Superteen, the superhero alter-ego of Archie Comics' Betty Cooper, is returning for a new one-shot this summer. What's more, the superheroic version of Riverdale's resident girl next door has a brand new design courtesy of Spider-Gwen co-creator Robbi Rodriguez.
Written by Danielle Paige (Mera: Tidebreaker, Dorothy Must Die) and illustrated by Brittney Williams (Betty & Veronica: The Bond of Friendship, Patsy Walker, aKa Hellcat!), Better Cooper: Superteen #1 is set to hit comic shops this June. In this reimagining of Superteen's origin, Betty is given superpowers meant to aid her in her many altruistic endeavors. However, with a new hero comes a new villain -- and that villain might just be Betty's best friend, Veronica Lodge.
"I've gotten to write everything from soaps to Oz to fairytales to Mera and Aquaman," said Paige. "Betty and Veronica's friendship/rivalry is just as epic as those worlds with all its history and drama. And giving Betty and Veronica superpowers super-charges their conflict. I hope that readers enjoy turning the pages as much as loved writing them. And getting to partner with Brittney Williams, whose art just surges with girl power and creativity, was such a joy."
"Betty Cooper, a teenage superhero; how cool is that?" added Williams. "You don't want to miss Betty take on friends and foes in this new series! The art is very similar to what I previously did with Betty & Veronica: The Bond of Friendship, but with some film noir elements and classic superhero looks mixed in."
Betty Cooper's Superteen persona dates all the way back to the superhero boom of the 1960s, when Archie Comics introduced heroic incarnations of Riverdale's teenagers. The adventures of Superteen, Pureheart the Powerful (Archie Andrews), Captain Hero (Jughead Jones) and Evilheart (Reggie Mantle) were chronicled an Archie's Super Teens, a recurring segment in Life with Archie. The Super Teens have appeared on and off over the years, most notably in a '90s revival that introduced Miss Vanity (Veronica Lodge) and Mighty Moose (Moose Mason).
"The best part about the Archie characters is how flexible and durable they are," said Archie Comics Co-President Alex Segura. "They're icons. So, you can bring in a zombie apocalypse or the B-52s, and if you're true to the characters, it works. This is another genre-bending example of that, with a Spider-Gwen twist.
"Betty is the heart of Riverdale, so the idea of having her don a costume and save the day isn't a new one," he continued. "But we wanted to take a decidedly YA approach this time around -- to have a story with heart, action and plenty of fun, teen drama. That made Danielle Paige the perfect writer, with her proven track record in the novel and comics space. Brittney Williams is also one of our favorite artists, who showcases a ton of range with this one-shot. If you dig what we're doing here, please show your support so we can give this A-list team the chance to keep telling these stories."
Written by Danielle Paige and illustrated by Brittney Williams with a main cover by Williams, Betty Cooper: Superteen #1 goes on sale June 10 from Archie Comics. Robbi Rodriguez's character design sheets, as well as variant covers by Mike Allred, Emanuela Lupacchino, Marguerite Sauvage and Michael Walsh can be found below.
