Betty and Veronica

This week, Veronica throws a party, Alice Cooper throws a righteous fit, and a couple of guys throw punches at Moose. Poor Moose. Guy just wanted to lift some rocks. "The Outsiders" was written by Julia Cohen and directed by David Katzenberg.

Here at ComicsAlliance, we love Riverdale, and while we'd like to say that it's because of the studiously self-aware goofiness of the plot, the fun character work, and the endless shipping potential (B&V forever), there's one thing that we're drawn to more than anything else: It's just really fun to see Archie Comics characters talking about sex and murder. So fun, in fact, that it made us start to wonder what it would be like if all of that delightfully over the top Riverdale dialogue existed in the classic Archie Comics universe --- and since we're never ones to let a question go unanswered, we decided to find out by doing it ourselves.

This week, we see inside the Blossom family residence, Riverdale buries Jason, Betty goes on a “reconnaissance mission” to Pop’s with a cute boy, and we learn how maple syrup ruins everything. “Heart of Darkness” was written by Ross Maxwell and directed by Jesse Warn.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Betty and Veronica lately. With Archie ‘n’ pals riding high in pop culture again thanks to Riverdale, it’s hard not to. Even with a faux-lesbian kiss that went nowhere, Riverdale reaffirms my belief that Betty and Veronica are totally in love. Hear me out.

This week, Betty finds out the truth about Ms. Grundy, Jughead fights to keep the drive-in open, and Kevin Keller gets some smooches. "The Last Picture Show" was written by Michael Grassi and directed by Mark Piznarski.

This week, the patriarchy raises its ugly head, Josie refuses to put up with white privilege, Ethel gets justice, Jughead gets all True Detective, and Betty… oh, Betty. “Body Double” was written by Yolonda Lawrence and directed by Lee Toland Krieger.

This week Veronica tries to repair her relationship with Betty, Archie tries to repair his relationship with Jughead, we find out more about Jason Blossom’s death, and Josie and the Pussycats rock out at a pep rally. “A Touch of Evil” was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Lee Toland Krieger.

Welcome to Riverdale, the latest CW show based on a comic; but instead of DC superheroes, this one is all about Archie Andrews and his pals 'n' gals! Archie Comics aficionado Chris Sims and CW teen drama superfan Emma Lawson will be your recappers for our weekly breakdown of what's hot and happening at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. This week, we meet all the characters we know and love, including Archie, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, Cheryl, Reggie, and Jughead --- but none of them are quite what you might expect here in Twink Peaks, and one of them might be covering up a murder. "The River's Edge" was directed by Lee Toland Krieger and written by Archie Comics' own creative director Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

The thing you need to understand about Riverdale is that people there don't react to things with the normal levels of emotions. I mean, that's pretty obvious, right? The entire town --- the entire universe in which that town resides --- is built around the idea that this one teenager is so irresistibly alluring that it has resulted in a 75-year love triangle with dozens of characters caught in its orbit, and even if you're going by the upcoming TV show's version of Archie and his abs, that kind of all-consuming conflict is a little difficult to believe. In Riverdale, overreacting is just, you know, reacting. Which is how you get stories like the one where Veronica Lodge gets hit by a snowball and then very seriously threatens to murder an entire town.

The Holidays are upon as, and the year is basically gone. And as you know by now, that mean that here at ComicsAlliance, we're looking back at the best that comics had to offer in 2016. So here, to give you warm feeling as you head into your holiday weekend, are the best Archie Comics covers of the year.