First Gay Wedding for Archie Comics Kevin Keller

Gay Marriage Is Legal In Riverdale

Wedding bells are ringing in Riverdale as Archie Comics' first openly gay character Kevin Keller, who was introduced to the series in 2010, gets married.

The wedding will be featured in #16 of the Life with Archie series, with the entire gang returning to their hometown to celebrate the nuptials.

But not all is swell in Riverdale. While the friends get the lowdown on how Kevin met his dream guy, other relationships aren't fairing as well.

"Unfortunately, this all occurs during the separation of Archie and Veronica," a release states. Oooh. Could that mean that the red-headed hero has finally awoken to Betty's inate charms?

Kevin's character is described as, "Loyal, smart, fun-loving; really, the all-American boy next door ... who just happens to be gay."

Dan Parent, an illustrator, writer and editor for the franchise who created the character told Galley Cat a bit about what inspired Kevin.

"A combination of things," says Parent. "First, I had an idea where Veronica falls for the unattainable gay guy, and we really liked the story idea at Archie. Secondly, we were adding a variety of new characters, and wanted to show that Riverdale is a diverse and accepting community."

The wedding comic issue will be available on January 10, 2012.