In the following interview, WWAC talks bird puns and being an outsider in the newest Archie-verse tale – Betty and Veronica: Fairy Tales #1 by Goldie Chan.
Editorial Note: A huge apology to Goldie Chan for getting this up so late! Scheduling conflicts can be such a beast! For the curious – please pick up a copy of Betty and Veronica: Fairy Tales #1 to read Goldie’s story.
WWAC: First of all – your bird puns throughout the story are absolutely ducky! What made you decide to lean heavily on bird puns for the tale?
GC: Thank you for that egg-cellent compliment! I thought it would bring back some of the silliness that I personally adored from reading puns and classic jokes from older Archie comics. I think everyone loves a good set of all-ages duck puns; I know I clucking do.
WWAC: The story does a great job of explaining to kids what it feels like to be an outsider, and it uses the unique and wonderful Cassie Cloud to open the minds of the villagers. Did you pick Cassie out right away as the one you wanted to hinge the story on or did you go through other characters?
GC: I thought carefully about who would be a great character to showcase in a fairytale story, and I really enjoy Cassie Cloud — she’s cool, she’s tall, she’s fashionable (oh wait, I added that last part into my story!), and she’s a bit more of a blank canvas to work with. I think it is ALWAYS helpful to have stories for kids and young people where you can be different or have different tastes and interests and still be accepted into a community of your peers.
WWAC: Ultimately, what saves the day is everyone deciding to express themselves as individuals – Archie and Betty with their architecture, which individualizes the town, and Cassie teaming with Veronica to change up folks’ clothes. What made you pick these as signifiers of originality and change?
GC: I have to say that I’m always a pro-Betty fan! I love the idea that Betty, of course, with her good-natured spirit, would be the first one to reach out to Cassie and welcome her in. And of course, that Betty would have the carpentry skills (and helpful aide in Archie) to build beautiful houses. I can’t resist turning Betty into the stellar entrepreneur that I know she is. I also think Veronica is so shrewd and fashion-forward — if she saw an opportunity to develop a new style WITH someone else, she might resist it at first but she’ll come around to working with even a (fashionable) rival.
WWAC: One of my favorite background details involves Randy having a dragon. The dragon doesn’t do anything in the story, but he totally has one and gets to fly about on it! Whose idea was that! Does the dragon have a name?
GC: I absolutely want to credit the amazing father-son duo that worked on this comic, Bill Galvan and Ben Galvan, for creative input on this one. Of course, Randy is casually extra magical in a magical land. The dragon does not have a name… yet. I’m partial to calling him Domingo the Dragon, but I invite the amazing Archie audience to submit some names, maybe we’ll use it in the future!
Pick up a copy of Betty And Veronica: Friends Forever: Fairy Tales #1 here at the Archie store!
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