History Byte: RIP Archie Andrews (1941 - 2014) - Archie Takes a Bullet for the Gay Guy.

By Kim D.

The penultimate issue of Life with Archie hits the stands today, and the comic book creators are ending the series with a literal bang. Archie will meet his demise by stepping in the path of a bullet meant for his friend Kevin Keller, a newly elected U.S. senator who stood on a gun control platform.

 For those of you who haven't seen an Archie comic since you were in middle school, in 2010 Riverdale High introduced the first openly gay comic character, Kevin Keller, in Veronica. And in Life with Archie #16, Kevin returns from serving in the military to marry Clay. Cover artwork for the issue showed Kevin and husband Clay standing in front of a "Just Married" sign as the gang cheers on.

As the series comes to an end, Kevin is a newly elected senator who's pushing for greater gun control in Riverdale after Clay is involved in a shooting. Archie's life is cut short when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin.

So, Archie is literally biting a bullet in the name of gun control. And, having him make that ultimate sacrifice for the comic’s celebrated gay character instead of Betty, Veronica, or Jughead is another pat on the back.

According to Comics Alliance, it is not surprising to see Archie Comics tackling such a serious issue — as we mentioned last week in our analysis of the publisher’s new Dark Circle superhero line, the publisher doesn’t shy away from risky ideas. Despite overwhelming support for more restrictive gun laws in the U.S., America’s powerful gun lobby has been highly effective in setting the terms of the debate and browbeating politicians against action. Next month’s final issue of the series will deal with the aftermath of Archie’s death.