Going Steady with Betty #1 (cover-dated November–December 1949) is the debut issue of a teen romance-humor comic published by Avon Periodicals. Following the misadventures of all-American teenager Betty and her steady boyfriend Ozzie, the book trades in the lighthearted dating dilemmas, jealousies, and soda-fountain social life of postwar American youth — its opening story unfolds over malts at Al's Ice Cream Parlor as Betty frets over whether she and Ozzie are truly "going steady."

The comic is a clear entry in the late-1940s teen-humor boom sparked by Archie's success, as publishers raced to launch their own wholesome teen casts. Avon — better known for its crime, horror, Western, and science-fiction lines — added topical celebrity tie-ins to broaden appeal: the first issue's cover prominently features bandleader Ray Anthony, a Capitol recording star, photographed with his orchestra. Edited by Avon mainstay Sol Cohen under publisher Joseph Meyers, the bi-monthly title captures the era's fashion, slang, and dance-hall culture.

For collectors and pop-culture historians today, Going Steady with Betty #1 is a scarce, lightly documented teen comic — notable for its "good girl art," its musical-celebrity cover gimmick, and as a representative example of Avon's brief foray into the teen-romance genre. Freely readable through public-domain archives, the first issue offers an accessible window into 1949 American teen culture.

Going Steady With Betty