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Archie Comics & Kevin Keller

B

Biffette

Captain
Captain
So, I've been an off and on Archie reader for most of my life, and I've really been caught up in all the new lines and plots over the last several years. Today I picked up the latest issue of Veronica #210/Kevin Keller #4 and it is excellent. For those of you who don't know, Keven Keller is the new gay character that Archie comics introduced a while back. The last four issues of Veronica have been supplanted with a Kevin Keller title. I've been really enjoying this line, and the positive model the comic sets for both the Kevin character and the other characters' treatment of him.

For the first three issues of this sub-line Kevin's sexual orientation has been very incidental, almost not even mentioned. But for this most recent issue he's running for class president against a one-off character that is trying to use anti-gay prejudice to push the election in his favor. Unlike the earlier issues, in this one Kevin is actually teased and people are complaining about his agenda. Kevin handles all of this very well, and the Archie gang is completely supportive of him, even Reggie! By the end of the issue he is daydreaming about becoming the first president.

This comic is so positive in its treatment of diversity, it makes my heart warm!

I'd also like to mention for those who dabble in the Archie lines that Kevin's marriage is celebrated in the next Archie: Married Life magazine/comic.

Does anyone here read Archie? I'm the only person I know so far, but there must be others . . .
 
read Archie comics as a kid but haven't really paid attention to them in years. i read the Archie Marries... comics and thought those were really good. the Life With Archie Magazine stories are really good, i've been reading those all week. the only Kevin Keller comic i've read was his first app, which i thought was nicely handled.
 
Biffette said:
I'd also like to mention for those who dabble in the Archie lines that Kevin's marriage is celebrated in the next Archie: Married Life magazine/comic.

Does anyone here read Archie? I'm the only person I know so far, but there must be others . . .
Click to expand...

I've been reading The Married Life religiously. I have to. What kills me is Moose Mason is mayor of Riverdale in the "Marries Veronica" storyline and the chief villain is a guy named Fred Mirth. Who was once married to Big Ethel. This stuff is priceless. I'm not as big a fan of the "Marries Betty" storyline. I think they're trying too hard to create a new "Archie's Gang" out of Archie's students. But the overall concept is intriguing and I've been following it since the first issue.

Actually, it wasn't until after I started reading Married Life that i began to follow any Archie comics with regularity. Mostly I buy the digests at the supermarket, mostly looking for reprints of stories drawn by Dan DeCarlo. Can you imagine how awesome Married life would be if he were around to draw it?
 
I was never into Archie comics, but this is great that they are expanding their set of characters in this way. Very courageous, considering their target audience and the level of obsession that Gay haters have.
 
RJDiogenes said:
I was never into Archie comics, but this is great that they are expanding their set of characters in this way. Very courageous....
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Seems to me that 'courageous' would have been to make Jughead gay...and logical, given his sixty-year history of disinterest in women.

I have no real problem with this character one way or another and haven't read an "Archie" comic since my kids were little enough to read them. I don't think a gay character is a bad idea at all, but do think (as noted above) making one of the established characters gay would have been better.

However, I would be interested in seeing the sales figures for all these "Kevin Keller" books. The way they went instantly from "support character who happens to be gay" to "Kevin Keller" specials and one shots means either (a) the character is selling extremely well; or (b) the editors are pulling a "Poochie" on the readers, shoving a new character down everyone's throats.
 
the G-man said:
RJDiogenes said:
I was never into Archie comics, but this is great that they are expanding their set of characters in this way. Very courageous....
Click to expand...

Seems to me that 'courageous' would have been to make Jughead gay...and logical, given his sixty-year history of disinterest in women.
Click to expand...

A disinterest in women does not equal an interest in men. He has never shown an interest in men. Making Jughead gay wouldn't be the logical conclusion to a sixty year story line, it would be a ret-con and shoe-horning.
 
FordSVT said:
Making Jughead gay wouldn't be the logical conclusion to a sixty year story line, it would be a ret-con and shoe-horning.
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If Jughead was an adult male I could see your point.

However, while I'm no expert, I believe it is common for gay teenagers of both sexes to be confused and in denial about their 'disinterest' in the opposite sex (and to refuse acknowledge their interest in their own sex) before ultimately accepting who they are. It's also not uncommon for gay teens to have to deal-often difficultly-with coming out to their straight friends who "never suspected."

It would seem to me that having Jughead realize who he was and struggling with it, and forcing the rest of the gang to address it, would have been a better "example" to the Archie readership than just shoehorning in "Kevin, the incredibly well adjusted gay teen" into the strip and declaring it 'courageous.'
 
I'd rather not get into an extended debate about what an acceptable level of "courage" the producers of a comic book for young children and tweens should have. They seem to be doing a fine job, with or without your complete approval.
 
FordSVT said:
I'd rather not get into an extended debate about what an acceptable level of "courage" the producers of a comic book for young children and tweens should have. They seem to be doing a fine job, with or without your complete approval.
Click to expand...

I am simply expressing my opinion on the merits of a particular storyline occuring in a work of fiction. I believe that giving posters the opportunity to do so is one of the purposes of this board.
 
Captain Craig said:
Holly Wookiee said:
Why am I not surprised the usual crowd is condemning it?
Click to expand...
Is that just a one off statement to get it out there?
It's a short thread thus far and I didn't see any posters condemning.
Click to expand...

Not posters. There's a quote from somebody from the Family Research Council in the linked article.

As for Kevin Keller, I've got nothing against him. Other than him liking boys he's pretty much a typical Archie "friend" character (i.e. associated with but not one of the biggies) and the comics he's been in so far have been typical Archie comics. More power to the publishers if his new ongoing becomes a smash hit.
 
the G-man said:
RJDiogenes said:
I was never into Archie comics, but this is great that they are expanding their set of characters in this way. Very courageous....
Click to expand...

Seems to me that 'courageous' would have been to make Jughead gay...and logical, given his sixty-year history of disinterest in women.
Click to expand...
Eh, either way. I'm not familiar enough with the Archieverse to know how much of a retcon that would be, and I can certainly see why they would want to maintain consistency in a 60-year-old character.
 
So, how do they portray him as being gay? Is he flaming like Jack from "Will and Grace" or is he more subtle in his gayness?

Jughead being gay? No. That would be lame. Jughead just simply isn't interesting in high-school girls, I think he has shown some interest and attraction at least towards adult women, but he's neutral to girls and sex in general. Not an ordinary position for a teenage boy but not impossible either. Jughead is a late bloomer.
 
Trekker4747 said:
So, how do they portray him as being gay? Is he flaming like Jack from "Will and Grace" or is he more subtle in his gayness?
Click to expand...

Definitely subtle. Like I said, if it weren't for the gayness he'd be just another add-on character. He's not a "flaming homo". He's just out and honest about it. In fact, the point of the very first story was that Veronica had her sights set on seducing him, something she'd likely not attempt if he were anything like Jack. Nobody knew until he told Jughead.
 
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