Gay Rawhide Kid Preview... Oh Lord....

[lighthouse]

Got in next week's preview books a few minutes ago, including an advance copy of next week's Rawhide Kid #1...

 

In my mind there are two good ways to handle minority groups in a story.

 

One is to ignore the fact that the character(s) are part of such a group and just treat them as people, which has a tendency to promote acceptance from the majority. The Cosby Show was a show about a family that happened to be Black, rather than being a show about a "Black Family". The Kingpin is Black in the Daredevil movie because the actor portraying him is Black, not because the writers had a 'message' to pass on.

 

The other way is to truly explore what it means to be a member of the minority group, both good and bad, which has a tendency to promote both tolerance and understanding. Strangers in Paradise delves deeply into the highs and lows of being a bisexual woman. Michael Jace's character on The Shield is trying to come to grips with being both Christian and homosexual, and the audience sees both the joy and pain of his struggle.

 

Either of these methods promotes acceptance and tolerance. Explore or ignore, but don't exploit...

 

And then there's the bad ways... which are far easier... Oh Look! It's a penny-pinching Jewish lawyer! It's an angry Asian grocer! It's a drunk Irish cop! Don't believe those are stereotypes? When was the last time you were watching a movie and saw a drunk Asian cop?

 

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When Marvel first announced this Rawhide Kid series, we had quite a discussion about it on these forums (matching similar discussions all over the country).

 

Take a look at this page from the 1st issue, and tell me we needed a comic about a gay cowboy standing in his underwear in front of a gathering of pre-teen boys...

 

[murph0]

I didn't realize they were going to portray him as flaming homosexual..my guess is this series lasts 5 issues at best.

 

Brian

[ArAich]

So not only is he homosexual but he is a pedophile?!?!?!?!?

Bad move Marvel...bad....

[seank]

I didn't realize they had black spandex undies in the old west. So the book is going to be offensive and anachronistic, huh?

 

Give me Jonah Hex is in his gritty union suit and Confederate jacket any day.

[lighthouse]

I forced myself to read through it a second time, and this may be the first comic book that makes Robot Jox look good...

 

Exchange between two cowboys upon seeing the Kid:

"Boy howdy, he ain't exactly what I wuz expectin'."

"No, he shore ain't. Dresses nice, though."

 

Exchange between the Doc and the Sheriff:

"Tell you one thing about the Rawhide Kid, though."

"What's that?"

"Man Alive. He's a sharp dresser."

 

After delivering the line about Tonto following the Lone Ranger around because of his powder blue suit, Rawhide Kid lights up a cigarette, puts it in a 6-inch cigarette holder, crosses his legs, and starts telling the boys all about Wild Bill Hickok.

 

"Very nice man. Bigger than life!"

[OldGuy]

Really? Only five issues? I'll take that bet. I'll bet it goes six issues then stops. How much?

[Illiterati-migration]

'House? When will we know the numbers on the sales of this book? I mean, Marvel prints-to-order, right? (That way EVERY book is a "complete sellout!")

 

I'm just wondering how many of these books are actually going to see the light of day... so then it could be guesstimated how many fanboys (dealers and collectors alike) are going to be hoarding this book (or at least buying multiple copies) in the sad spec-ish hopes that someday it will, for one reason or another, be a collector's item?