The eternal love triangle is finally coming to an end. Our very own freckle-faced, red-haired boy, Archie Andrews has chosen to marry the snobbish and wealthy Veronica Lodge over the girl-next door, Betty Cooper, in the 600th issue of Archie comics.
The official blog site confirms the news and also explains that the issue will not only deal with the engagement but the six-part series will also show whether Archie and Veronica actually get hitched and the gang finally graduating from Riverdale High School students to being adults. Metrolife took a peek into Veronica’s official blog to see her reaction and it stated, “I am so excited, I am getting married to Archie. There is so much to do, so many plans to make. I wonder if Betty wants to be my maid of honour? I bet she is so happy for me!” All that the heart-broken Betty said on her official blog was, “I am so sad, I don't even know what to say.”
The cover of the issue shows Betty wiping a tear while looking at the proposal through the window. A majority of avid Archie comic fans in the City expressed disappointment at the turn of the events.
Shrutikirti Devi has been reading Archies since her childhood and her favourite characters are Betty and Jughead. She was taken aback by the news of the proposal. “Betty must be very heart broken. But she definitely deserves someone much better than Archie.”
Similar feeling was shared by Kannada actress Sharmila Mandre as well. “For a long time now, I was expecting and hoping that Archie would end up with Betty, as they just fit so well and have similar lifestyles. When I heard about the proposal, I was extremely upset. I always thought of Veronica as this snooty woman who loves a lavish life,” says Sharmila.
Given Archie’s history of indecision, would it be unreasonable to assume that more plots will unveil in future?
“Of course not. Archie is first of all too young, I am sure he will soon grow out of this stage and realise that he and Betty truly belong together. I will definitely be looking forward to this issue,” adds Sharmila. But this is not the first time a twist like this has taken place. In the year 1994-95, a special issue called the Love Showdown, had Archie choose his old flame, Cheryl Blossom, leaving both the girls surprised. But then Cheryl slowly wore out her presence at Riverdale and Archie got back to being his confused self between the two damsels.
But with a majority of the people expecting Archie to end up with Betty, would this new twist make the story more interesting? “No way,” say many ardent fans. “I’m sure most of the readers have always wanted Betty and Archie to be together and this new twist will not make things more interesting, it is actually disappointing,” says Neil, while concluding, “Anyway, at the end of the day, it is just a comic book.”