The Associated Press is reporting that Archie Andrews, the epitome of wholesomeness in American comics, will die in an upcoming issue of Life with Archie.
The series, which follows the adult lives of the famous kids from Riverdale, features Archie taking a bullet to save the life of his friend, Kevin Keller. Keller was the first openly gay comic-book character and first appeared in a 2010 storyline. He is now a married veteran, as well as a senator. In the story, Keller is pushing for more gun control, and at a pivotal point, Archie saves Keller from being shot.
Jon Goldwater, the co-CEO and publisher of Archie Comics, is quoted as saying, “the way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie. He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes 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.”
Looks like Riverdale is growing up.