News of Archie Comics debuting Kevin Keller, its first openly gay character, raced through the blogosphere, and rightly so. Like Marvel and DC, the company we know today as Archie Comics began publishing during the Golden Age, and is best known as the home of the perennially teenaged Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie among its famous ensemble cast. While Rucka and Williams’ Batwoman and Peter David’s Rictor and Shatterstar relationship are certainly noteworthy, the impending introduction of Keller into the Riverdale cast is indeed exceptional due to Archie comics marketing to 8 – 14 year olds.
Putting aside all the Archie slash comments, the response seems overwhelmingly positive. There are concerns about the future awaiting Riverdale’s gay guy, and they’re best expressed in Ed Natcher’s new dialog for Archie artist Dan Parent’s artwork. Many thanks, Ed!
Characters/ artwork are © and ® Archie Comics.
