Raj Patel: New character in Archie comics

Fellas, remember Archie comics? Of course you do. Now there’s a desi guy at Riverdale High. Raj Patel. His Dad’s a doctor, his mom’s a research scientist and his sister was skipped a grade. Raj, however, is an aspiring filmmaker and skateboarder.

Here’s an interview I found on the web with the guy who created him:

THE PULSE: How did you come up with the look for this character? What were some of the ways you wanted to make him distinctive from the rest of the cast, but also akin to what people expect from the Archie line of books?

FERNANDO RUIZ: Coming up with the look of Raj Patel was one of the biggest challenges of creating the whole character. I wanted a character that reflected his background without looking like a caricature and still fit in seamlessly with the other characters. I also wanted him to look immediately recognizable and different from the other characters so I gave him a distinct hairstyle and fashion sense. In terms of personality, I wanted to give him an interest that was unique and could be strongly associated with the character. Many of Archie’s friends have a signature interest. Chuck loves art and comics. Jughead loves food. Betty loves…well, Archie! Raj loves film. His main interest is making his own movies and so he’s often going around with a camcorder recording his friends’ crazy antics. I thought it would be a fun hobby readers would be interested in and could be the source of many story ideas and adventures!