Marvel's gay gunslinger

[mooby]

Why?

The more I look back at more old comics, the more I realize how much of a liberal viewpoint they all take.

I wish they could just concentrate on good storytelling rather than being PC by bringing in a gay hero.

Makes you wonder why it's ok to bring in a gay hero most people have never heard of. What would they say if Spiderman or DareDevil were gay? That would never happen, now would it?

 

[Prince Atom]

The more I look back at more old comics, the more I realize how much of a liberal viewpoint they all take.

I'm confused. Could you elaborate, please? Which comics do you have in mind?

There you have it, the opinion of a gay man on the new Marvel comic.

But he's just one gay man. You could ask my opinion about something, and you'd get the opinion of a white middle-class American male, but that doesn't mean it's the opinion of all white, middle-class American males.

I'd never heard of Rawhide, either, and in my years of reading Spidey &c. I've seen a glimpse of most of Marvel's superheroes. So I presume this is not a supers mag, and that RK will be adventuring in the West sometime.

Marvel is changing an apparently beloved character, so resistance to that sort of thing is understandable. But predictions that RK's going to be ineffective and offensive to gay folk make it seem as though the audience is hostile to the concept -- and nothing survives a hostile audience.

If you don't give something a chance, how can you tell whether it failed because of its own flaws or because of your hostility?

I for one embrace this new comic, and I hope it does well. Marvel has so few heroes who are minorities.

[/lecture]

TWK
Draw!

 

[jdavis]

Link to the Marvel page on the Rawhide Kid

http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/onsale.htm?id=698

I'll quote Marvel here to illustrate my point. "THE STORY: Get ready to slap leather! That loveable red-headed scamp is back! And no one handles a hot rod like the Rawhide Kid!"

It really doesn't sound like a very progressive or positive view of a minority, it sounds like a humorous parity or a stereotype. If Marvel wanted to do a progressive piece on a minority they wouldn't of used it to grab media attention they would of just put it out, by all outward appearances they are making the fact that the character is gay the defining factor of the character, if that is not the case then they are going about their advertising all wrong.

Yes I only got the opinion of one gay male, but I wasn't trying to take a official pole I was presenting the opinion of a friend who happens to be gay. It just also happens that he is politically concerned and active in the cause of gay rights but that wasn't my point at all. It was supposed to be sort of tongue in cheek not serious, to get serious I would say this is a horrible idea to try to boost sales and will either fail because it is being advertised to be a humorous stereotype or it will fail because it actually is a stereotype piece that will be found to be offensive by a minority. I thing they are going from the standpoint that any publicity is good publicity and that maybe a controversy will sell the comic, which suggest that they think the comic wouldn't sell on it's own merits.

 

[Whodat]

Wait a sec...

Didn't Marvel's Northstar come out of the closet a few years back? I believe he is (or was) a member of Alpha Flight.

I was overseas at the time, but I’m sure I remember something like this. There was a lot of publicity concerning one line in the comic where he mentions (in a fit of rage) that he is gay.

My question is: Why is Marvel making such a big deal about this now? Did that Northstar storyline not go anywhere?

 

[Chun-tzu]

Yes, Northstar came out of the closet a while ago.

The "big deal" is that this new mini has the Rawhide Kid as a title character, not just a supporting character.

And it's not a big deal. Marvel is trying to promote their comic, like they do with a ton of other comics (Origin, the Truth, the series on cops and firefighters...).

 

[Michael Tree]

I really hope Marvel isn't hoping to be commended here. It's fine, in a campy kitch sort of way, but in many ways it's the opposite of progressive.

What I'd like to see is a gay title character who isn't a blatant stereotype, but a character that is interesting in his own right and also happens to be gay. It's equivalent to all the black characters in the 70's who all had the word "black" in their name.

 

[Mallus]

It sounds like a bad idea. That no matter what the intent is, its going to come off as a tasteless parody. Just doesn't sound like this team has their heads --pun intended, sorry Eric's Grandma-- or hearts in the right place.

And did someone mention a liberal bias in comic books? Well, depends on which ones you read. I'd be deeply disappointed if I didn't get my $2.95 worth of paranoid, post-modern, post-Gnostic screed out of every Grant Morrison comic I purchase --who by the way can tell a crackerjack story when he feels like it. And whose responsible for a brilliantly-titled story arc called "Apocalipstick", focusing on a gay transvestite shaman in his Invisibles series...

And really, does the inclusion of gay characters automatically indicate a liberal agenda? I loved the Authority through Ellis and Millar's run. It features a thinly disguised Superman and Batman as gay lovers and a bisxual woman as team leader, who happens to be the incarnate spirit of the 20th century. Its also a celebration of star-spangled superpowered fascism where might just so happens to make right --or left, wait... Not exactly traditional hand-wringing liberalism, in any case.

No kill I for talking a little politics... it was mostly comics...

 

[WayneLigon]

I'll at least take a look at the first issue. The previews I've seen make it out to be a little too much 'wink wink nudge nudge' for my taste. Northstar was done well, and it looks like he'll be getting a little more face-time in the X-men now. But.. he's at best a bit player.

I'd still prefer a nice normalistic superhero series where after a long hard night of punching out supervillains, the hero just happens to go home to his boyfriend instead of his girlfriend. No need to make a big deal of it, honestly.

http://www.outincomics.com/ for a list of gay artists and/or subject matter.

http://www.gayleague.com/ for a comprehensive list of current and past gay characters. Esp. good is The Gay Character FAQ

 

[Assenpfeffer]

Link to the Marvel page on the Rawhide Kid

http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/onsale.htm?id=698

I'll quote Marvel here to illustrate my point. "THE STORY: Get ready to slap leather! That loveable red-headed scamp is back! And no one handles a hot rod like the Rawhide Kid!"

It really doesn't sound like a very progressive or positive view of a minority, it sounds like a humorous parity or a stereotype.

That sounds like exactly the kind of lowbrow pandering we ought to have learned to expect from a Stern writer. Frankly, no one should be surprised by it.

 

[KnowTheToe]

Why?

The more I look back at more old comics, the more I realize how much of a liberal viewpoint they all take.

I wish they could just concentrate on good storytelling rather than being PC by bringing in a gay hero.

It is sad that in entertainment storylines takes a back seat to politics and PCism, but they think they are (and are) powerful and like to use to manipulate peoples thoughts.

My favorite this week is Sean Penn going to Iraq to check things out for himself, I am sure he will get deep into the social, poitical and military concerns of the US, Frickin IDIOT.