Drawn from secret diaries she kept from her time as a government agent, Special Agent McKnight presents more of the thrilling adventures of Bettie Page! Having fought spies, spooks, and supernatural conquerors, what could Ms. Page possibly be confronted with next? Find out in BETTIE PAGE #1, on shelves now from Dynamite Entertainment!

BETTIE PAGE #1

Writer: David Avallone
Artist: Julius Ohta
Colors: Ellie Wright
Letters: Taylor Esposito
Cover:  John Royle & Mohan
Publisher:  Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 21st, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in BETTIE PAGE: After having confronted cosmic horrors in the Bettie Page Halloween Special, Bettie is plagued by nightmares. However, it will not be long before she is pressed back into the service of her country for a threat more cosmic than she can guess.

THE AMERICANS ARE COMING! THE AMERICANS ARE COMING!

In the dark of night, Bettie Page is a young woman who must wrestle with her fears. Tonight, those fears take the shape of nightmares, and this particular nightmare involves the multi-eyed, many-toothed, and much tentacled Guardian of the Gate. In her dreams, Bettie is powerless and the Guardian wants vengeance. But is it all just a dream? As a gray and mottled tentacle wraps around Bettie’s slender waist, her salvation comes in the form of a jauntily dressed Special Agent McKnight. With but a touch of his bamboo cane and a sarcastic quip, he banishes beast and saves the beauty. Bettie leans in close, her lips approaching her hero…

…when the phone rings, awakening her from her sleep. She knows that it is Agent McKnight, and he tells her to get ready, Uncle Sam has need of her again. Meeting at an airfield, Page and Special Agent McKnight disembark on a trans-Atlantic flight, with McKnight serving as pilot, to merry ol’ England. It seems something has happened and must be kept secret, so secret that not even their regular partner Lyssa has been included. Arriving at the one time heart of the British war effort, McKnight introduces Bettie to one of their contacts, a man named Byrne, Thomas Byrne. They are escorted into another room and meet Lord Harling, from the Ministry of Defense, and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. It seems that the British government is interested in Bettie’s previous experience with flying saucers. It seems aliens have kidnapped the Queen! Honest to goodness, outer space aliens. Byrne himself was unable to save her, so the British government decided that outside help was warranted, and that help, of course, was Page and McKnight. Escorted by Byrne, Page heads to Windsor Castle to investigate the scene of the But will she make it there, or is some other sinister force looking to stop her?

TALK ABOUT STAR POWER!

This is the beginning of a new volume for the Bettie Page series from Dynamite Entertainment, and as such, it gets the requisite first issue. Writer David Avallone (Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Legenderry: Vampirella) continues he work with Bettie, and continues to make the character surprisingly likable and adventuresome. His Bettie is a woman who knows what its about and can handle herself. She is not above using those skills to complete her mission, no matter how much she may secretly want to play the damsel in distress.  Avallone makes this four-color version of Bettie Page much more than a pin-up who has adventures; she is a woman who is capable and worldly, not afraid to kick butt. She retains her femininity while being independent and strong. He proves you do not have to give up one to obtain the other. His current storyline is fun with nods to other famous British characters, but Bettie Page rightly steals the show.

On the artwork front, Julius Ohta ((Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man, Grimm Fairy Tales) does a bang-up job. Ohta’s work graced the Bettie Page Halloween Special I reviewed lst month, and I loved the work now as much as I loved it then. He manages to make Bettie Page show a wide range of emotions, and her wide-eyed look of surprise and fear is one of the best. Additionally, the designs used for Special Agent McKnight in the opening dream sequence have now forever cast the voice of Dick Van Dyke as Bettie’s erstwhile partner.

BOTTOM LINE: A GREAT “PAGE” TURNER OF AN ISSUE

To my surprise, I am quickly becoming a fan of the Bettie Page comics published by Dynamite Entertainment.  It would have been so easy to make her into a bubble-headed character in constant need of saving, bouncing blissfully from misadventure to misadventure, but Avallone took a different route and made her a strong leading lady who can stand her own with the boys. This issue once again shows that she can throw down with the boys, and even surpass them. Combined with Ohta’s wonderful illustrations and the great range of color work by Ellie Wright (Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), this is a top tier book.

A surprising example of how a strong leading lady can be written, Bettie Page #1 entertains you is ways you didn’t know you missed. This is one to pick up.