Nearly seventy-five years since the debut of High schooler, Archie Andrews in the comic book world, the red-headed hero is going to meet his demise, and it's not of old age.
Archie Comics broke the news in April that they will be killing off the titular character, and it has recently been revealed that in the penultimate issue of Life With Archie, he will be killed off by stopping an assassination attempt on his best friend, Kevin Keller's life.
Archie, being the hero that he is, will take a bullet for Kevin (and the series' first openly gay character) and will die from the gunshot wound. The killer's identity remains a mystery for now, but according to the series publisher and co-CEO John Goldwater, the killer is an obsessed stalker who wants to take Keller down.
The shooting is not an out-of-the-blue event. Accordiong to Comics Alliance, it will offer the resolution to the events that happened way back in issue No. 23, as a catalyst for Kevin's advocacy against gun control as well as his political aspirations. As noted by the website, "Archie's sacrifice isn't just a moment of heroism; it offers an unambiguous condemnation of America's lax gun laws."
It's not the only site that seemed to think the comics is pushing their own stand. According to VOX.com the comics is trying to prove a point about gun control.
Goldwater explained in People Magazine that "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."
He also added, "We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone. That's how we came up with the storyline of saving Kevin. He could have saved Betty. He could have saved Veronica. We get that, but metaphorically, by saving Kevin, a new Riverdale is born."
The death of Riverdale's iconic character will be detailed in Life with Archie's penultimate issue, which will be in stores on July 16.
The finale, meanwhile, will be published next month, with the focus on the gang's life a year later, as they honor the legacy of their favorite pal.
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