I had some exposure to this character several years ago and found Katy to be enchanting. I even searched out some of her earlier material and her 80’s incarnation was featured in 2000’s digests. This Katy graphic novel was on clearance. It wasn’t eligible for the 35% discount, so ultimately the discount didn’t pay for the shipping on this order. I was hoping this volume would be mostly older material from the 40’s along with 80’s stories. I expected some 2000’s material, but maybe there’d be something from the Katy/Archie miniseries from a couple of years ago.
Once again, a quick flip-through showed I’d more-or-less made another ***mistake.*** About half of the volume is older material from the 50’s and 80’s. The other half is a reprint from a 2000’s Free Comic Book Day Katy comic and then the stories by Andrew Pepoy. This is material I already own. This book also was produced before the latest material came out.
This was missing all of the stories from the 40’s, as well as the early 80’s stories drawn by Don Sherwood. Bill Woggon was Katy’s creator and drew her during the 40’s and 50’s. I’m not sure why the earliest material was excluded, since the samples I’ve seen look great. I don’t know how many Sherwood stories are there, but his style is revelation. It’s not compatible with Archie’s house style, but certainly looked in tune with girls romance comics of the time. I’d love to see more.
The 50’s and 80’s stories here are mostly very short five-or-six-pagers. The 50’s ones are whimsical and mostly about Katy changing outfits, which are submitted by the readers, and having issues with her boyfriend.
The 80’s ones are by John Lucas. He was a Katy fan, whose artwork in a fanzine got him a job drawing her in the comics. These are very 80’s, very. You do not need to be told these are from the 80’s and definitely from the glamour aisle. These stories are mostly about her conflicts with her rival Gloria Gold and managing her many suitors.
I usually pick up whatever Archie is offering for Free Comic Book Day, so I did get this one in 2005. Unlike the other stories in the book, this one is a full comic. It integrates Katy into Archie’s Riverdale High, where she’s a student. I hate to say it, but Veronica’s cousin, Marcy, does totally upstage her.
I’m not sure if this effort was to keep up the copyright on Katy or a trial balloon for a revival. A year later, Katy was brought back as a second feature in Archie & Friends. I’d picked up one of those and loved the character. Those stories, which vary from 6 to 10 pages, were collected in a volume and an extra story was added to the beginning to show how Katy got involved in modeling and acting. I wrote this review at the time and posted it on MySpace.
Review of Katy Keene Vol. 1 "Model Behavior"
This trade paperback is currently available from Archie, Amazon, and probably some other places. [Probably not any longer.]
If I could choose out of all the Archie characters a real-life version to date, it would have to be Katy Keene. (Shhh, don't tell Melody.) Actually when I think about it, I did know the real-life version. She has the same hairstyle and pleasant personality, and I miss her dearly. Well, now that my impartiality has been established, I'll go ahead and start the review.
Why did I buy this?
I first saw Katy in Archie & Friends #101 with my beloved Veronicas. (Along with Josie and the Pussycats even. What a score for me!) The character's personality and Andrew Pepoy's artwork made me want to see more.
Contents.
She's an actress, model, and singer. Little wonder she's famous. She's also beautiful, smart, sweet, and kind. Katy seems to have everything going for her, but there's a price to be paid. Jealous boyfriends, conniving rivals, scheming producers, snitty co-stars, nosy paparazzi, annoying reporters, and even her own little sister gets her into trouble. She's so popular, that everyone wants a piece of her or to knock her down. You're getting plenty of conflict here.
Don't worry, it's still kid friendly in art, script, and story. There are some nods to adult readers and some grown up situations, but this is all subtle. Yeah, it could be more mature or realistic, but then Katy's good-natured character would become completely improbable, as she's surrounded by people either out to get her or wanting something from her.
I won't go into depth with the stories here, but I will single out the opening chapters. These stories are sort of Katy's diary of how she rose to stardom. They show how she got started, her rivalry with Gloria Gold, the college boyfriend she left behind, and the aftermath of the death of her and her sister's parents. That last item provides, I guess, an explanation as to why she's so nice. Katy is trying to parent and be a good role model for her little sister. These stories didn’t appear in of the comic books. I’m curious as to the origin of them, since I doubt they were produced just for this volume. [They were actually produced just for this volume.]
Andrew Pepoy’s art is generally excellent. [Pepoy also did the touch up work on my beloved Bob Montana Archie Comic Strip Volume.] More than well-drawn, Katy looks likable. Katy's shining personality comes right through in the stories. She goes through a lot of wardrobe changes in any given story, but working in those reader submitted fashions is a great nod to the fans. I hope this tradition continues with the new upcoming creative team. [This has always been a feature of Katy Keene comics.]
Speaking of tradition, I’ve only seen one previous version, a story excellently done by John Lucas from the 80’s. Pepoy’s version seems to be cut from the material and presumably also the 40’s original. I could only wish for a trade volume featuring Katy through the years, starting with her “father,” Bill Woggon. [Well, that happened.]
Clunkers?
I hope that by mentioning this up front, I'm not scaring anybody off. The story in Archie and Friends #101 had a cringe-worthy moment in it that likely kept me from seeking out further individual issues.
Katy meets the band "Without a Doubt" (ahem) backstage. Their lead singer "Steph Gwefan" suddenly falls ill. (Celebrity names are filled in all over this volume, which is fine.) Katy is drafted on the spot to take her place on stage. I know they wanted to establish Katy as a singer, but that should have been a separate story. At least a throwaway line that Katy had sat in with the band during a rehearsal, and that they knew she could sing and knew their songs would have helped.
The rest of the volume
is nowhere near this improbable. Even
this story is totally forgivable, as Katy is just hot in that little red dress
(reader submitted).
Sidebar: A friend at
work did actually see No Doubt before they hit it big. They were an opening act for Bush. The drummer, Adrian Young, came out and hung
around the lobby after the concert and chatted with people. He was apparently a really nice guy.
Conclusion
I was surprised by how much I did like it. (I probably shouldn't have been given who she reminds me of.) Regardless of the appeal of the artwork from my first exposure, I was afraid it would be one absurd girlish fantasy after another. Instead, there was plenty of drama, romance, comedy, and heart-warming tales.
In short, highly recommended.
I really liked this. I’m maybe a bit less goofy about it now, but the basic sentiment remains. (I even wrote a fan-fic based on this version of the character.) But like I said, I already own it. I’m sure my trade is long out-of-print. If you’d like this material, buying this volume would be the way to go. If you want the older stuff, you’re going to be disappointed. They could have done a whole volume of 40’s and 50’s Katy and another on 80’s Katy. If you have no experience with the character or want whatever you can get, this volume would be fine.
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