Time to get some Irish in Bettie.
Creative Staff:
Story: Stephen Mooney
Art: Jethro Morales
Colors: Dini Ribero
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Utilizing several clues found at the ancient Key Artifact site in the Middle Americas, McKnight and Bettie surmise that the Key Artefact has been relocated to an ancient burial site in rural Ireland. They give chase!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Bettie Page series continue to be one of my more anticipated projects when they come out because when done right, they hit a really great sweet spot almost nothing else is covering. With the last series failing across the board for me in terms of story, I was excited to see what Stephen Mooney would bring to this project as his first Bettie Page mini. Thankfully, the opening installment leans into the earlier works well for the foundations and moves forward into its own just right while having almost exactly the right voice for her. Jethro Morales is also a great addition to the Bettie line of artists as he’s got the style and look down just right for the cast in general but also the teasing fanservice that coems from Bettie herself. There’s a lot to like in this team here.
The premise for this one is that the chief is calling in Bettie and Lyssa for a mission that’s right up their alley. The two have seen themselves a lot of things that make no sense and made it through the missions alive, though the chief makes it clear that he’s not quite a believer himself, but there’s a professional aspect to this that has him accepting it. The Irish government has called in for help on a case that’s causing a problem there as people are being killed by a banshee, which is not exactly something that they’re equipped to deal with and in general neither is the US. But this organization and the talent that we’ve got within it, well, from aliens to werewolves and more, Bettie and Lyssa have seen a lot between them. And as Bettie says, she’s never been to Ireland and this is a great chance to go and just check it out.
Bettie and Lyssa in Ireland gives us a lot of culture clash right from the start as they work with Maire to get a handle on things. There are all sorts of things that come up, from calling her a professor but learning that women can’t get that title here in 1954, to finding out that women aren’t allowed in pubs in Ireland either. But Bettie and Lyssa through force of personality – more Bettie, naturally – they’re able to get on the right path with the murders that seem like normal things and not supernatural. But there are problems along the way as well, such as the body having disappeared from the morgue and the dead man’s brother convinced he’s going to be dead himself because he heard the banshee. Watching as the trio work to protect him and figure out what’s going on is solidly done as it gives us a taste of the culture at the time and the clash with someone like Bettie who was far ahead of her own time even in California in the mid-1950s.
In Summary:
I have a real fondness for Bettie Page comics over the last few years that Dynamite has been putting them out and love to see the character done well. There are certain needs that it has and when they don’t get hit, it doesn’t feel like a Bettie book and that misses the mark entirely. Stephen Mooney definitely has captured the right tone, maybe just a touch looser than I would have preferred, but definitely in the ballpark with ease. The story has me interested from the get-go with a mix of science and supernatural and this gives Morales more than enough to work with in both settings and in character designs. This is a solidly strong opening installment that has me excited to see what’s to come next.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 2nd, 2021
MSRP: $3.99