Representation of the LGBT community has come a long way in the past decade or so, but one group that’s gone almost entirely unrepresented — in life, media, and the aforementioned acronym — is asexuals. Characters who outwardly identify as asexual are rarely seen in film, TV, literature, or comic books, and they’re rarely even mentioned outside of a joke. That’s about to change, though, in an upcoming issue of Jughead.
Vulture points out the page from the forthcoming book, in which Jughead’s gay (yes, gay characters in comics are fairly commonplace now) buddy casually mentions Jughead’s asexuality, and then Jughead, in a statement that confirms the asexual comment as more than a joke, goes on to say on how his asexuality allows for clarity throughout his day.
Whether or not Jughead’s statement is merely an elaboration on a stereotype — that asexuals don’t think about sex at all, and so have heightened mindfulness — is up for debate. Anyway, check out the page below, and decide for yourself. The book will be available on stands and digitally this Wednesday.
Excerpt from Jughead No. 4. Courtesy Archie Comics. Art by Erica Henderson.