Archie’s gets gay character

The way Archie Comics artist-writer Dan Parent tells it, Riverdale High is getting ever more diverse.

The way Archie Comics artist-writer Dan Parent tells it, Riverdale High is getting ever more diverse.

HT Image

Archie’s already dating Valerie from Josie and the Pussycats. The House of Archie is discussing a “Jersey Shore” influence. And according to Parent, a new gay character will enroll at Riverdale later this year.

Suddenly the ol’ “Betty or Veronica?” question just got more interesting.

With some comics, this would qualify as non-news. But in the long-less-diverse world of Riverdale, this registers as a more notable addition in the longtime land of white-walled jalopies.

In an interview, Parent said that the comic is striving for more diversity and that the new character, named Kevin Keller, will appear in Veronica Comics (#202), in an issue titled Isn’t It Bromantic?

“Veronica’s got the hots for this guy and can’t understand why he’s not interested in her ... and, uh, he’s gay,” Parent says in the interview.

In Exclusive Partnership with The Washington Post.

For additional content from The Washington Post, visit www.washingtonpost.com