Archie Comics go gay. Seriously.
Photo courtesy of Archie Comics
Meet Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in the Archie comic series. You remember Archie comics, right? Betty, Veronica, Jughead…this series has been around for decades, entertaining generations with the wholesome and all-American adventures of Archie and his buddies at Riverdale High.
So why a gay character now? Archie Comics C-CEO Jon Goldwater says:
“The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive. Archie’s hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books.”
While it isn’t groundbreaking at this point to introduce a gay character into a series, nor is Kevin the first openly-homosexual comic book character, it says something that the traditionally conservative series is willing to go there.
Kevin will make his appearance in the upcoming September issue, Veronica #202, “Isn’t It Bromantic?” wherein Veronica meets Kevin and instantly must have him. Unfortunately, Kev’s going to have to let her down easy.
When asked if Kevin is meant to be a statement of acceptance or anti-homophobia, Goldwater stated, “No, not at all. If readers want to infer something, that is up to them. But there is no message either overt or covert. Kevin is just another student at Riverdale High.”
And maybe that’s the groundbreaking part here. That Kevin just is.
Photo courtesy of Archie Comics 2010
One Response to “Archie Comics go gay. Seriously.”
haha good one
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