Big Ethel Energy is a webcomic Spin-Off of Archie Comics centered on Ethel Muggs. It is created by writer Keryl Brown Ahmed and artist Siobhan Keenan. The first three chapters premiered on September 21, 2021 on Webtoon.
Set seven years after Archie and friends graduated from high school, formerly unpopular Ethel Muggs has left Riverdale behind for big-city New York and a fancy journalism job. When the opportunity to publish a book on her small town comes along, however, Ethel reluctantly returns to Riverdale and reunites with the Archie cast — some of whom are friends, some of whom made her life miserable in high school, and all of whom have changed from seven years ago.
Ethel moves in with Betty, who is preparing for medical school entrance exams, and learns that she and Archie are now on the outs. Archie (who lives in the same building, along with Jughead) feels insecure about his lack of accomplishments, while Jughead became a successful app developer, Veronica has become a popular influencer, and Moose has started teaching at Riverdale High. As Ethel learns more about Riverdale and its history through her research, she slowly becomes entangled with her old teachers and schoolmates.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Attractiveness: The Ethel of the comics went from a gangly, buck-toothed, messy-haired unattractive girl to a more conventionally feminine but still plain-faced one. This version of her was perfectly cute in high school, just unpopular.
- Adaptational Jerkass:
- Jughead's constant rejection and ridicule of Ethel was Played for Laughs in the comics. In Big Ethel Energy, it’s slated a little more emotionally realistic, as his rude rebuffing, laughing at her eagerness to be part of his friend group, and willingness to use her for favors has damaged her self-esteem and soured her on dating in her adult years.
- Veronica in the comics was a Lovable Alpha Bitch at worst, and in later years, was a friend to Ethel, accepting her as she did Betty, Nancy and Midge. In Big Ethel Energy, she’s a full-blown Alpha Bitch who laughs at Ethel for thinking she was invited to see a movie with her, Archie and Jughead, and had no qualms against extorting her for free movie tickets without letting her join. She hasn't seemed to have improved since then, either, as she has become a Bad Influencer and a Hypocrite to boot.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: One by time. In the comics and in the past, Betty was head over heels for Archie, despite his infatuation with the sexier and more alluring Veronica. When Ethel returns to Riverdale, Archie and Betty have shown to have drifted apart, with Betty seemingly avoiding talking to him and admitting that they aren't close anymore.
- Alpha Bitch: Veronica was a rich, popular, and beautiful mean girl in high school, and thus far, there’s no sign that she’s any better than she was back then.
- Amicable Exes: Moose and Midge were one of Riverdale High's (and Archie Comics') most stalwart couples. By the time of this story, they've broken up but remain good friends, with Midge being supportive of Ethel's attraction to him.
- Bad Influencer: Veronica grew up into a popular but image-obsessed influencer. She's retained her friendship with Betty but has remained an Alpha Bitch; upon meeting Ethel for the first time in years she's dismissive and constantly on her phone.
- Big Beautiful Woman: Ethel is bigger than Betty or Veronica, but no less attractive to the male characters. When Veronica and Reggie look her up on Instagram, Veronica makes a snide comment about Ethel's weight, but Reggie comments that she still looks amazing.
- Big "WHAT?!": Trula, Betty, and Archie screech out a big, sharp "WHAAAAT?!?!?!" in unison when Ethel reveals that she and Jughead hooked up the summer before college.
- Canon Foreigner: In addition to the traditional cast of characters from Archie Comics, the webcomic includes original characters, such as Seth, Betty's boss at the nursery, and Keely, Moose's coworker.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: Ethel was the Butt-Monkey of the comics, always made fun of for her looks (or lack thereof), rejected and extorted by Jughead, and pitied by the nicer characters for not being "pretty" or favored by boys. While it never bothered her in the comics, Big Ethel Energy shows that years of being rejected and ridiculed for her looks and lack of dates very much had negative effects on her self-esteem in high school. Her rejection at Jughead laughing at her for thinking he and his friends invited her to see a movie with them made her fall out of love with him, and he is the reason she refuses to date.
- Gay Best Friend: Tim Franco, protagonist Ethel's New York bestie, is established as gay when he calls dibs on a man.
- Hypocrite: Veronica, in the present day, tells Ethel that she doesn’t know how hard it is to ignore people "who call you names and attack your looks and character". This is right after Ethel has a flashback of Veronica humiliating her 12 years ago at a charity fashion show rehearsal by saying she had "a difficult body to dress", suggesting she wear an old suit her dad wore before he started working out, and neglecting make sure the suit fit, telling her to just "cross our fingers" for the final show.
- Never Be Hurt Again: Ethel swears off dating to focus on her journalism career, but another big reason for this is because Jughead's cruelty for misinterpreting a request from Archie as an invitation to hang with them made her afraid to put herself out there again.
- Nice Girl: In contrast to her mixed opinion towards Archie and total dread at seeing Jughead and Veronica again, Ethel is consistently positive towards Betty, complimenting her kindness and considering her one of the friends she made in Riverdale.
- Poor Communication Kills: Ethel and Moose's flirtation is put on hold because she wrongly assumes he's into his coworker Keely and never bothered clarifying the fact. When trying to get them together Keely even lampshades that they're terrible at communication.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: In contrast to tan blonde Nice Girl Betty, mean but beautiful Veronica is pale with raven hair.
- Shallow News Site Satire: Ethel works for At Large, a prestigious magazine with a dying print division but a booming online division. She prefers reporting on social issues (interviewing Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, writing on Syrian refugees). But her socially-inclined articles don't get much engagement, so her boss asks her to write a listicle on how to get boyfriends to open up instead.
- She Is All Grown Up: Archie doesn't recognize the formerly unpopular Ethel when he first meets her again, even mistaking her for a model. Reggie comments positively on her glow-up after seeing her on social media for the first time in years.
- Teacher's Pet: Portrayed positively. Ethel was a loser in high school, but also Ms. Grundy's favorite student. Ms. Grundy constantly pushed her to be better and was a big reason Ethel got to go to Columbia.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: In the years between the Archie Comics years and this comic, Jughead went from his classic characterization of "friendly, oblivious Big Eater sidekick" to an aloof and brusque guy.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Cheryl Blossom in the comics was an Alpha Bitch who often antagonized Betty and Veronica. By the time of the story, she and Betty are very close (in fact they were living together until shortly before the beginning). At the Homecoming game, Cheryl offers to set Betty up with her boss Seth, and there's no indication she's on bad terms with any of their other former classmates who turned up.
- Trans Tribulations: Diana Pike gushes over one son and glosses over the other. While it seems to be straightforward Parental Favoritism at first, it's later revealed the other "son" is actually a trans daughter, Noelle, who hates the fact that her parents won't acknowledge her identity.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo: In high school, Betty was a Smitten Teenage Girl for Archie, who, like in the comics, often preferred Veronica to her, as shown when he is with her in flashbacks more often than Betty. Seven years later, when Ethel returns to Riverdale, Betty and Archie have broken up, but now he is the one who tries to reach out to her, only for her to try to avoid him.
