Image Credit: Archie Comics PublicationsJust days after we learned Archie and his pals would be GTL-ing it in Riverdale Shore, a new comic inspired by the Jersey Shore, Archie Comics announced they would be shaking up their series in another, far more progressive way: They will introduce the series’ first openly gay character, a hunky dude named Kevin Keller, this September. And I already love the Kevin’s first storyline in Veronica Comics No. 202 (but that’s partly because it reminds me of Clueless): Rich hot girl Veronica doesn’t understand why she can’t seem to attract new guy Kevin with her feminine wiles. (So frustrating, considering Kevin’s a total Baldwin. And, judging by his kinship with Jughead, a foodie too!)
After we all finish saying, “It’s about time!” can we all agree that these are happy days for the Archie Comics series? Adding Kevin to the cast is such a refreshing move for the series — especially when I think back to Archie Comics’ content during my pre-teen years, when I picked up Betty & Veronica every week. The most groundbreaking thing to happen during that time was the reintroduction of a redhead, Cheryl Blossom, to the comic’s cast of characters. (She’s not blond or brunette! Scandale!)
Are you, like me, going to pick up a Veronica comic for the first time in years after hearing this news, PopWatchers? And how great is it to watch the Riverdale gang become relevant again?
I thought Archie & Veronica were getting married? Wasn’t there a big story about that just a few months ago?
It ended up being a dream.
Why don’t Betty and Veronica look like they used to? They look like Girls Gone Wild hos
Oh, wow, Veronica does look sort of GGW there, doesn’t she. Of course, they’re going to need to draw them all a little oranger if they’re going to do the Jersey Shore thing.
I though Jughead came out years ago
Beat me to it…
He didn’t have to come out, you could just tell.
Victor Gorelick the editor in cheif of Archie Comics taught me how to draw when I was ten. He was teaching a cartooning class for kids at Kingsborough community college. Given the current times, I can see why he would add in Kevin but come on, Jughead should be coming out to. It’s so obvious.
Oy.
Why does he have to be gay? Why couldn’t they have made him have some less horrible disease?
You are an idiot.
ditto that
um … yeah, mm there pretty much said it
Frank: You seem like an educated guy…how is being gay a disease? Its precisely for ignorant people like you that Archie is doing a funtastic job ! Also, human sexuality is a spectrum. You are lucky to be at the heterosexual end of it. Go, get all the girls !
nm, based on WHAT EXACTLY did you come to the conclusion that Frankie boy was educated??
Or hetero? Remember, aren’t most of the most vocal gay bashers in the closet?
Thats very rude to call someone that think about words before you say them!
Thats very rude to call someone that think about words before you say them! And its people like you who are bad role models
Because you already have bigotry; there’s no more horrible disease!!
Like cancer. Would cancer be a less horrible disease?
He didn’t have to be gay. The author’s wanted him to be gay. Ask them why they wanted to take a children’s comic and bring that into it.
Seriously! WTF? I used to read these when I was, like, 8.
yes I would like to ask the author
Please don’t bait the trolls…please don’t bait the trolls…please don’t bait the trolls…please don’t bait the trolls…
>Scandale
Is that in Yorkshire?
Oh please, Kevin isn’t the first gay guy at Riverdale. I should know… I mean, if only the walls in the handicapped stall of Riverdale’s upstairs boys’ bathroom could talk! We’re talking about Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, right?
They’re also having their first interracial relationship (Valerie and Archie). Big changes at Archie apparently.
That’s great news. And it’s about time!
Darn. I was hoping it would be Reggie. He’s a hot little closet case if there ever was one.
Okay, I outgrew ARCHIE comics decades ago, but I have to applaud them for this move. I’m tempted to pick up multiple copies of this issue when it comes out, just to reward them for being so open-minded and progressive. (‘Cause you know they’re going take some flack for this.)
Do kids still read Archie comics? It’s cool they’e adding a gay character…I just had no idea these kinds of comics were still around.
Accolades to the publisher for having the courage to introduce this character. And further kudos for not playing to over the top stereotypes.
My partner is a banker and I am in corporate strategy. If you met either of us on our own, you would assume we were desirable, macho, straight neigbors. As such, we have sought long and hard for “normalized” role models that we could present to our children – examples who were not effeminate, figure skating, wise-cracking florists, fashion designers or interior decorators…
This is one of the few characters that we can share with our children who is not an over the top portrayal of the mainstream assumption of what constitutes a gay persona.
Thanks again and keep up the good work. Please do not cave under pressure from religious special interests!
MW
Wow, thanks for that little bouquet of self-love AND self-loathing. So glad you’re “desirable” and “macho” but but none of those steretypes you toss around need to be ‘normalized’. Bigotry within a community is an ugly thing.
I think he just meant that it’s nice to have positive representations of all types of people out there, and usually gay characters get the “flaming” edit. I think it’s important that people realize there are gay men out there like Marcus or one of my own friends who don’t wear ascots or have a lispy drawl. My friend is your standard gross, immature guy, he wears ratty old clothes, he’s a terrible dancer, he downs beers like a good ol’ boy…and he’s gay. You’d never know. (I myself had kind of a crush on him for a long time, before he came out.) But it’s VERY rare to see any characters in mainstream media portrayals like that. I agree that maybe “normalized” wasn’t the right word, but I think Marcus’ point is valid.
so… it’s not okay for kids to see effeminite gay people? Because they’re bad? You lost me.
It’s not that it’s bad, it’s that the media makes it look like that’s the way ALL gay men are, when in fact they all have varying personalities, just like heteros. But you don’t see the media portraying all straight people in just one facet. Marcus’ point is that there should be more diversity in how gay people are portrayed. The same way any minority group (blacks, asians, latinos) would want to be portrayed as much more than just one-dimensional stereotypes. It’s kinda hard to get the general public to accept you as their equal if they can’t see that you’re really just one of them.