Good NewsArchie Comics' first disabled character Harper Lodge based on real-life Toronto author
A busy, eventful year for Archie Andrews is about to get more interesting, not to mention progressive.
In a year when Archie is set to die at the end of the series and Girls creator and star Lena Dunham prepares to write a four-part story for 2015, the redhead from Riverdale is getting a new love interest to boot.
Harper Lodge, the latest addition to the Riverdale gang and the new object of Archie's desires, is stylish and attractive ... and just happens to be a wheelchair user.
Not only that, Harper, cousin of longtime Archie crush Veronica Lodge, is based on and inspired by Toronto children's author Jewel Kats, who is disabled.
Harper Lodge will make her debut in Archie #656, to be released on June 18.
"She is beautiful, she's fashionable, she's eccentric and she's very smart," Kats said in an interview with Matt Galloway of CBC Radio Toronto's Metro Morning.
"The difference about her is that she uses a wheelchair. She still looks like a Barbie, but just not your typical Barbie in a toy box."
Archie Comics' move to include a disabled character follows the publisher's track record for innovation, inclusivity in their characters and stories, keeping main characters like Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead true to their comic character roots while adjusting their stories' settings to reflect our contemporary world. In one of the most famous examples of adding new characters that mirror our society and culture today, the first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, was introduced to Archie Comics in 2010.
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Kats is an Archie fan and the author of the DitzAbled Princess comic series, about "a zany quirky woman with a disability." She suggested the idea to Archie writer and artist Dan Parent at Fan Expo in Toronto last August.
"I wheeled up to him, looked at him square in the eye and I said 'Why isn't there a character with a disability in Riverdale? How is that possible? He didn't have an answer right away. But he gave me his contact information."
Her arguments to create an Archie Comics character who uses a wheelchair won Parent over, and the two corresponded and collaborated to develop the new character, with Kats providing feedback on how to best create Harper Lodge.
In an official statement from Archie Comics, publisher Jon Goldwater said: “Harper is, first and foremost, a funny, fashionable and witty teenager. The fact that she’s disabled is only one part of her story, and we’re excited to welcome her to Riverdale and Archie Comics.”
As comics blog Comicosity notes: " ... While Harper does have a disability, it does not define her, and Archie, his friends, and fans around the world will be treated to her dynamic personality. Harper teaches the Archies an important lesson: that something you think can hold you back can make you that much stronger."
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Harper Lodge will be not only the first disabled character in the comics, but the first to be characterized as a love interest for protagonist Archie, who has for decades tried to decide between blonde girl-next-door Betty and dark-haired rich girl Veronica. In the interview with CBC Radio, Kats kept quiet about Harper's role in the love triangle that now spans several generations of readers.
"It's top secret," she said.
(Photo via Archie Comic Publications)
