Gay gunslinger is target for comics controversy

The old West: where a man dispensed justice from the barrel of a six-shooter but also made sure he accessorized nicely with his holster.

This month, Marvel Comics begins what could be its most controversial title to date, and also its funniest, "Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather." The five-issue series on Marvel's adult-oriented "Max" imprint reimagines the young gunslinger — who debuted in 1955 — as a gay hero. There have been other gay characters in mainstream comics but never a lead character in his own title.

Cleverly written by Ron Zimmerman and expertly, ah, drawn by the Kid's original artist, 86-year-old John Severin, it's played for laughs with no explicit content, despite a blaring parental advisory label to that effect. And it's dadburn knee-slappin' — a feat which seems far more difficult in comics than saving the universe.

The story begins with a young boy watching his dad, the sheriff of a small town, take a humiliating beating from a band of mangy outlaws. Then the Rawhide Kid rides into town. He's got a fearsome reputation, along with a hair-trigger wit and meticulous wardrobe.

"He ain't exactly what I wuz expectin'," says one cowpoke.

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

Later at his campfire, the Kid engages in the time-honored pastime of all range-ridin' tough guys: dishing on other celebrities.

"As far as the Lone Ranger, all I can say is, I don't care which one of us is faster. I just want to meet him. I think that mask and the powder blue outfit are fantastic. I can certainly see why that Indian follows him around."

A boy asks, "Mr. Rawhide, did you ever meet Billy the Kid?"

He scrunches up his face. "Met him. Didn't like him. End of story."

So the Kid was always shy around ladies, and now we know why. Writers have been reimagining classic comic heroes for grown-ups en masse since Frank Miller's brutal "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" in the mid-'80s. But making a lesser-known character such as Rawhide Kid gay in an industry whose male readership is estimated over 90 percent was less risky than tampering thusly with a major one like, say, the Hulk. Although, an extremely muscular man who always ends up shirtless in purple cutoffs would seem like a natural.

Still, well before his book hit the stands Feb. 5, Zimmerman says both he and Marvel had gotten "tons" of hate mail.

"I'm shocked at the controversy around this book," he says, reeling off the complaints: " 'You're disgusting.' 'How dare you create a homosexual hero?' 'There is no such thing as a homosexual hero.' 'My children will never be allowed to buy a Marvel comic again.' "

Zimmerman, 44, has written "Spider-Man" and "The Punisher," but he is mainly a television writer and producer with credits that include "Seventh Heaven" and "Action." He said he had wanted to do a Western comedy, but making Rawhide Kid gay was an editor's idea.

The concept, then: "I wanted him to be a bad-ass. I didn't want him to be the guy on 'Will & Grace.' The only important thing, the only lesson to be learned is, if you call somebody a name, you might just get your ass kicked. Just because somebody's gay, it doesn't mean they can't beat the crap out of you."

For the record, Zimmerman says he's not gay (he's says he's amazed this is the first interview in which he's been asked) — just empathetic.

"If a gay guy wrote this, I guess it would be like a gay guy waving the gay flag," he says. "I was very consciously of thinking, 'What if there's some gay kid that reads this book and every day he's getting beat up at school?' Maybe this would be good for him and it would be good for his life."

After whalin' the tar out of a band of outlaws, the Kid takes umbrage at the leader's compliment.

"Not too shabby? Puh-leeeze. If you need to act unimpressed so you don't lose face, I understand, but don't insult me. I'm magnificent and you know it. My hat didn't even come off — which, by the way, is imported Canadian beaver and probably cost more than your horse."

The main irony of "Slap Leather" is the longstanding joke that there's something inherently gay about all costumed heroes.

"Which is also why I wanted to do this as a Western," Zimmerman says. "I was trying to get away from what seemed to be the standing jokes of comic-book characters. They all lend themselves to that. I could take Mr. Fantastic ... " he says of the elastic-skinned Fantastic Four leader, and then stops himself midsentence.

"Almost every superhero turns into a joke if you make him gay. And that's what I didn't want. I wanted a character that was a good organic character. Rawhide Kid wears a gun — well, everybody back then wore a gun."

The other irony: Much of this controversy — which has included ex-Marvel honcho Stan Lee appearing on "Crossfire" — has come from people who hadn't even read the book yet. Even though its content is in fact less explicit than your average prime-time "Will & Grace" episode, a Marvel rep says the cover warning is mainly to placate those who are up in arms. It's sold 40,000 copies so far, compared with about 100,000 for a "Spider-Man" title. Not too shabby at all.

At Seattle superhero mainstay The Comics Dungeon, employee John Vermont says of "Slap Leather's" advance buzz, "A few people are less than thrilled with it. Others are pretty interested, too."

Why should comics be different from other mass media? Why not, as Lee might have said, Face Front?

Vermont says, "I think a lot of comic fans are kind of at the point where they've seen it all. It's people from outside the field that make more of a big deal out of it."

Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com