Not My Rawhide Kid

One of the comics I enjoyed as a boy was The Rawhide Kid. The Rawhide Kid was young, quick with a gun and thought to be an outlaw but wasn’t. He traveled from town to town, stayed long enough to right a wrong and then moved on. He never drew his gun first, was shy and even drank milk. He even had a real cool “costume” that was easily recognizable. Sure, he sounds like a cliché, but don’t most kids’ comics when you break them down into the essentials? At any rate, he was a great role model for a young ‘un like myself.

When the western craze died out, so did The Rawhide Kid.

Now he’s returning in a new mini-series called “Slap Leather.” I can’t recommend it though. See, Marvel has decided to make the Rawhide Kid gay… not that there is anything wrong with being gay. My problem with the series is: 1) They’re approaching it as a joke. You know, like NOW we know why he was shy and moved from town to town * wink* *wink*… and 2) If they wanted to create a gay cowboy, why not create a new character instead of one that has been around for nearly 50 years?

And consider this… if the argument is that it will give a role model to young gay kids… how is it going to make them feel when they realize that the “hero” is being treated as the punchline?