“With Kevin, we knew our audience would embrace it,” Parent said of the initial launch of the character, even though it was met with right-wing indignation at the time. Stacy Banks and Eliza Han development art by Dan Parent with color by Rosario “Tito” Peña. Eliza Han is bi-racial, pansexual and an accepted new pal to Archie and his friends. Last month, during a special pride issue, Summer Lovin', Parent, who has worked at Archie Comics for 35 years, introduced another new character. “It was a big step for us and we didn’t want it to be a stunt.” “The key to coming up with Kevin was that he not be a one off, that he become an enduring member of the gang,” said Parent. His confidently out character, Kevin Keller, is now as ubiquitous a member of the Riverdale crew as Betty or Jughead, and that’s exactly what makes him so important to the Archie fan base and the continued cultural relevance of the 83-year-old comic institution. Since introducing the first gay character in Archie Comics 13 years ago, author and artist Dan Parent, appearing July 2 at Megabrain Comics in Rhinebeck, has proven there is radical power in normality.
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