Archie Comics announced that in an issue out in September, the comic will introduce its first "openly gay" character, Kevin Keller. Wait, they still print Archie Comics? And why is openly gay in quotes? You're not gay if you're "gay".Jon Goldwater, co-CEO of Archie Comics, says the introduction of Kevin is "about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive." Yeah, says a guy about the main character who acts and dresses like grew up with your grandparents.
In an interview at C2E2 with gay podcast Feast of Fun, longtime Archie Comics cartoonist (23 years!) Dan Parent discussed the event, which promises to be the blandest, least-controversial thing to happen to the series since minority characters joined. "The plotline is that Veronica's got the hots for this guy and can't understand why he's not interested in her," Parent said, "and ... he's gay." Wasn't this an episode of Three's Company?
He added that while readers shouldn't expect any of the regular characters to come out of the closet, we shouldn't look for residents of Riverdale to make a big deal about Kevin's sexuality, either. "The reaction is going to be, there isn't going to be a reaction -- it's just going to be acceptance," he said. Which makes me wonder why there was any point to announce the storyline, let alone include it.
There are hundreds of better constructed, more realistic gay characters in comics that were not just added for the P.R. value, and they were done years before this stunt.
There are hundreds of better constructed, more realistic gay characters in comics that were not just added for the P.R. value, and they were done years before this stunt.
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