Most people reacting to his death have not read these comic books in years. Most were unaware of LIFE WITH ARCHIE or the types of storylines that it has told over the past five years or so. Most were unaware of Kevin Keller. Most were upset that a "funny book" was being perverted by liberal political points, such as gun control and gay characters. And a few were upset that Archie had to die by taking a bullet for a queer instead of something less contrived such as a heart attack or getting hit on the head by a surfboard.
One person told me that Archie Comics killed Archie Andrews so that they can replace him with Kevin Keller (I guess that would make it Kevin Komics?? Maybe that's Dan Parent's new relaunch plan. You heard it here first!!)
My favorite interaction involved a youth pastor named Kimmi. You have to read these two different conversations to believe them:
You read that correctly. Being gay defies God's word. Zombie cannibalism does not. As far as I'm aware, Kimmi never returned following my final question to her.
Most of the media reports about this topic have pretty much said the same thing. Archie will die after saving Kevin Keller from an assassin's bullet. Only one headline bugged me because it captured much of the critics' attention: "Archie Andrew to be Killed Saving Gay Best Friend's Life." Archie and Kevin are friends, but they are not best friends. I think everyone knows that Archie and Jughead are best friends. And a smaller group of fans who have actually read the books in recent years know that Kevin and Veronica are BFFs. It's a minor point in the grand scheme of things, but it has drawn the ire of folks who believe that Kevin is supplanting more familiar characters such as Jughead.
Plus, I wonder what the reaction would be if the articles had simply read "Archie Andrews to be Killed Saving Friend's Life?" Just some food for thought as we count the days for LIFE WITH ARCHIE's cancellation.