Gay Comic Character to Get More Play

Kevin Keller, the gay pal of Archie, Betty, and Veronica, is going to get more ink: Next year he'll star in a monthly comic in which he becomes president of his Riverdale High School class, and the ongoing Life With Archie series will delve into Kevin's future -- including his marriage.

Kevin, who was introduced last year and has his own four-issue miniseries this summer, "has proven to be incredibly popular," Jon Goldwater, co-chief executive of Archie Comics, told The New York Times. "We're just so proud of the success of Kevin and the fact that he adds a new dynamic to Riverdale."

The miniseries, which began this month, has been giving readers details on Kevin's background as the son of a military officer, who supports the youth's desire for a similar career. The gay character's monthly comic, which will debut in February, will focus on his school life, in which there are ups and downs. "Even the most popular kids are not popular with everybody," writer-artist Dan Parent, who created Kevin, told the Times. "There's some adversity he'll have to deal with."

Life With Archie, which projects two future paths for Archie Andrews -- he's married to Betty in one, Veronica in the other -- will offer a look at Kevin's adulthood and marriage early next year. "We needed to figure out how to get Kevin into that book and, frankly, not sidestep the issue," Goldwater said. "It deals with the fact that he's a gay man and has gay relationships." He added that there has been little negative reaction to Kevin: "Out of all the people who subscribe to the Archie books, we only had seven total cancellations."