Archie Andrews, a staple of American comics since 1941, will die in Wednesday’s issue of Life with Archie, reports theverge.com. And he’ll say goodbye to the series with one last act of heroism: Archie will take a bullet meant for best friend Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in his comic universe. In doing so, he’ll foil an assassination attempt against Keller and, according to the story’s creators, give rise to greater understanding and tolerance in his fictional town of Riverdale.
“He dies selflessly,” said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO, speaking to the Associated Press. “He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us.” Archie Comics first revealed that Andrews’ death would mark the conclusion of Life with Archie back in April. The comic is a flash-forward series that catches up with Archie and his friends long after their high school and college days.
