Archie to die a hero’s death

He will take a bullet for his best friend

July 15, 2014 04:00 am | Updated November 17, 2021 02:50 am IST - LOS ANGELES

This photo provided by Archie Comics shows Archie in his final moments of life in a scene from the comic book, "Life with Archie," issue 36.

This photo provided by Archie Comics shows Archie in his final moments of life in a scene from the comic book, "Life with Archie," issue 36.

Archie Andrews will die taking a bullet for his gay best friend.

The famous freckle-faced comic book icon is meeting his demise in Wednesday’s instalment of Life with Archie when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first openly gay character. Andrews’ death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the series that focuses on grown-up renditions of Andrews and his Riverdale pals.

“The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie,” said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO. “He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomises not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It’s what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years.”

Keller’s character first joined Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones and Reggie Mantle in the Archie Comics spin-off Veronica in 2010. He later appeared in his own solo title. In Life with Archie , Keller is a married military veteran and newly elected senator who’s pushing for more gun control in Riverdale after his husband was involved in a shooting.

“We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone,” said Mr. Goldwater. “That’s how we came up with the storyline of saving Kevin. He could have saved Betty. He could have saved Veronica. We get that, but metaphorically, by saving Kevin, a new Riverdale is born.”

Who shot Archie? Mr. Goldwater isn’t spoiling the killer, only teasing it’s a stalker who wanted to take Keller down.

Archie’s final moments will be detailed in Life with Archie No. 36 , while issue No. 37 will jump forward a year and focus on the Riverdale gang honouring the legacy of their red-headed pal, who first appeared in comics in 1941 and went on to become a colourful icon of wholesomeness.

Other incarnations of Andrews will continue to live on in Archie Comics series.

Mr. Goldwater notes that Andrews’ passing isn’t just a publicity stunt but also a lesson about gun violence and a declaration of diversity in the new age of Archie Comics.

“Archie is not a superhero like all the rest of the comic book characters,” said Mr. Goldwater. “He’s human. He’s a person. When you wound him, he bleeds. He knows that. If anything, I think his death is more impactful because of that. We hope by showing how something so violent can happen to Archie, that we can in some way learn from him.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.