Archie Comics is offering fans a new horror anthology one-shot in February with the release of Betty: The Final Girl.
The slasher sub-genre’s most widely loved trope, the “final girl” is the clever survivor who carries a relentless plot across the finish line, taking it to the bad guy in the last scene. Writer Micol Ostow (Fear the Funhouse, Riverdale: The Ties That Bind) immediately turned to Betty when she thought of marrying the genre with Archie’s core cast of characters.
“I’m a diehard horror fan, and I’ve been obsessed with how seamlessly Archie’s been able to integrate different styles, levels, and aesthetics of spookiness into their Archie Horror library,” Micol said in a press release from Archie Comics. “And while I don’t have one favorite scary movie or book, I’ve always been a sucker for the ‘final girl’ trope. It hit me that Betty would make a fantastic final girl: blonde, kick-ass, capable!”
Micol’s framing story, “Rosemary’s Babysitter,” with art by Laura Braga (Blossoms 666), takes Betty and Veronica to a secluded mountaintop chalet for a weekend of skiing. When Betty is left alone, her mind begins to race and dangers appear around every darkened hallway and every creaky door. Each new fright introduces a new story starring a different girl from the Archie Comics roster: “Be Mine or Die” by Casey Gilley (Return of Chilling Adventures In Sorcery) and Natalie Nardozza (Gemini Crisis), and “Melody’s Next” by Sam Maggs (Critical Role) and Carola Borelli (Deadliest Bouquet).
Betty: The Final Girl arrives on February 15, 2022.