A New Type of Character in Archie Comics

In its quest to portray the image of the classic American high school, the comic book Archie added a character to the school’s student body, but she’s the first of her kind in the comic. Her name is Harper and she is the comic’s first disabled character, although she refuses to let her disability define who she is.

With the addition of Harper to the cast, Archie Comics promised that Archie and friends, as well as his fans, would be treated to Harper’s dynamic personality and that Archie will learning that something you think can hold you back can make you that much stronger.

“Harper is the latest in a long line of characters we’ve introduced to make Riverdale feel like a city in today’s world,” said Archie Comics Co-CEO/Publisher Jon Goldwater. “Harper is, first and foremost, a funny, fashionable and witty teenager. The fact that she’s disabled is only part of her story, and we’re excited to welcome her to Riverdale and Archie Comics.”

Harper follows a trend of introducing diverse, new modern characters to the classic Archie Comics gang. The trend began with Kevin Keller, the first openly gay member of the Archie Comics cast.

The idea for Harper came out of a conversation between writer/artist Dan Parent and longtime Archie fan and author Jewel Kats, who is also disabled. There is a certain distance that people with disabilities feel from modern society, but by having something that these people can connect with can help ease the situation to a certain degree.