Wow.
I mean, seriously: Wow. Okay, I know I'm a couple days behind on the news but wow. Check the information out here, the official Archie site. This is one thing that I really never expected to see from Archie comics.
The character's name is Kevin. He gets introduced when he catches Veronica's eye, and she pursues him. He has absolutely no interest in her, to her chagrin. Eventually, he confides in Jughead that the reason he doesn't like Veronica is not because she's insane (my reason for not liking either Betty or Veronica) but because he's gay. I was impressed in how that reveal is handed. No big shocker, nothing outrageous, Jughead just realizes that he can mess with Veronica but there is absolutely NO negative reaction in any way.
There's been several times at the store where I've gone through old Archie comics, going back to the 50s. One of the things that I've noticed is that Archie often reflects the attitudes of the times in regards to American culture: fashion, politics, dating habits, whatever is socially acceptable. The fact that Archie's newest cast member is gay (and how acceptable it is to the characters) gives me hope that the general view on sexual orientation is starting to really change in America.
