To be clear, we’re not canceling the book: It’s ending so we can take a minute to plan a relaunch for the character. In the meantime, Kevin will continue to be a big part of the other Archie titles— including Afterlife with Archie.This is disappointing. There just aren't that many Archie Comics comic books coming out these days. So we will be left with ARCHIE, BETTY & VERONICA, AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, and eventually a new mini-series featuring the Fox -- and that's assuming we won't receive a new article in two weeks canceling one of the above titles!
It’s about direction for the character. I’ve had some ideas for Kevin that I have discussed with the powers that be at Archie, and these ideas would work better as a relaunch rather than as a continuation of the current book.
There is already speculation about the future plans for Kevin Keller. One friend thinks that his book will be relaunched as a superhero title featuring the Equalizer. I've been wondering if we might see a Kevin Keller that's more geared towards his adult and teen gay fans vs. younger readers. Maybe we're looking forward to a teen television pilot. Or maybe they're just blowing smoke and the character will slowly fade into the background.
The main thing that gives me hope that this final option won't come true is that Dan Parent has been pretty active with announcing this "ending"/cancellation and from some Facebook comments that he has made.
Updated on 04/25/14: As indicated above, there has been a lot of discussion about the cancellation of KEVIN KELLER and what it means for the character, for the title, and for Archie Comics. Dan Parent joined in the conversation on the Archie Comics Fan Forums boards last night and offered the following assurances:
Hey folks, Dan here. I just want you to know that even though Kevin's current book is ending, it's not the end of Kevin. The company and I have been discussing the plots for a new storyline and it will be even better than this series. I can't speak for why jughead wasn't relaunched, but I do know Kevin WILL be relaunched. I don't know what format or frequency the new series will fall under, but it will be very exciting and we will have much more freedom than we have in the current series. And that's all I can say is we will have some sort of announcement by years end. And of course Kevin will appear in other stories in the meantime, including an amazing turn in the next Afterlife book!I am assuming that this will be a print comic series and not a digital series, though I could be wrong. But my initial hunch is that this KEVIN KELLER relaunch will be a T-rated comic book (similar to AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE) and/or be folded into the Red Circle line of comics, where Archie Comics will be able to continue stories featuring Kevin but also cater more to his older fanbase. That's where my thoughts are right now.