After announcing the proposed introduction of a gay character to the Archie comic book series earlier this year, the creators of Archie Comics have launched a four-series miniseries featuring gay teen Kevin Keller.
According to the Washington Post, the first comic in the series, “Kevin Keller” No. 1, provides a broad overview of Kevin’s life experiences, describing his run-ins with bullies, his coming-out story, and his struggle to decide whether or not to pursue his dream of attending the U.S. Military Academy.
Sources suggest that Kevin’s hesitation to follow in the footsteps of his father, a retired army Colonel, and become an Army officer is a nod to the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. But Archie writer and artist Dan Parent explained that, although he was indeed writing the story when Congress voted to allow gays to serve openly in the military, he had another purpose in mind for alluding to the issue.
“Even though we don’t tackle the specific issue of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the goal was to show that patriotism knows no specific gender, race or sexual orientation,” Parent said. “While it sounds like heavy subject matter, I tried to show it simply that Kevin, like his dad, loves his country. Being gay doesn’t affect that in any way.”
Jon Goldwater, co-chief executive of Archie Comics, also weighed in on the subject, explaining that Kevin was not created for political purposes, and that his character is in no way meant to be culturally divisive.
