| Kevin Keller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | Archie Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Veronica #202 (September 2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dan Parent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kevin Keller is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He premiered in Veronica #202, published in September 2010. [1] Created by writer/artist Dan Parent, Kevin is the first gay character in Archie Comics history. He is portrayed by Casey Cott on Riverdale.
In Keller's initial storyline, "Isn't It Bromantic?", Veronica expresses interest in dating Kevin but he is uninterested. As he and Jughead bond over their mutual love of food, Kevin explains that he does not want to date Veronica because he is gay. Kevin also bonds with Veronica and they become best friends.
Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater explained that including an openly gay character is a way to open up the world of Riverdale and de-stigmatize homosexuality. "Archie's hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books." [2] Veronica writer Dan Parent concurred, saying "It shows that Riverdale is in the 21st century." [1]
Keller returned in Veronica #205 and headlined his own four-issue miniseries, Kevin Keller, beginning in June 2011. The new series focused on Keller's life before he arrived in Riverdale, including his struggles in junior high school. It also establishes that he is an Army brat and introduces the characters Wendy and William, friends whom Keller had been previously seen texting. [3]
In July 2011, Archie Comics announced that Keller would star in his own ongoing solo title, also titled Kevin Keller. The new series debuted in February 2012 and featured Keller becoming class president while also dealing with "adversity". The series ended in November 2014 after 15 issues.
In April 2015, Archie Comics announced that Kevin Keller would headline another solo series, Life with Kevin. It would be a digital-first mini-series to start with the option to become an ongoing series if successful. The series will bring back creator Dan Parent as writer/artist as well as J. Bone as inker. The series will not take place in Archie Comics' "New Riverdale", instead being set in the classic Archie universe and focusing on an older Kevin who has moved to New York City after graduating from college. The series debuted in June 2016. [4]
Kevin appears in the second issue of Afterlife with Archie . He is shown to be a skilled archer as well as having received military training from his father who died before the series began.
Keller first appeared as an adult in issue #16 (January 2012) of Life with Archie: The Married Life where his marriage to Clay Walker was shown. [5] [6] Later, after Walker is shot in a robbery attempt, Keller runs for and wins election to the United States Senate on a platform of stricter gun control legislation; [7] the series concludes with Archie Andrews' death saving the newly elected Senator Keller from an assassination attempt. [7]
Kevin Keller's first appearance in Veronica #202 proved so popular that the issue sold out, prompting Archie Comics to issue a reprint for the first time in its history. [10]
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation then-president Jarrett Barrios praised Kevin's creation. "It’s thrilling to see Riverdale High welcome its first openly gay student, and give readers a window into the lives of gay youth today. As images of gay and transgender people become more frequent on TV and in film, people are embracing and expect to see images of our community across media platforms, including comic books." [1] Parent was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2011 for creating Kevin. [3]
Parent has reported that fan reaction to Keller has been overwhelmingly favorable. "Not everybody's particularly happy about it, but from where I'm sitting it's been about 98% positive." He has noted the number of gay fans who have approached him at personal appearances to express their appreciation and explain what a difference a character like Keller would have made to them as they were growing up. [11]
The series has so far been assembled into the following collections:
| Title | ISBN | Release Date | Collected Material | Issues Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Keller | 978-1879794931 | February 28, 2012 | Kevin Keller Vol. 1 #1–4 | June 2011 – December 2011 |
| Kevin Keller: Welcome to Riverdale | 978-1936975235 | November 20, 2012 | Kevin Keller Vol. 2 #1–4 | February 2012 – August 2012 |
| Kevin Keller: Drive Me Crazy | 978-1936975587 | August 27, 2013 | Kevin Keller Vol. 2 #5–8 | October 2012 – May 2013 |
| Kevin Keller: Glad To Be Me | 978-1936975907 | November 25, 2014 | Kevin Keller vol. 2 #9-12 | June 2013 – December 2013 |
| Kevin Keller: Top of the World | 978-1619889705 | February 10, 2015 | Kevin Keller vol. 2 #13-15 | May 2014 – September 2014 |
| Life with Kevin | 978-1682559406 | January 16, 2018 | Life with Kevin vol. 1 #1-5 | June 2016 – January 2018 |
| Kevin Keller: Celebration! Omnibus | 978-1645768876 | August 9, 2022 | Kevin Keller vol. 1 #1-4, Kevin Keller vol. 2 #1-15, Life with Kevin Vol. 1 #1-5 |
Archie Comic Publications, Inc. is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Sabrina Spellman, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene. The company is also known for its long-running Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, which it published from 1992 until 2016.
Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom, is the main character in the Archie Comics franchise, including the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, Archie's Weird Mysteries, and Riverdale. With the creation of Archie Andrews, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. Archie Andrews is the rhythm guitarist and one of the three singers of the fictional band The Archies. He is portrayed by KJ Apa on Riverdale and Agastya Nanda in The Archies. For his physical appearance, he has red hair, freckles on his cheeks, and light-colored skin. In Archie's Weird Mysteries, he appears to be of Scottish-American descent, as shown in the episode "The Day the Earth Moved", when his father wanted to keep with their family tradition and wear a kilt while ringing the bell of Riverdale.
Hiram P. Lodge is a fictional character in the Archie Comics series. He is a father to the series' protagonist, Veronica Lodge and a husband to her mother, Hermione Lodge.
Betty and Veronica is an ongoing comic book series published by Archie Comics focusing on "best frenemies" Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Betty first appeared in Pep Comics #22 while Veronica made her debut a few months later, in Pep Comics #26, as an immediate rival to Betty for Archie's affections. Together the pair form the female part of the classic love triangle which has become a staple of the comic series since 1942.
The Archies are an American fictional rock band featured in media produced by, and related to, Archie Comics. They are best remembered for their appearance in the animated TV series The Archie Show. In the context of the series, the band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, bassist Reggie Mantle, percussionist/vocalist Betty Cooper and keyboardist/vocalist Veronica Lodge.
Cheryl Marjorie Blossom is a fictional character of the Archie Comics universe. She is a wealthy and powerful teenage girl, the privileged daughter of a businessman. She is portrayed by Madelaine Petsch in Riverdale and Diya Gupta in The Archies.
Josie and the Pussycats is a teen-humor comic book about a fictional rock band, created by Dan DeCarlo and published by Archie Comics. It was published from 1963 until 1982; since then, one-shot issues have appeared on an irregular basis. A second series, set in the New Riverdale universe, launched in September 2016.
This is a list of various alternate universes featuring characters from Archie Comics. Most Archie stories take place within a setting that is gradually updated over the years, and events in one stories are not commonly referenced in others, but those stories remain largely in continuity with each other. However, there have been several series of stories that take place outside of this continuity, featuring alternate versions of the characters in different settings.
Katy Keene is a character created by Bill Woggon that has appeared in several comic book series published by Archie Comics since 1945. She is a model/actress/singer marketed by the publisher as "America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions". In the book From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines by Trina Robbins, Katy Keene is called a Bettie Page look-alike. "... but the resemblance ended there.
In comics, LGBT themes are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) themes and characters were historically omitted from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors due to anti-gay censorship. LGBT existence was included only via innuendo, subtext and inference. However the practice of hiding LGBT characters in the early part of the twentieth century evolved into open inclusion in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and comics explored the challenges of coming-out, societal discrimination, and personal and romantic relationships between gay characters.
Dan Parent is an American comic book artist and writer best known for his work for Archie Comics. He has illustrated Love Showdown, Felix the Cat, Barbie, Disney Adventures, and with Fernando Ruiz, created the comic series Die Kitty Die.
Life with Archie is a comic book published by Archie comics from 1958 to 1991. It featured Archie Andrews in adventure stories that were more dramatic than the standard Archie tales. In 2010, it was revived as a magazine-sized comic devoted to stories that grew out of Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty. Archie's character was killed in the second to last issue, Life with Archie #36.
Afterlife with Archie is a comic book published by Archie Comics beginning in 2013, depicting a zombie apocalypse that begins in the town of Riverdale in an alternative reality. It is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, with art by Francesco Francavilla, and is inspired by a zombie-themed variant cover which Francavilla did for an issue of Life with Archie.
Riverdale is an American television series based on the characters of Archie Comics. The series was adapted for the CW by Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and is produced by Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions and Archie Comics. Conceived as a feature film adaptation for Warner Bros. Pictures, the idea was re-imagined as a television series for Fox. In 2015, development on the project moved to The CW, where the series was ordered for a pilot. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Casey Morton Cott is an American actor, known for his role as Kevin Keller on The CW series Riverdale.
"Chapter One: The River's Edge" is the pilot and first episode of the first season of the American television series Riverdale, based on the characters by Archie Comics, revolving around the character of Archie Andrews and his life in the small town of Riverdale while exploring the darkness hidden behind its seemingly-perfect image. The episode was written by series creator and Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and was directed by Lee Toland Krieger.
Katy Keene is an American musical comedy-drama television series developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi. It is based on the Archie Comics character of the same name. It chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to attain successful careers on Broadway, on the runway, and in the recording studio. Katy Keene is a spin-off of Riverdale, and takes place five years after the events of the former series. The series was produced by Berlanti Productions, in association with Archie Comics, CBS Television Studios, and Warner Bros. Television.
The first season of Riverdale premiered on The CW on January 26, 2017 and concluded on May 11, 2017, with a total of 13 episodes. The series is based on the characters from the Archie Comics, created by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater, and was created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
