Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

All the principal characters from Archie Comics have individual comic books of their own, but when it came time to bring in a new gay character, it makes sense that he’d turn up in “Veronica.” After all, a great deal of its readers are girls in their tweens, many of which look at having a gay friend as something of a novelty. What’s funny, though, is that no one else here sees it that way – even though things haven’t changed much in Riverdale since Archie debuted in 1941, the people there seem pretty open-minded, so much so that the new guy’s already blended in by page two.

Not even wounded puppies can win people’s hearts that fast.

In fact, the one who falls hardest for him is Veronica, mostly because of his blue eyes and golden hair. His name’s Kevin Keller, and though he’s been in town long enough to have charmed Archie’s pals, she wound up out of the loop. Once she catches on to how adorable he is, she does whatever she can to get him to notice her, like asking him out to the carnival and giving him a box of chocolates. You might argue that she’s got no gaydar, but it could just be wishful thinking.

Veronica’s friends have their reasons for not spelling it out for her: Betty thinks that if Veronica’s out for Kevin, there’ll be less of a chance that she’ll go after Archie, which would give her a better shot at winning his heart. As for Jughead, he hopes his frenemy Veronica will be all the more hurt once she realizes her efforts have been in vain, and wants to keep her in the dark as long as possible. Considering how much attitude she gives him, maybe she had it coming.

Apart from avoiding anything controversial, issue 202 of “Veronica” has genuine spirit that helps provide the whole thing with some credibility. Many of its young readers might not even notice, but the more savvy ones should appreciate how it handles the material.

Given the array of likable characters here, it’s nice to see the writers behind Archie Comics making Kevin capable of the same eccentricities as everyone else. A lesser effort would’ve depicted him as nothing more than The Gay Guy, a key to opening the door to the gay market.

Kevin, though, has a little more going for him – maybe they’ll even give him a comic of his own.

This article originally appeared on AllMediaNy.com