Marvel Comics to unveil gay gunslinger

[sbp]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/12/09/rawhide.kid.gay/index.html

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Marvel Comics plans to break new ground in the comic book industry by introducing the first openly gay title character in a comic book.

The character will appear in a revival of the 1950s title, "The Rawhide Kid." Marvel expects a February debut.

The new series pairs the original artist, John Severin, now 86, with Ron Zimmerman, a writer for the "Howard Stern Show."

The Rawhide Kid has been a Marvel character since the 1950s both as a main and a secondary character. However, it was not until Zimmerman approached Marvel with his idea of a homosexual Rawhide Kid that sexuality was mentioned in the discussion of the character.

Although shy with girls, the original Rawhide Kid was not intended to be gay. The new version uses double entendres and euphemisms to reveal his homosexuality without saying anything explicitly. Based on a blurb on Marvel's Web site, the tone may be campy.

In a bubble in the first edition of the series, Rawhide Kid comments about the Lone Ranger: "I think that mask and the powder blue outfit are fantastic. I can certainly see why the Indian follows him around."

Brian Reinert, Marvel's public relations officer, said that Marvel has always been "interested in tapping into stories that are relevant today." He expects the reactions to this comic to vary.

Although many readers will accept the new sexuality of the Marvel hero, Reinert expects possible negative responses from people who don't accept homosexuality and readers who do not want to see a change in their beloved character.

"When you tackle these issues it will always push buttons," he said.

Marvel is planning six stories over the next six months. After looking at the response to those issues they will decide whether to continue production and whether they would be interested in more series with gay title characters.

Although Rawhide Kid is the first gay title character, Marvel does have several existing gay characters, such as North Star of the "X-Men" comic book series.

The Rawhide Kid series, beginning with the first edition "Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather," will run about 22 pages and have a suggested retail price of $2.95.

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Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather http://sbp777.homestead.com/files/hmm.gif

[sbp]

http://www.lemonizer.com/uploads/rawhidekid.gif
"What a nice six shooter that cowpoke has"

http://www.lemonizer.com/uploads/storyrawhide.jpg
"What the heck is he doing with his other hand!?!"
Don't ask, don't tell.

[marqmajere]

What the....:confused: Gah?? I don't know what to say about this. If they would write a comic about a gay woman superhero (like Rainmaker) they might sell a few more issues, but this? Who knows. It might sell really well....

[PsychoSy]

I am such a sick, sick man. :(
I just can't resist not saying something totally insane on this topic. :o
I know If I don't say something asinine...someone else will!! :p

Okay - Are you all ready? Aight...

I wonder if Marvel is going to give him lavender handcuffths and Gucci shooths!! :p

Alrighty, that's over now. :D

If anyone wants to call some anti-Les/Bi/Gay defamation league or sic Ellen Degeneres on me for making stereotypically gross sweeping statements, more power to ya. It's a just a joke . Hey, if my straight ass can take Jerry Falwell - a walking joke if I've ever saw one - then I'm sure your homosexual ass can take a typically goofy zinger from me, okay? :p

I don't have anything against anyone with different lifestyles. Well...maybe I do have ONE small fundamental issue with only Bisexuals and that's it: Would you please pick a side of the fence and dig a hole like the rest of us, eh? C'mon! Make a dicision and stick with it, for crying out loud. Seriously, if I can't decide between Snickers and Twix, I finally say "*!&@$ it" and do without, you know what I mean? :p ;)

[fishlung]

Oh, hoo boy, media hype, gotta love that... bleh. There are openly gay characters in popular mainstream books already, for instance The Authority . The hyping of the coming-out-of-the-closet of Alpha Flight's character Northstar many years back was pretty annoying. Can anyone tell that I'm sick of the media these days? ;)

[Phyre]

Lavender would be swell, but you might have to throw in some fuschia. This guy also needs some leather tassels on his shirt sleeves and also from his gauntlets. If he's gonna be openly gay, he might as well be flaming. :rolleyes:

PHyre

[Kruno]

Seriously, if I can't decide between Snickers and Twix, I finally say "*!&@$ it" and do without, you know what I mean?

So if you loved a man and a women and you can't decide which is more hot then you will do without either? ;) :p :D

[ALobpreis]

World is doomed. :( :(

[sbp]

hmm (http://home.attbi.com/~uberneuman/fudgie.jpg)

[stncttr908]

I bet they sell no more than 2 copies.:rolleyes:

[ALobpreis]

I hope that's true.... but this world is going down.

[Kruno]

To prove you wrong I will buy 3. :p ;) :D

Originally posted by stncttr908
I bet they sell no more than 2 copies.:rolleyes:

[fishlung]

Originally posted by ALobpreis
I hope that's true.... but this world is going down.

If it the world is, this absolutely has nothing to do with it.

[nin_fragile14]

Originally posted by ALobpreis
World is doomed. :( :(

Why? Because there is a gay comic book character? Who even cares who is gay and who is straight. (Well obviously many people, but I don't see why someone would care what some stranger does in their sex life--it doesn't concern you.)

[Mod]

Originally posted by nin_fragile14
Why? Because there is a gay comic book character? Who even cares who is gay and who is straight. (Well obviously many people, but I don't see why someone would care what some stranger does in their sex life--it doesn't concern you.)

I don't think they are being sexist. I think they are trying to say is that Marvel is making a character based on politicaly corect policy, instead of plain creativity.

By political correct means, in this case, that MARVEL was trying to give oportunity to a minority to have someone that represents them in their cartoon universe ( this is really sick).

[saturnotaku]

Originally posted by Mod
I think they are trying to say is that Marvel is making a character based on politicaly corect policy, instead of plain creativity.

That makes a whole lot of sense to me.

Don't get me wrong (to quote Seinfeld) - one's own sexual preferences are nobody's business but their own but this whole thing sounds like it was created to shut up an activist group or two.

[PsychoSy]

Originally posted by K.I.L.E.R
So if you loved a man and a women and you can't decide which is more hot then you will do without either? ;) :p :D

If I were Bisexual, yes indeed.
Even as a hetero sexual, I still follow that example.

"Hmmm....Sarah or Christy....damn, who do I want more?!?"

I've been through this many times in life and it's annoying. I'm convinced, after 30 years on this planet, that such indicision results in the loss of more brain cells than smoking a bowl of hash. You can't think, can't eat, can't sleep. You've created a crappy existance for yourself all over a "mystery" than isn't a mystery at all. Two choices - pick one. How hard is that?

It reminds of me of being stuck in line for 20 minutes at Burger King behind some doofus who can't make up his mind between a Double Whopper or a 20 piece Chicken nuggets. Most people do have the courtesy to step out of the line until they can sort out what they want to nibble on but you do get the occasional cretin who simply won't. I feel the schelpps pain for about......30 seconds but after that, I'm fighting the extreme urge to grab him by the nape of the neck and say to him, "Git da !&*@ outta here and go to Arby's allready!! If you can't choose from the menu, someone behind you will. Go home, eat some freakin' grapes, and stop holding up the rest of the world.

I've got friends that are Bi and...my sarcasm does piss em off sometimes. :)

"Jeez....do I want Jamal....or Buelah?!?"

After about a week, I say to them?

"PlayBoy or PlayGirl - $12 tops for both! Problem F'N solved!!"

Hey, if it gets them out of the line, fine by me!
That way I can move in ol' Buelah with the smoothness of Ralph Furley. :D :p

Granted, you might get, "You BITCH! You stole Buelah from ME!!!! Some friend YOU are!!"

I didn't steal anyone.
I see it as helping a friend by narrowing their choices for them.
If they don't like it...life sucks. Get a helmut.

[Kruno]

LMFAO!!! @ Sy's rant. :D

[ALobpreis]

Originally posted by nin_fragile14
but I don't see why someone would care what some stranger does in their sex life--it doesn't concern you.)

Yes, but this is not the case. This is something public, and I wouldn't like my future children to have to live in a "choose your sexuality" scenario.

BTW, yesterday in my country the "civil union" was just approved. That means two guys or two girls can make this "union", like a marriage but with another name.... Later a little kid will be allowed to choose his sex, or abort just because pregnancy "bothers" him, and so on...

World's doomed.

[thcdru2k]

i personally don't agree with gayness, but i don't hate people are gay. i don't think this comic would be a big deal to anyone except for the serious anti-gay people. kids nowadays don't care for comics as much as before, and i doubt anyone would even bother buying a comic with a picture of a cowboy on it. its all spiderman/x-men/superman etc

[Phyre]

Please excuse this post and delete if it offends you. This has been my stance concerning this argument all along.

male gametes + female gametes = offspring.

male gametes + male gametes = zilch.

female gametes + female gametes = zilch.

any questions?

Phyre

[Phyre]

Oh, and to add a further clarification.

Evolution seems to like the gender "mingling" concept pretty well. It has worked for many, many years.

Plants seem to like the gender "mingling" also, and they don't have consciousness.

Of course, there are asexual worms and such, but there are no same sex "offerings" that I am aware of.

Phyre

[UDawg]

LOL! just think as he gets the bad and says "freeze"! "ok! now frisk me"! ;) or "i'll show you my six shooter if you show me your big bore"! :eek:

[Kruno]

I think sexual preferences should be kept out of comic books all together.
I don't care if it's homosexuality or heterosexuality.

When I was a little child (not long ago :)) I never seen any characters on cartoons (non japanese :)) with a sexual preference. I just seen lots of powerful characters duking it out. :)

[Mod]

I think what decide our sexuality is our genes, just that. It's not a "sexual option". Whenever I see gay people asked why they "choosed" to be a gay, the answers all seems to point it was a behavior that just apeared from themselves, almost never from any environmental influence.

And there's all degrees of gayness. But what is most interesting is that in most cases, the earlier this behavior apear, the more "womanized" the man will be ( or the contrary in the case of women). For example ( general cases) , if pay attention to transexuals, they will say that they were always like woman in a man's body; in crossdressers, they will say that they felt to eager to behave somewhat like woman in middle or late childhood; in the usual gays ( those who you can't notice that they are gay, by the way they dress, and also behave like an usual man), they start feeling attraction for man in the adolescence.

That's why I don't have much prejudice against gay people, only a little, and this is even so, just because I am not used to live with them.