Veronica + Betty

Veronica Lodge Age: 17 Gender: Female Height: 5 feet 6 inches Weight120 lbs. (55 kg) Eyes Color: Brown Hair Color: Black Relatives Hiram Lodge (father), Hermione Lodge (mother), Gladys (paternal aunt), Leroy Lodge (1st cousin), Marcy McDermott (1st cousin), Archie Andrews (boyfriend) Citizenship: American Education: Student at Riverdale High

Appearance Veronica has been called one of the most beautiful girls in Riverdale and happens to be blessed with naturally good looks. In the comics, she is described as a brown-eyed brunette (her hair is medium-length with bangs). She stands at about 5'6" and weighs about 120 lbs. (the same height and weight as her best friend Betty).

Personality Self-absorbed, insensitive, shallow, and easily succumbing to jealousy, the fashion-conscious. Despite her beauty, Veronica is seen as slightly vain, always concerned about her appearance and clothing. She is very fashion-conscious and buys only very expensive designer clothing which she is known to throw away only a few months after she has bought it. She is constantly driving her father crazy with her credit card bills, causing him to try and curb her excessive spending habits, but with no such luck. Veronica is sometimes good-hearted and kind; always ready to help out a friend in need. She often gives Betty her spare clothes she doesn't use and uses her wealth, connections, and other good qualities to assist her friends. She has contributed to various charity causes. However, when Veronica gets mad, she is unstoppable and impossible to calm down, despite any good things that may happen. She has a short temper, and usually only gets extremely mad when she finds out that Archie has been cheating on her with Betty. Veronica is very good at math and economics, and is thought to inherit her father's company when she comes of age. She is also an expert in the game of billiards, often trumping both Betty and Archie in the games they play at her home pool table. Being extremely knowledgeable about fashion, she jumps at whatever chance she gets to model clothing. It is hinted that she may be interested in getting a job which involves her designing clothes or running a clothing store. She occasionally does cheerleading, but is not portrayed as a cheerleader in all of the books. Veronica also enjoys traveling and is the basis for the book Veronica's Passport.

History Veronica Lodge is the only child of Hiram Lodge, the richest man in Riverdale, and his wife Hermione Lodge. She is called both by her name "Veronica" and her nicknames "Ronnie" and "Ron". Bob Montana knew the real-life Lodge family, because he had once painted a mural for them. Montana combined that name with actress Veronica Lake to create the character of Veronica Lodge. Her character was added in Pep Comics 38, just months after Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones debuted, and just a few months before Reggie Mantle debuted.

Veronica is a beautiful young woman with raven hair, favoring expensive, up-to-the-minute fashion. In some comics, Mr. Lodge claimed that he moved his family to Riverdale in order to avoid Veronica becoming spoiled, like many of the children he knew and grew up with. His plan did not succeed as well as he had hoped, as Veronica is often depicted on spending sprees, in which she maxes out her credit cards. In one story she buys out every shoe store in Riverdale to prevent any other girl from buying a pair of shoes that she herself wanted. (Ironically, Veronica is often depicted going barefoot, both at home and away.) At times, Veronica's vain and conceited attitude infuriates her father to the point that he has to somehow "teach her a lesson" and Veronica is forced to get a job of some kind or loses access to Archie.

Lifestyle and relationships Veronica enjoys a very posh lifestyle, as her family are among the richest people in the world. She nevertheless chooses to hang out with her less affluent friends, including the boy she is in love with, Archie Andrews, whom she nicknames "Archiekins." Her level of interest in him varies, however. Mr. Lodge often has nightmares that Veronica and Archie will marry. In 2009, Archie Comics published the Archie Marries Veronica to explore this possible future, marrying Veronica to Archie in one universe and to Reggie in another.

Veronica's best friend (and sometimes arch-rival) is Betty Cooper, and the two enjoy countless activities and interests. However, they are also at constant competition for Archie's affections. Veronica is often jealous of Betty, and will go to any length to steal anything that is important or a triumph for Betty, even if she (Veronica) did not want it in the first place. If Betty has a date with a new boy, Veronica will let her have Archie for a brief time, so that she can steal the date. If Betty is praised for some achievement, Veronica will do anything to ruin it for her. In one story, she gave Betty a candy bar containing nuts (to which Betty is allergic), so that Veronica could steal her modeling job. Veronica is often seen scheming to get Archie from Betty whenever she spots the two dating. Occasionally, she is victorious. But usually, Betty manages to successfully take revenge on her. Also, Archie occasionally has stood up to Veronica and stuck with Betty.

Her other friends include Ethel Muggs, Midge Klump and Nancy Woods, and they all enjoy having slumber parties and shopping at the mall together. [citation needed]

Periodically, she can be cocky and snobbish, constantly looking down on those less fortunate than herself, or sees herself as the rules of common society don't apply to her simply because she is wealthy, which causes her friends to be upset with her. During those times, she derisively refers to the public at large as "the common horde." At other times, when she can be snobbish, her father will punish her with having her credit cards confiscated.

Living in a house full of servants, Veronica often thinks that they are only there to serve her, and she doesn't see them as people. She will often yell at her maids to bring her something and "to be quick about it." At one point, her mother forced her to do all her own chores and fetch her own snacks, throughout the entire summer.

Betty Cooper Age: 17 Gender: Female Height 5 feet 6 inches Weight120 lbs. (55 kg) Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Blonde Relatives: Hal Cooper (father), Alice Cooper (mother), Chic Cooper (brother), Polly Cooper (sister), Archie Andrews (boyfriend) Citizenship: Riverdale, USA Occupation: Student at Riverdale High

Personality Betty's hobbies include sports (including baseball), cooking, and making her own clothing. She loves fashion and driving around the block. Betty is a scuba diver wearing a red shorty wetsuit, breathing with a scuba tank she carries on her back and a regulator in her mouth, wears red flippers on her feet and a mask on her face, but she swims underwater. Betty has a talent with animals (she owns a cat, Caramel) and often operates small businesses concerning them no matter how troubling they turn out. She is very concerned with the environment and other social issues and encourages the rest of the gang to clean up after themselves. She keeps a small garden in her backyard, to which she tends occasionally. She loves children and sometimes babysits Jellybean with Jughead as well as other children in Riverdale. Occasionally, families hire Betty to keep their elderly members company.

Contrary to the "dumb blonde" stereotype and despite her beauty, Betty actually has an above-average intelligence and is one of the smartest students at Riverdale High School. In one story she won an award and was sent to compete in New York and has won numerous academic awards. At one point, she gained ESP when an encyclopedia accidentally fell on her head. This ability took away all hope for the future; Archie asked her for a date, but she knew that Archie would dump her for Veronica. She lost her ESP power when a ball that Reggie kicked accidentally hit her; in her gratefulness, she gave him a thankful kiss.

History Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is portrayed as a nice, beautiful, smart, sweet, tomboyish and funny girl with blonde hair. Her eyes are typically described as blue, but are only drawn as such in later years and during close-up shots of her face; at all other times, her eyes are simply drawn with black ink.

The quintessential 17-year-old girl next door, Betty's middle class upbringing is a world apart from the flashy lifestyle of her wealthy friend and rival, Veronica Lodge. Nowhere is this more evident than when she and Veronica are competing for Archie Andrews' heart, and yet they remain best friends (Veronica once told Archie that she and Betty are only rivals in unimportant matters...like boys.)

Relationships Betty's best friend is Veronica. Although the two are often involved in disputes over Archie or something else that evokes jealousy, they have remained friends. The two have commented that Jughead and Archie's friendship could not compare to theirs. In many stories, Betty and Veronica team up or help each other despite Veronica's jealousy and bitterness towards her. Betty's other female friends include Ethel Muggs, Midge Klump, and Nancy Woods, all of whom share common interests and group activities such as shopping and cheer-leading.

Frequently, Betty has been shown to flirt with and date bassist Reggie Mantle early on in the titles' runs and occasionally still, more often than not as a casual date. Once Betty said that sometimes the way Archie and Reggie fight over her, it sounds like she has the plague. In the Life with Archie magazines that depict a future timeline in which Archie marries Veronica, Betty and Reggie are portrayed as a loving couple.[4] It has been hinted they may be planning to get married.

Betty's relationship with Jughead Jones has mostly been that of close confidant and close friend, as they normally discuss their issues more candidly with each other than anyone else; Jughead will provide commentary on her feelings for Archie, and Betty will attempt to "better" Jughead, by getting rid of his slothful attitude and laziness. Once when she had a sprained ankle, Veronica told both Archie and Jughead to visit her. The four of them were having dinner together when people from the school mistook Jughead as Betty's boyfriend because he was carrying chocolates to her house. Jughead appears to care more about Betty than other girls and there have been hints of a potential romantic relationship between them. He once accidentally asked her out to a school dance. When he was telling Archie what to do, Betty walked up behind him and thought he was asking her even though he was just demonstrating how to ask Betty to the dance. In one story, Jughead even says that if the time ever comes that he would willingly kiss a girl, it would be Betty. A happy tear is seen sliding down Betty's face at this comment.

She had a friendship with an elderly woman named Lydia Wyndham, whom she found when doing research about World War I. With this acquaintance, Betty got to know an accomplished writer and poet with a sharp mind (and a sad past—Betty's research had turned up a beau of Ms. Wyndham's who was killed in combat), but after a while, Ms. Wyndham herself died.

At times, Betty is seen to have a close friendship with Cheryl Blossom, especially in Cheryl's own title. However, at other times, Betty and Veronica regard the seductive Cheryl as a threat because she tries to lure Archie away from them, and the two best friends unite against Cheryl to protect their interests. Jason Blossom, Cheryl's twin brother, is sometimes seen to have a genuine interest in Betty, which makes Archie jealous.