Betty Cooper

Betty Cooper
Archie Comics character
Betty Cooper in 2010s fashion
First appearance Pep Comics #22 (Dec. 1941)
Created by Bob Montana
John L. Goldwater
Portrayed by Lili Reinhart (Riverdale)
Lauren Holly (Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again)
Voiced by Rosemary Rice (1943–1953)[1]
Jane Webb (1968–1976)
Toni Wine (The Archie Show; singing)
Lisa Coristine (1987)
America Young (1999–2002)
Hometown Riverdale
School Riverdale High
Information
Significant other(s) Jughead Jones (Riverdale)
Relatives Chic Cooper (brother)
Polly Cooper (sister)
Hal Cooper (father)
Alice Cooper (mother)

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper, is one of the main characters appearing in American comic books published by Archie Comics. The character was created by Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater, and first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover-dated Dec. 1941), on the first page of the first Archie story, serving as a love interest to Archie Andrews.

Betty's infatuation with Archie, which drives her attempts to win his affections by whatever means possible, and her rivalry with her best friend, Veronica Lodge, have been among of the longest-running themes in the comics.

Publication history

Betty and Me
Publication information
Publisher Archie Comics
Schedule Varied between bimonthly and monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date Aug. 1965 – Aug. 1992
No. of issues 200
Main character(s) Betty Cooper
Betty
Publication information
Publisher Archie Comics
Schedule Varied between bimonthly and monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date Sept. 1992 – Jan. 2012
No. of issues 195
Main character(s) Betty Cooper

Betty was named for, and originally based on, Betty Tokar Jankovich, a Czech immigrant who briefly dated Archie co-creator Bob Montana in 1939 when she was 18.[2] Created to serve as a love interest for Archie Andrews, she is portrayed as a smart, talented, sweet, tomboyish yet beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

In addition to appearing in many Archie stories, Betty was the star of two long-running comic book titles published by Archie Comics during the period 1965–2012: Betty and Me (later styled as Betty & Me), which published 200 issues from Aug. 1965 to Aug. 2012; and Betty, which published 195 issues from Sept. 1992 to Jan. 2012. She also was featured in Betty's Diary, which published 40 issues from Apr. 1986–Apr. 1990.

Currently, Betty is the co-star of Betty and Veronica Digest Magazine, now known as B&V Friends Double Digest, which was launched in Nov. 1980 and has published more than 250 issues; and Betty and Veronica Double Digest, which has published 250+ issues since June 1987.

She was the co-star of Betty and Veronica, which ran for 347 issues (and eight annuals) from March 1950–April 1987. A new Betty and Veronica series published 278 issues from June 1987–late 2015. The limited series Betty and Veronica, taking place in their rebooted New Riverdale universe, was published in 2017. Betty and Veronica also co-starred in:

  • Betty and Veronica Spectacular (90 issues, Oct. 1992–July 2009)
  • Betty and Veronica Summer Fun (six annual issues, 1994–1999)

Fictional character biography

Betty Cooper (Bety Rosas in the Spanish version) is the third and youngest child and second daughter of Hal Cooper and Alice Cooper. Her older brother Chic Cooper and older sister Polly Cooper have both moved out of Riverdale, their hometown. Chic moved to New York City and Polly to San Francisco, but both occasionally appear in flashbacks to Betty's childhood, and both occasionally visit their family.

The quintessential girl next door, Betty's middle class upbringing is a world apart from the flashy lifestyle of her wealthy friend, Veronica Lodge. Nowhere is this more evident than when she and Veronica are competing for Archie Andrews' heart, and yet they remain best friends (Veronica once told Archie that she and Betty are only rivals in unimportant matters, like boys).

In the late 1960s, the two girls joined Archie's band, a garage band appropriately named The Archies. Both sang (usually backup), and Betty played tambourine, while Veronica played organ. This implies that Veronica is more musically talented, but that is not necessarily true. Some stories indicate that Betty is the better vocalist. Additionally, there is little consistency in the instruments she is able to play. Betty has played the recorder, tambourine, maracas, guitar, banjo, keyboard, saxophone, cello, and the bongos.

Interests and personality

Betty is friends with everybody, and is a loving daughter and sister. She likes to help the homeless, read to the senior citizens, and rescue wounded animals and birds.

Betty's hobbies include playing sports (particularly baseball), cooking, and looking after animals (she owns a cat, Caramel). She is also concerned with the environment and other social issues and encourages the rest of the gang to clean up after themselves. She loves children and sometimes babysits Jellybean with Jughead as well as other children in Riverdale. Occasionally, families hire Betty to keep their elderly members company. Betty is a skilled mechanic who frequently helps Archie with his broken down car Betsy. Betty is also good at skiing and car-racing. She is often said to be the best pitcher in the girls' baseball team. Betty is a scuba diver, wearing a blue shorty wetsuit, breathing with an air tank she carries on her back and a regulator in her mouth, wears blue fins on her feet and a mask on her face, but she prefers to swim underwater.

Contrary to the "dumb blonde"-stereotype, Betty actually has an above-average intelligence and is one of the smartest students at Riverdale High School, along with Dilton Doiley. In one story she won an award and was sent to compete in New York and has won numerous academic awards. At one point, she gained ESP when an encyclopedia accidentally fell on her head. This ability took away all hope for the future; Archie asked Veronica for a date, but Betty knew that Archie would dump Veronica for her. Betty lost her ESP power when a ball that Reggie kicked accidentally hit her; in her gratefulness, she gave him a thankful kiss.

Betty's many talents and accomplishments often make her friend Veronica jealous, who then tries to sabotage Betty to steal her glory and make her look bad.

During a stay at the Lodge mansion, while the family are in Europe, Betty is waited on hand and foot by the servants and, keeping true to her caring, loving, and unselfish nature, she begins to feel guilty about being waited on.

Wanting to do something very special for them in appreciation for the tough jobs that they do (and for what also seems to be a very thankless job in serving someone like Veronica, who tends to be very snobbish towards those who serve her), she throws them a pool party which surprises Mr. and Mrs. Lodge, and angers Veronica. In return, Smithers, the butler, and the rest of the staff, who are quite appreciative of what Betty did for them (since they never seem to get any appreciation from Veronica), offer to help Betty with the next party she throws, for free. Mr. Lodge would then lecture Veronica about how servants were people too.

Relationships

Betty's best friend is Veronica. Although the two are often involved in disputes over Archie or something else that evokes jealousy, they have remained the best of friends since their childhood. The two have commented that Jughead and Archie's friendship could not compare to theirs. In many stories, Betty and Veronica team up or help each other despite Veronica's jealousy and bitterness towards her. Betty's other female friends include Ethel Muggs, Midge Klump, and Nancy Woods, all of whom share common interests and group activities such as shopping and cheer-leading.

Frequently, Betty has been shown to date Reggie Mantle early on in the titles' runs and occasionally still, more often than not as a casual date when Veronica has Archie take her out. Sometimes, Reggie and Betty are seen to be flirting with each other; when Betty is feeling sad, Reggie always tells her that she has won a date with the most handsome man in the world. Although Reggie does not appear to admit it, he seems to care about Betty, but his self-image sometimes is more important. Once Betty said that sometimes the way Archie and Reggie fight over her, it sounds like she has the plague. In the Life with Archie magazines that depict a future timeline in which Archie marries Veronica, Betty and Reggie are portrayed as a loving couple.[3] It has been hinted they may be planning to get married.

Betty's relationship with Jughead Jones has mostly been that of close confidant and close friend, as they normally discuss their issues more candidly with each other than anyone else; Jughead will provide commentary on her feelings for Archie, and Betty will attempt to "better" Jughead, by getting rid of his slothful attitude and laziness. Once when she had a sprained ankle, Veronica told both Archie and Jughead to visit her. The four of them were having dinner together when people from the school mistook Jughead as Betty's boyfriend because he was carrying chocolates to her house. Jughead appears to care more about Betty than other girls and there have been hints of a potential romantic relationship between them. He once accidentally asked her out to a school dance. When he was telling Archie what to do, Betty walked up behind him and thought he was asking her even though he was just demonstrating how to ask Betty to the dance. In one story, Jughead even says that if the time ever comes that he would willingly kiss a girl, it would be Betty. A happy tear is seen sliding down Betty's face at this comment.

She had a friendship with an elderly woman named Lydia Wyndham, whom she found when doing research about World War I. With this acquaintance Betty got to know an accomplished writer and poet with a sharp mind (and a sad past—Betty's research had turned up a beau of Ms. Wyndham's who was killed in combat), but after a while Ms. Wyndham herself died.

At times, Betty is seen to have a close friendship with Cheryl Blossom, especially in Cheryl's own title. However, at other times, Betty and Veronica regard the seductive Cheryl as a threat because she tries to lure Archie away from them, and the two best friends unite against Cheryl to protect their interests. Jason Blossom, Cheryl's twin brother, is sometimes seen to have genuine interest towards Betty, which makes Archie jealous.

In the late 90s, Betty started dating Adam Chisholm. It was thought by some people that Betty had chosen Adam over Archie. This event made Archie jealous and he concentrated his attention on Betty, ignoring Veronica, as he always does when he thinks someone else may take Betty away from him. Though in actuality, Adam has rarely been seen in the stories after that story arc, and Betty has continued to prefer Archie.

Reception

In 2011, Betty Cooper was ranked 66th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[4]

Riverdale (TV 2017–present)

In the CW’s live action drama Riverdale, Betty’s relationships differ from her Comic equivalent.

Betty’s best friend, Veronica Lodge, is a new girl who just moved into Riverdale from New York City. She is very kind to Betty and helps her with her longtime crush on childhood best friend, Archie Andrews. However, Veronica betrays that trust by kissing Archie in a game of Seven Minutes in heaven. Betty is heartbroken, but after Veronica apologizes profusely, she accepts the apology and their friendship becomes secure again. Despite one or two conflicts, Betty and Veronica’s friendship is one of the strongest in the show.

Betty and Archie are childhood friends. At the start of the series, Betty makes a plan to tell Archie that she wants to take their relationship to a new level, become 'a power couple'. The arrival of Veronica Lodge throws a wrench in Betty's plan, as Archie is taken with the new girl. Veronica still encourages Betty to let Archie know how she feels on the night of the dance, but a subsequent kiss between Veronica and Archie sparks a romance that doesn't include Betty, and Betty is left heartbroken.

Several episodes in, Betty reignites her friendship with another childhood friend, Jughead Jones, by inviting him to write for the school paper, the Blue and Gold. A sleuthing dynamic is quickly born, and the two find that they work ok together. After a joint investigation on the whereabouts of her sister, Jughead and Betty share their first kiss in her bedroom, beginning the relationship fans have decided to call "Bughead". The two would overcome a variety of obstacles over the course of the completed seasons (including third-party kisses, gang-related violence and a manipulative serial killer), with the two making an emotional commitment in the finale, where Betty accepts Jughead's proposal to be the Serpent Queen to his King.

Career

Betty enjoys writing and keeps a diary that is featured in the series Betty's Diary. She wants to be a famous writer someday, an aspiration that her teacher Ms. Grundy approves of. She submits her work to writing magazines and has been published a number of times. She once got to be an intern for a fashion magazine but ended up modeling as well. At the same time, she takes various types of employment, including some work as a mechanic, which is also a career that she is interested in. In some stories she finds employment as an assistant teacher at the local elementary school. Betty is also a well known baby sitter, and baker.

Other versions

Jughead: The Hunger

In Jughead: The Hunger, Betty hails from a long-line of werewolf hunters that have always taken down the Jones werewolves. She only befriended Archie and faked her affections towards him in an effort to get closer to the newest werewolf of Riverdale, Jughead. Archie convinces her to try curing Jughead with wolfsbane, which initially works until it wears off and results in Reggie's death. Jughead leaves town because he knows Betty won't give him a second chance.[5] Betty sets out to find him with the help of Archie and her cousin Bo, with backing by her aunt, the Cooper family matriarch, Elena.[6][7]

Life with Archie: The Married Life

Betty appears as a main character in Life with Archie: The Married Life. In Archie Loves Veronica, she runs a catering business while her boyfriend, Reggie Mantle, runs a repair shop. They both star in a reality show based on their lives. In Archie Loves Betty, she is an English teacher at Riverdale High. However, in both universes, Betty previously worked as a buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.

In other media

Television

Animated

Live action

Lili Reinhart plays Betty on Riverdale.
  • Betty was portrayed by Lauren Holly in the 1990 TV movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again.
  • Betty appears in The CW series Riverdale, with Lili Reinhart portraying the character. As in the comics, Betty is a pretty and good-natured girl-next-door who once had a crush on her longtime friend Archie Andrews,.[8] However, when Archie responds that he doesn't feel the same way, Betty and Jughead form a relationship that becomes central to the series. Through her mother, Alice, Betty is a legacy member of the South Side Serpents.

Film

References

  1. ↑ "Obituary: Rosemary Rice Merrell, 87, started in TV and radio". New Canaan Advertiser. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  2. ↑ Gustines, George Gene. "At 94, the Real Betty Doesn’t Regret Dumping a Creator of Archie,'" The New York Times (October 1, 2015), accessed October 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ Betty Archived February 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 44. ISBN 1-4402-2988-0.
  5. ↑ Jughead: The Hunger #0, May 2017.
  6. ↑ Jughead: The Hunger #1, October 2017.
  7. ↑ Jughead: The Hunger #3, February 2018.
  8. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2016). "'Riverdale' Archie Comics CW Pilot Casts Its Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones". Deadline.
  9. ↑ "A Search For The Real-Life Archie, Betty And Friends Began In Haverhill". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "From Haverhill to New Jersey, searching for the inspiration behind Archie Comics' Betty - The Boston Globe". bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Documentary seeks to find the inspiration for the 'Archie' characters". lowellsun.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  12. ↑ LaBella, Mike. "Who are real people behind 'Archie' comic?". eagletribune.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  13. ↑ LaBella, Mike. "'Archie' -- the Haverhill connection". eagletribune.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Danny Peary (12 July 2015). "Archie's Betty: My Interview with Gerald Peary, Again". The Sag Harbor Express. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  15. ↑ College, Northern Essex Community (2 October 2015). "Archie Returns to Haverhill - Northern Essex". mass.edu. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Archie's Betty Trailer 052215". Vimeo. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  • "Archie's Betty". Retrieved 24 August 2018 – via imdb.com.
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