The Triumphant Return of Archie Comics' Gay Character

Contents:

• THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF ARCHIE COMICS' GAY CHARACTER
• ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC NEW GAY CHARACTER
• ARCHIE COMICS’ GAY CHARACTER KEV KELLER MOV FROM RIVERDALE TO NEW YORK EXCLIVE PREVIEW PAG
• ARCHIE COMICS' GAY TURN: AN EXPLAER
• ARCHIE GAY MARRIAGE IC SELLS OUT FACE OF BOYTT LL
• ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC GAY CHARACTER WILL MARRY -- WILL ANYONE OBJECT?
• ARCHIE, BELOVED IC BOOK IN, DI SAVG GAY IEND
• ARCHIE COMICS TO TRODUCE GAY CHARACTER, RTOONIST SAYS [UPDATED]
• WHO IS ARCHIE GAY CHARACTER?

THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF ARCHIE COMICS' GAY CHARACTER

Related: Archie Comics’ gay pal Kev Keller is gettg married. In 2010, Archie Comics troduced the first-ever gay character s seri’ 70 year history, Kev Keller.

However, Kev did not reciprote the feelgs, revealg later on that this was bee he is gay, markg a tone for the imprt as s first character to intify as part of the LGBTQ+ muny. Kev is picted as beg openly gay the seri as well, formg relatnships wh other characters such as Moose Mason (Cody Kearsley) and Fangs Fogarty (Drew Ray Tanner). "The troductn of Kev, Archie Comics first gay character, igned rears and fans across the untry and 's a ttament to Dan's creative work that Kev is such a posive and everlastg fixture the world of Riverdale.

Sce he was the first gay character the storied history of Archie Comics, Kev's first appearance ma worldwi headl, and his explosive populary propelled him to his own mi-seri followed by a long-nng solo he's been featured as a supportive player the recently rebooted Archie flagship ic tle, Kev will once aga take center stage starrg his own ic book -- this time as a special digal seri, Life Wh Kev, butg Advote sat down wh Kev's creator, wrer-artist Dan Parent, to fd out what's Kev's been up to and where he's Advote: How do feel to have Kev Keller back his own solo book aga? STORY HIGHLIGHTS Openly gay Kev Keller jos Archie and the Gang ic book's September edn When Kev beats Jughead a burger-eatg ntt, Veroni falls for him "Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone, " says Archie Comics -CEO (CNN) -- Riverdale High School, the stompg ground of ic book legend Archie Andrews, will open s doors to s first openly gay stunt.

ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC NEW GAY CHARACTER

It jt mak sense to have an openly gay character Archie ic books, " said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics -CEO.

ARCHIE COMICS’ GAY CHARACTER KEV KELLER MOV FROM RIVERDALE TO NEW YORK EXCLIVE PREVIEW PAG

I'm gay, " the new character says. Kev was the Archie universe’s first openly gay character, garnerg mastream headl when wrer/artist Dan Parent troduced him the pag of Veroni 2010.

Asi om beg gay, what mak Kev unique the Archie non? The reactn to Thursday's announcement that Archie Comics' Riverdale High would now clu a gay stunt was as predictable as, well, an Archie Comics plot: hand-wrgg and high-fivg, raised eyebrows and rolled ey.

I'm gay! Kev Keller, 's worth notg, isn't the first openly gay character Amerin ic books by a very long shot -- he's jt the first character to say "I'm gay" on a panel an Archie ic book.

ARCHIE COMICS' GAY TURN: AN EXPLAER

Han Blackman will be, as far as I n tell, the first ongog superhero ic book wh an openly gay tle character and a Marvel or DC logo on s ver -- but "ongog, " "superhero, " "openly, " "gay, " "tle character" and "Marvel or DC logo" are all qualifiers that scriptn, bee otherwise Starman or Renee Montoya or Freedom Rg or Midnighter or any number of other possibili got there first. The social fabric of high school is gog to clu gay people, and the sooner kids (and agg llectors) take that as much for granted as they do the Archie/Betty/Veroni love triangle, the better.

(Hontly, somebody prottg a fictnal character's entirely chaste homosexualy would be the bt possible publicy for this project. And 2003, playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sasa -- who's also wrten for Marvel Comics and "Big Love" -- wrote a play lled "Archie's Weird Fantasy, " which volved olr, gay versns of the Archie characters, and was blocked by a cease-and-sist orr shortly before s premiere.

ARCHIE GAY MARRIAGE IC SELLS OUT FACE OF BOYTT LL

Even if Kev sticks around, 's hard to image him havg a role beyond "the token gay guy.

Dpe attempts by a nservative Amerin mothers' group to have pulled om sale, the new Archie ic, which featur a gay marriage, has jt sold out. Its publisher scribed the marriage of Kev Keller, the seri' first gay character, the latt issue as "a historic moment", announcg yterday that the Life wh Archie #16 had sold strong sal follow a ll om the Amerin Fay Associatn's webse One Milln Moms for Toys R Us to stop sellg the new Archie issue.

Homosexualy is a topic which is "too plited" for children to unrstand, say the mothers, and "a trip to the toy store turns to a premature discsn on sexual orientatn and is pletely unlled for" Archie Comics -chief executive John Goldwater has said that the pany "stands by" the new issue. "Announcg yterday that the Kev Keller issue had sold out, Goldwater said that Archie's fans "have e out full force to support" the gay character. Archie Comics' gay character, Kev Keller.

ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC GAY CHARACTER WILL MARRY -- WILL ANYONE OBJECT?

Gay rights supporters, activists, bloggers and ic book fans are celebratg along wh Archie and the gang about the January issue of "Life wh Archie, " where a gay uple ti the knot, reported the Amerins Civil Liberti Unn a Jan. Keller is the ic seri' first openly gay character, which has been publitn sce 1941. Ironilly, 2003, an Atlanta theater pany was performg a play where Archie would e out of the closet orr to portray beg gay a "better light".

Kev and his partner aren't the first gay people to appear ics. Batman and Rob's relatnship has been cricized for several years but creators ny crime-fightg duo are gay. In 1988, Extrano (Spanish for "strange"), an effemate Hispanic magician, was one of the first openly gay ic book characters when he appeared the DC ic book seri "Millennium.

Marvel's 2005 seri, "The Young Avengers" had two ma gay teen characters named Hulklg and Wicn. In this ic book ver image released by Archie Comics, Kev Keller, left, the seri' first openly gay character, is shown on the ver wh his father, a retired Army lonel.

ARCHIE, BELOVED IC BOOK IN, DI SAVG GAY IEND

Keller is the foc of an upg gay marriage storyle Life Wh Archie that has drawn mixed reactns om crics. (AP/Archie Comics)Archie is gog om ic to culture warrr aga, as the Archie Comics universe fields praise and srn over a gay a pair of straight weddgs -- both strangely volvg Archie, though his dreams -- drew natnal attentn, the publisher behd the popular stori has nfirmed that ’s makg room for someone else to walk down the aisle: Kev Keller, the seri’ first openly-gay character.

ARCHIE COMICS TO TRODUCE GAY CHARACTER, RTOONIST SAYS [UPDATED]

”It’s the first time the Archie universe, which picts the liv of teenagers the fictnal town of Riverdale, has touched upon the topic of gay marriage.

WHO IS ARCHIE GAY CHARACTER?

“Gay people share the same dreams.