Blood in Riverdale: Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica #3

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Once upon a time, Riverdale was Main Street USA -- the perfect place, frozen in a perfect time. But for the past several years, the home town of Archie Andrews has become a magnet for violence and horror -- and the fans are eating it up!

The latest is this jointly-licensed property through Dynamite Comics, RED SONJA AND VAMPIRELLA MEET BETTY AND VERONICA. When the She-Devil with a Sword and the Darling of Draculon chase a chaos cultist thorugh dimensions, they are brought to Riverdale, where they must go undercover as high school students. Holy 21 Jump Street, Batman! Fortunately, they have some help blending in -- which is even harder than you might think -- with the assistance of Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, who are just as keen to find the serial killer who has been plaguing the Riverdale Police Department.

As we pick up with this third chapter, Betty has discovered yet another layer to the mystery -- an old high school yearbook from the 1970s, which includes a photograph of all four ladies posing together! Betty tries to get help from the school librarian, Dilton Doiley, but shortly after she leaves him Dilton is attacked and nearly killed. Sonja gives chase, but the killer gets away, leaving behind a dangerously angry she-devil.

With Dilton needing blood, Betty volunteers to go to the local blood bank to donate. Vampirella is eager to go along with Betty, because she believes blood banks are more along the lines of supermarkets -- and she is very, very hungry. So when the police respond to another attack at the clinic, and find a very likely suspect in a very bloody brunette!

Amy Chu and Maria Laura Sanapo continue this most unlikely of teamups, throwing in some metatextual discussion along the way about whether what is happening to them is actually real or if they're living in a fiction. It's a bit slow in places, and there's a lot of emphasis on culture clash -- which would be understandable with Red Sonja, but not so much with Vampirella who should be well-acquainted with the modern world. Still, it's entertaining enough for comic book fare, and with RIVERDALE and VAMPIRELLA both undergoing huge fan surges, it makes sense to somehow put the characters on the same stage. We'll have to see over the next few issues if the show can pull out a win for the readers.