty, dog-eared Hammett and Chandler novels, the breezy feel of vintage LOOK magazines, classic episodes of Murder She Wrote, the salacious naughtiness of Hollywood gossip rags and even Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke’s Catwoman." Issue #1 is slated to arrive in June, with pre-orders going live in April.
As is to be expected with Dynamite, Bettie Page #1 will also feature a slew of covers from the likes of Junggeun Yoon, Kano and Michael Linser, as well as a Stephen Mooney variant paying homage to Frank Miller. As far as photo variants go, there will be a cosplay cover featuring Riki Le Coley as Bettie Page, as well as two covers featuring photos of the real Bettie Page.
Born in 1923, Page was primarily active as a model during the 1950s. Her influence in comics dates back some time, with Robert Kanigher modeling Batman villain Poison Ivy after her. A comic book one-shot titled Bettie Page Comics was published by Dark Horse Comics in 1996, with Dynamite's own Bettie Page title launching in 2017 and spawning various follow-ups and spinoffs.
Written by Karla Pacheco and illustrated by Vincenzo Federici, Bettie Page #1 is scheduled to go on sale this June from Dynamite Entertainment. The comic will be available for pre-order in April.
(via The Beat)