海角大神

For most of聽Archie聽Andrews' life, the red-headed comic book icon's biggest quandary was whether he liked Veronica or Betty.

The character's impending death comes in Wednesday's installment of "Life with聽Archie," a spin-off series that centers on grown-up renditions of聽Archie聽and his Riverdale pals. It brings a bold conclusion to聽Archie聽Comics' four-year-old modern makeover of the squeaky-clean, all-American character.

Freckle-faced聽Archie聽will meet his demise when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on senator Kevin Keller,聽Archie聽Comics' first openly gay character, who's pushing for more gun control in Riverdale.聽Archie's聽death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the "Life with聽Archie" series.

"I think聽Archie聽Comics has taken a lot of risks in recent years, and this is the biggest risk they've taken yet," said Jonathan Merrifield, a longtime聽Archie聽fan who hosts the Riverdale Podcast about all things聽Archie. "If it shakes things up a little bit, and people end up checking it out and seeing what's going on in聽Archie聽Comics, it will be a risk that was smartly taken."

While casual fans likely still associate聽Archie聽with soda shops and sock hops 鈥� and that's still holds true for the very much alive teenage character in the original "Archie" series 鈥斅燗rchie聽was thrust into adulthood with the launch of "Life with聽Archie" in 2010. The series kicked off after alternate futures were envisioned where the love-struck do-gooder married both Veronica and Betty.

Over the past four years, storylines in the more socially relevant series aimed at adult聽Archie聽fans have included Kevin's marriage to his husband, the death of longtime teacher Ms. Grundy,聽Archie聽love interest Cheryl Blossom tackling breast cancer and Jughead and friends dealing with financial struggles.

It's been a shift not unlike other changes in the modern comic book landscape, where Spider-Man's alter-ego is a multi-racial teenager and Wonder Woman wears pants.

"Every few years, we see a comic book tackling an issue that could be considered provocative," said Dave Luebke, owner of Dave's Comics in Richmond, Virginia. "It's interesting that the ending of 'Life with聽Archie' involves multiple social issues, but it's not surprising." (Luebke sold his rare 1942 "Archie" No. 1 comic book in 2009 for $38,837 at a Dallas auction.)

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and several聽Archie聽fans praised聽Archie聽Comics' decision to have the character sacrifice himself to save Kevin, who is depicted in "Life with聽Archie" as a married military veteran turned senator.

"In recent years, 'Life with聽Archie' has become one of the most unique books on the shelves by using its characters to address real world issues 鈥� from marriage equality to gun control 鈥� in a smart but accessible way," said Matt Kane, GLAAD's director of entertainment media. "Though the story is coming to a close, we look forward to seeing Kevin and聽Archie's聽stories continue in their remaining titles."

Others have voiced their concern on聽Archie聽Comics' Facebook page and other online forums that the character's death was unnecessary or too politicized.

Jon Goldwater,聽Archie聽Comics publisher and co-CEO, defended聽Archie's聽demise being a lesson about gun violence and diversity.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't agree," said Goldwater. "I think Riverdale is a place where everyone should feel welcome and safe. From my point of view, I'm proud of the stance we've taken here, and I don't think it's overtly political on any level."

Depending on the success of the final installments of "Life with聽Archie," Riverdale Podcast host Merrifield won't be surprised ifArchie聽Comics takes on other topical issues in the near future.

"I'm sure there will be a tearful moment for me," he said of the character's death. "But this isn't goodbye. He'll be back in a couple of weeks in a book of reprints and the teenage 'Archie' will continue.聽Archie聽will still be around. He's always around."