My fave childhood comic Archie Andrews continues to serve a millennial audience with an essential mission that'ss anything but comical: via pioneering openly gay character Kevin Keller.
Keller was introduced to audiences last August in Veronica #202: The out-of-the-closet gay teen from a military family arrived in Riverdale and made no secret about his sexuality.It became the fastest-selling issue in Archie Comics' 70-year history, prompting Keller's own four-issue series. The first edition is timed for Pride Celebrations this month, offering his back story, including how he came out to his Army colonel pop. Writer-artist Dan Parent also shows flashbacks of Kevin being harassed in the eighth grade.
How invaluable this is for youngsters either on the verge of coming to terms with their own queerness, or teaching tolerance for classmates and peers who are obviously different. Considering the iconic stature of Archie Comics, which have sold 1.5 billion comics and are published in a dozen different foreign languages... Bravo!
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