Wherein Bettie Page must save the universe fighting back against the creations of Lovecraftian Mythos.
Creative Staff:
Story: David Avallone
Art: Julius Ohta
Colors: Ellie Wright / Sheelagh D
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
When you step through an inter-dimensional gate the results are unpredictable: sometimes you find yourself in a bikini made of coins with a sword in your hand! Reality is shattering, the gate has been opened for an invasion from the Great Old Ones…and only model spy BETTIE PAGE can save the world in this epic four-part miniseries from David Avallone (ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK) and Julius Ohta. The Crisis on Infinite Betties begins in BETTIE PAGE: UNBOUND #1!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I remember reading the first Bettie Page issue Dynamite put out on kind of a whim. A “Well, why not see what they do here” kind of thing that has turned into one of the best rides that Dynamite is putting out there these days. David Avallone has most certainly captured the tone right for Bettie for it to be larger than life and becoming something delightfully fun but he’s also able to with this series play within the Dynamite licenses a good bit that’s going to make a lot of people happy. And a good part of that will definitely come from Julius Ohta’s artwork. Ohta has been just as strong in presenting this world as Avallone and with some opportunity to run across genres and characters here with Bettie in the center, well, there’s some great stuff in the mix that I can’t wait to see more of. This issue hits a lot of sweet spots but the next issue going all Vampirella? Oh my.
This book is the perfect jumping on point as the first couple of pages catches you up on everything that has come before for the character, even if some storylines are reduced to a sentence or two. The reality is that it is pretty incredulous but here we are, Bettie Page, defender against Lovecraftian Mythos creatures that are preparing a prison break as relayed to her by both aliens and the Loch Ness Monster. And it works. Back in America for a bit with McKnight and the team, a little outside help is brought in and they get a pretty good handle on some of the names of what’s come before and what to expect while avoiding saying anything with the Lovecraft word itself in it. All of this sets the stage well just as lightning strikes and The Crawling Chaos appears amid a portal in the office looking to get the Tunguska Star that Bettie has, one of five needed to keep these creatures imprisoned.
Amusingly, Bettie ends up in Hyperborea where she’s all done up in traditional Red Sonja gear. It’s here that she’s accosted by warriors with a group of slave girls where two of them (Hi Gayle! Hi Symone!) end up helping her find another of the Stars from a local vizier of note all so the cycle can start again. But what I love amid this is that as Bettie finds herself here in this time and place, she is herself but she realizes she’s essentially borrowing someone else’s body as she feels stronger and more capable than she was in New York. That allows her to feel the confidence of Red Sonja and utilize her abilities, which are impressive, while looking like Bettie to a good degree. I love the way it unfolds and while we’ve seen confident Bettie a plenty so far, there’s a different kind of confidence here than the swagger she usually employs. The badassery of it all is spot on and it leaves you excited for the next round of adventures.
In Summary:
Bettie Page: Unbound is a fantastic bit of fun that’s a great jumping on point for people. A jumping on point that they should definitely take the leap of faith on as it’s just delightfully fun, full of action, and is moving forward a large-scale plot all while making it incredibly accessible right from the start. David Avallone is having a blast here by all appearances in placing Bettie in Red Sonja mode while Julius Ohta gives us all the right stuff for it, adhering to the way it doesn’t feel gratuitous or full of male-gaze material that detracts but instead is a lot more empowering and engaging to watch unfold. This property has been climbing up the ranks for a while now with great stories, great art, and some fantastic character material to become a top tier favorite. It’s definitely a great time to get acquainted with this project if you haven’t before now.
Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 5th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
