Heroic death of Archie Andrews

The demise of the redheaded American protagonist in the comic book series is not sad but, in fact, inspirational.

NEW YORK:

Archie Andrews, the redheaded American teenager in the Archie comic book series, will die taking a bullet protecting his friend in the issue that comes out on Wednesday. Archie’s death was announced in April, but the circumstances around his fate had been secret.

However, the death of the protagonist who made his debut more than 70 years ago is not meant to be a sob story, Archie Comics publisher and co-chief executive officer Jon Goldwater has said.

“It’s really not sad. Actually it’s inspirational,” Goldwater said. “Because Archie does what you would want Archie to do. He takes the bullet for his friend, and he would do that for anybody.” Archie steps in front of a shot aimed at his friend Kevin Keller, who is targeted for his “personal point of view,” Goldwater said. “Archie taking the bullet really is a metaphor for acceptance,” Goldwater said, adding that the assailant did not agree with Kevin’s personal life or political stance.

“Maybe what Archie Comics is saying is that in order to get the world you need, sometimes you have to sacrifice something of the world you have,” Jarrett added. “Archie Andrews is a very iconic all-American hero. To have him literally take a bullet for the ideas of diversity and equality in a comic book is a very powerful statement.” Goldwater said Archie’s death had been in the works for a couple of years.

The issue, No. 36 in the flash-forward Life with Archie series, will be followed by an issue showing how his friends cope with his death a year later. The events in the flash-forward series will not affect Archie in the present-day series, and Archie’s adventures as a teenager with his best friend, Jughead, and his girlfriends, Betty and Veronica, will continue. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2014.

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