It’s sort of wild to think that one of the most prominent forces in LGBTQ+ acceptance in the comic book world is crusty old Archie Comics, but it’s happening and it’s spectacular. The company introduced their first openly gay character to Riverdale in the form of Kevin Keller in 2010, and despite some blowback from conservative talking heads he proved immediately popular, forcing the issue of Veronica he debuted in back for a second printing, which had never happened in company history.
Kevin’s creator, longtime Archie artist Dan Parent, has shared stories about how gay fans approached him after the character debuted and talked about what a difference it would have made in their lives as kids (the prime Archie reading age) if a character like him had been around. That fan response definitely woke the company up to the ability their comics have to normalize acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in the real world, and they’ve leaned into it with aplomb.
For National Coming Out Day, Archie’s creative teams have put out a new free digital comic, A Better Universe, in cooperation with the It Gets Better project. The book works in classic Archie fashion, collecting five short comic strips featuring the company’s iconic characters as they navigate issues of sexuality and gender. They’re slight, but we have to give them props for trying to cover as many different identities and situations as they can, recognizing that it’s a complicated topic for people to grapple with.
Brian Wenke, Executive Director of the It Gets Better Project, said in a statement “Since our first collaboration around ‘Kevin Keller Day’ in 2013 to celebrate Riverdale’s first openly gay resident, Archie Comics has been a leader in amplifying the It Gets Better message of hope. Integrating positive LGBTQ+ role models throughout all forms of media is an essential ingredient to creating a more understanding and inclusive world for all people.”
Can’t argue with those goals. Read A Better Universe here.
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