[...] Japan’s head otaku, Foreign Minister Taro Aso, plans to use Japanese pop culture as a diplomatic tool. One major obstacle is that aside from Aso, most high-level Japanese diplomats don’t read manga or watch anime. They are making diligent efforts to catch up, however. MangaBlog applauds this initiative and calls on other foreign leaders to do the same. Perhaps we can persuade President Bush to turn his attention to the Betty and Veronica makeover that is currently rending the comics blogosphere. [...]

Now I’m wondering what comic book characters would make good bloggers, or just silly ones. Bob the lizard from the Grimjack books would be a good one for LiveJournal, all memes and whining. “Smoooookes…”

[...] Well the Betty and Veronica makeover story (a term I have come to prefer over “revamp”, “retcon” or even the less pejorative “redesign”) has taken on near-mythic proportions; apart from the usual mutterings from disgruntled neo-adolescents, it’s been covered in some unusual mass-market venues– the Wall Street Journal, et al. As well, Archie suits Rik Offenberger and Victor Gorelick have stepped up their online presence, and provided clarifications, explanations, hyperbole, fake blogs and more art. So what else need saying? [...]

I have to be honest, I really wish this was true mutiny in the ranks at Archie.

One other thing is how the art needs a better story and characterizations. This could work as in a Montana/DeCarlo style but once the household staff becomes real, then Veronica moves from amusing stereotype into petty monster.

And mind you, I’m someone who thinks breaking the art/story mold is a GOOD idea. This just ain’t it.

At least they look like teens, as opposed to the pre-teens on the other page, in those pages.

Milgrom’s a pretty versatile inker, so I suspect he’ll be able to do whatever’s asked of him with these pencils, whether DeCarlo-ize them or slick them up. Not much he can do about the deadly boring script, though.

They said these were going to be longer stories too, didn’t they? Maybe they’ll get to the funny once they do the “new reader friendly” stuff. Or, they could be going for a new approach altogether and going for more soap opera, less funny. I don’t think that Archie’s writers will be able to pull that off, but they might be trying.

Also, the folks who were worrying that Betty and Veronica should look exactly alike can stop worrying – they pretty much do here. And I guess that the short-haired girl wasn’t Ronnie after all. Maybe it IS supposed to be Midge.