Kevin Keller: The Gay Teenager That Saved Archie Comics?

by Michael Jones · 2010-09-28 14:46:00 UTC
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Archie Comics debuted a much anticipated new character this month, welcoming an openly gay teenager, Kevin Keller, to the pages chronicling Riverdale's most happening crew. It was quite the bold move for Archie Comics, which since 1941 has covered the adventures and misadventures of Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie Mantle and more. Would fans of Archie Comics, probably the squeakiest clean comic in American history, take well to the introduction of an LGBT character?

As a certain former governor of Alaska might say, you betcha. The September 2010 issue, which featured the debut of Keller to the world, has not only performed better than anticipated, it's performed practically better than any other Archie comic book in history. And as Comic Book Resources notes, Kevin Keller's debut issue, known as Veronica #202, has resulted in the first reprint ever for an Archie comic book. That's right, 69 years of history, and the issue with their first openly gay character moves Archie Comics into the stratosphere.

What do you know. The gays move into Riverdale, and all of a sudden things take a wonderful turn for the better. Fiction mirror reality much? Here's hoping Archie Comics can continue to capitalize on the commercial appeal of their first LGBT character, and expand their oeuvre to make Riverdale the most inclusive neighborhood this side of Hell's Kitchen.

Meanwhile, the head of Archie Comics, Jon Goldwater, expressed a huge thank you to fans who embraced Kevin Keller as the latest addition to the Archie cast.

"We never thought Kevin Keller would become so hot so fast!" Goldwater said. "“It’s been a thrill to see how well people have welcomed Kevin into their lives. "His introduction was always just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive. It just made sense at the time and we couldn’t be happier to have such widespread and enthusiastic support behind Kevin’s continued presence at Archie Comics!"

And sure, it may be a bit of an overstatement to say that Kevin Keller saved Archie Comics. The chain, after all, saw modest increases in sales over the past decade. But as Nathan Tabak noted in a post back in April 2010, Archie Comics has long since faded from cultural relevance. Many people think it stopped publishing in the 1950s.

But it most definitely hasn't, and it looks like it's going to continue to tackle both current events and pop culture like the franchise has never done before.

Which brings us back full circle to that certain Alaska governor. Guess who will be making a cameo, alongside the 44th President of the United States, in an upcoming issue? Sarah Palin herself. And if the cover image is any indication, she'll be sharing a milkshake with President Obama.

Photo credit: JoelK75

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.

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