Posted in: Archie, Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: archie comics, HRL, joe eisma, kevin keller, Michael Grassi, riverdale, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Riverdale #4 Review: The Story Of Kevin Keller, The Archie Universe's First Openly Gay Character

Published Fri, 07 Jul 2017 15:00:38 -0500

by Baltimore Lauren

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When Dan Parent introduced Kevin Keller to the Archie universe in 2010 as its first openly gay character, it was nothing short of awesome. Lots of new characters are introduced all the time, but in the post-2000 world of classic Archie comics, no other secondary character has made this much of an impact on the series. He managed to stay relevant in the reboots, and became a series regular in Riverdale.

In Riverdale #4, we do get some more insight on him. This Kevin Keller is similar to his classic comic counterpart, but in this version of Riverdale, he seems to be the only openly gay character. This causes a lot of turmoil within him, and I can only imagine how lonely he really is. He does convey this to Betty, but as much as she is his best friend, she doesn't really get it. She's a straight female that can easily find a date. Of course, as he swipes through dating profiles on his phone, Veronica interferes and decides to help him. Veronica's help usually ends in disaster, but for once it didn't end up totally bad.

Writer Michael Grassi did an excellent job this issue. Kevin is a fan favorite, and I'm glad newer readers get some insight on him. It's also just a great standalone story with an open ending. The story reminds me of a classic Archie comic, with Veronica trying to set people up, only for it to fail. Kevin comes to terms with being single in his own way, and it's rather uplifting. Kevin is a great character, and he deserves to be celebrated in this series.

Joe Eisma does a good job at drawing the characters. His facial expressions are spot on, which adds to the tension and comedy in the issue. The background scenes are a little lacking, but it helps the reader focus on the character more. Plus, Riverdale is a pretty mundane town. Aside from Jason Blossom's death, nothing really happens there. The characters we know are the color in the town, and that's how it should be.

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