Archie's relationship with Valerie was only the beginning of the changes coming to Riverdale, apparently.

In an interview at C2E2 with gay podcast Feast of Fun, longtime Archie Comics cartoonist Dan Parent casually revealed that September's Veronica #202 will feature the introduction of a gay character named Kevin Keller.

"The plotline is that Veronica's got the hots for this guy and can't understand why he's not interested in her," Parent said, "and ... he's gay."

The cartoonist said that while readers shouldn't expect any of the regular characters to come out of the closet, we shouldn't look for residents of Riverdale to make a big deal about Kevin's sexuality, either. "The reaction is going to be, there isn't going to be a reaction -- it's just going to be acceptance," he said.

In the interview, Parent also discussed Archie's new relationship with Valerie, which he said will continue.

"They're a great couple, which is why we're going to be continuing the stories with them because, y'know, they just make a great couple," he said. "I mean, the interracial aspect is there, of course, but the main thing is to do a good story with good characters."

Update (Thursday, April 22): This morning Archie Comics officially announced the introduction of Kevin Keller and provided details of the story, titled "Isn't it Bromantic?"

Watch the full interview after the break.

(via Dorian Wright)