'Betty' and 'Veronica' are getting a makeover in the pages of "Betty & Veronica Double Digest", May 2007.Four issues, starting with issue No. 151, May 14, will each feature a serialized story of 26 pages drawn in the new style.
The story focuses on 'Nick St. Clair' who rides into Riverdale on his motorcycle:
"Veronica is smitten. She likes Nick's air of assurance and his knack for getting noticed. The only problem is that Nick attracts attention for doing the wrong thing and he quickly starts to alienate all of Ronnie's friends, especially Betty. Is handsome rebel Nick St. Clair the boy of Veronica's dreams, or just plain trouble? Will Betty and Veronica's friendship come to an end over the new boy in town? "
"What we're doing is appealing to a slightly older female audience who are ready to move on from reading our comics to some other medium," said Archie Comics publisher Michael Silberkleit.
"If we can get them interested in this more involved story, a romantic novel, we can keep the readers for a little longer...we like to listen to our fans, and we had received some e-mails saying, 'Why don't you try something a little more realistic with the Archie characters or put a little romance into the story?'
"There will be no denigrating anybody, no putting down authority or family, no sex, no drugs. The characters will still wear seatbelts. There'll be no smoking. Nobody is going to break the law. It's going to be the same thing from dear old 'Riverdale' that we know and love."
