After his introduction in issues of Veronica and his own mini-series (all collected here), Kevin Keller is back for an ongoing series. Who’d have thought that the formerly very conservative publisher would now be the only major publisher to offer a series with an openly gay title character? Of course, comparing Marvel and DC superheroes to Archie’s teenage stories is absurd in terms of content, but the fact remains that while both claim to be all for diversity and do offer queer characters, none publishes such a comic. I can’t help wondering whether their being part of an entertainment empire (Warner for DC and Disney for Marvel) plays a part in that unwillingness to promote queer characters too much. Anyway, back to Kevin.
Kevin confesses all
This second collection1 showcasing Riverdale’s main gay resident includes the first four issues of this new series, all written and drawn by Dan Parent, the character’s creator, who’s been involved for a long time in the world of Archie Comics.
The ongoing series is an interesting mix of goofball humor and optimistic takes on real-world issues. In the first issue (preview here), which opens with Kevin addressing the audience and introducing himself (told you he was a nice young man), we finally learn his dark secret: he’s “a lousy dater”, as he says himself. This firmly sets the tone of the story, with this gay high school kid facing the same kind of issues as his straight pairs. Parent milks Kevin’s tendency for pratfalls for all it’s worth, with the portrayal of the catastrophe that was his first date (which involves an unexpected allergy, an unfortunately abandoned garden hose, and a bad hair day)—but he also shows Kevin’s friends coming to his rescue with more or less useful advice. Will Kevin go through his date unscathed? You’ll have to read the issue to discover the answer.
The second issue focuses on another teenage tradition in Riverdale, the prom night. Besides having to work on the preparation of the prom as the class president, Kevin faces another secret, in the form of written notes left in his locker at school. The notes are from a closeted admirer, who asks Kevin to accompany him to the prom.
Here too, Dan Parent manages to address a real-world issue (closeted teenagers) in a light way. When I say “light”, I don’t mean that everything is always solved immediately, but that doors are always left open for a better future. In Archie’s world, it does get better.
Beach fight!
The third issue (preview here) is a typical summer one for the gang, when a rival group tries to “take control” of the beach strip where Kevin works as a bodyguard (Which decade are we in? The 50s?), leading to a surfing contest. The welcome contemporary touch is the homophobic boy who’ll go very far to defeat Kevin, with help coming, of course, from the gang, but also from an unexpected quarter.
Contrary to the first three, the fourth issue has no gay aspect, showing, if need be, that Dan Parent does his best to write Kevin Keller as more than a token gay character. Kevin and his family (with Veronica alongside them) find themselves in London for the opening of the Olympic games, as Kevin’s father has been selected as one of the carriers of the Olympic flame. It’s a very lighthearted issue, with the story stretching credulity. But that’s half the fun of it.
In my review of the first collection, I’d mentioned that Kevin Keller was also part of Life With Archie, a series offering more grounded stories about possible near-futures for the characters (Kevin getting married is included in the upcoming collection
While the reservations I’d expressed in my first review remain valid (well, valid for me), I must say I admire the way Dan Parent writes his character and presents issues such as closetedness and homophobia. Kevin is thankfully not only gay, and not the only gay in Riverdale, but we haven’t seen him kissing another boy or even holding a boy’s hand yet. Dan Parent still has a lot of cards to play, which bodes well for the future of this ongoing series.
Notes:
Bluesky feed