Nuptials Set for Archie’s Gay Pal Kevin

Gay Archie Comics character Kevin Keller and his yet-to-be-revealed future husband have set a date — their wedding will take place in Life With Archie issue 16, on sale in January.

It had already been reported that the Life With Archie series, which projects alternate futures for the main character — one with Betty, one with Veronica — would delve into Kevin’s adult life and marriage, but the publisher announced the date just this week, according to website ComicsAlliance.

“It will be the first gay marriage depicted in an Archie Comics publication, and among the first depicted in mainstream comic books in general,” the website reports. The issue will also reveal that Kevin, the son of a military officer, has become a war hero, and detail how he met his Mr. Right, according to an Archie Comics press release.

Kevin has proved popular with readers. He starred in a four-issue miniseries this summer and will have his own monthly series next year.

“The character has earned lots of attention and praise for tackling the subjects of gay teens and gays in the military, but as Kevin’s creator Dan Parent told ComicsAlliance in May, Archie Comics readers — like the Riverdale gang themselves — just simply love the guy for who he is,” the site reports, then offers the following quote from Parent:

“Kevin is the all-American teenager who just happens to be gay. We wanted it to be an important factor, yet it doesn’t completely define him either. The reaction from the Riverdale gang is basically a non-reaction, because Riverdale is an accepting and tolerant community where it’s OK to be gay.”