(no subject)
Last month, Joe Quesada, the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics made some self-congratulatory comments in light of the recent success of Brokeback Mountain. He wanted readers to remember that Marvel had a gay cowboy long before BBM came out. Indeed, a few years ago, Marvel outed a gay cowboy of their own called Rawhide Kid.
Well, shortly thereafter, despite the success of BBM, Quesada announced that Marvel would be excluding the Rawhide Kid from an upcoming project, because a gay cowboy is too controversial.
I shouldn't be surprised. This is a company that refused to comment to the press after they made history by bringing the first mainstream superhero (Northstar), out of the closet in 1992. And then published a four-issue mini-series about the character, wherein the writer never mentioned that Northstar was gay.
Anyway, this all sparked a hot debate on some of the comic forums about why Marvel would shelve a gay character so uncerimoniously and whether or not Marvel is indeed as homophobic as it would appear. Here's Quesada trying to wiggle out of it:
Let me just say that there are many factors and considerations that are taken into account when making a decision like this and it’s not a decision that is made in a vacuum or without much internal consultation and consideration. It is also a decision that is not made lightly. Because of the strength of the Marvel brand we have to be sensitive to as many of our readers as possible and those readers come in many shapes and sizes. Because of that, and because we anticipated that Rawhide would be controversial we had to look at publishing the title in a responsible manner.
Yes, controversial.
This wasn’t going to be another costumed hero who was gay, this wasn’t going to be a supporting character or a one-time walk on or a passing story line. This was taking what has been for decades a symbol of American hetero masculinity (think John Wayne, Clint Eastwood) and showing a whole different point of view on the heroic ideal and doing it with an established character from the 50s who for decades graced the pages of what is considered in the mainstream (we in comics know better) as a child’s medium.
Yes, a cowboy who became a Wild West legend because he was the best fist fighter, the best gunslinger, and the guy who always saved the day by upholding all that is good and heroic, and yes he is all that and gay. Oh yeah, and he’s also a character whose comic you most likely picked up back when you were a little tyke.
Now, sex and sexuality have always been hot-button topics here in the states. We have to take into account that many of our readers are children whose parents may object to such content, especially discussions about alternative lifestyles. Many parents today want to be the source of information regarding sex and sexuality and all the different colors that comes in and we have to respect that choice. We have to operate under a business model that takes all points under consideration and weigh what is and isn't objectionable content in some people's minds.
Never mind the fact that there is a large lgbt audience who reads comics, and never mind the fact that most of the readers are actually adults. Quesada has even conceded to that last bit himself.
While I don't particularly care for the Rawhide Kid as a character, this all just irks me.
Well, shortly thereafter, despite the success of BBM, Quesada announced that Marvel would be excluding the Rawhide Kid from an upcoming project, because a gay cowboy is too controversial.
I shouldn't be surprised. This is a company that refused to comment to the press after they made history by bringing the first mainstream superhero (Northstar), out of the closet in 1992. And then published a four-issue mini-series about the character, wherein the writer never mentioned that Northstar was gay.
Anyway, this all sparked a hot debate on some of the comic forums about why Marvel would shelve a gay character so uncerimoniously and whether or not Marvel is indeed as homophobic as it would appear. Here's Quesada trying to wiggle out of it:
Let me just say that there are many factors and considerations that are taken into account when making a decision like this and it’s not a decision that is made in a vacuum or without much internal consultation and consideration. It is also a decision that is not made lightly. Because of the strength of the Marvel brand we have to be sensitive to as many of our readers as possible and those readers come in many shapes and sizes. Because of that, and because we anticipated that Rawhide would be controversial we had to look at publishing the title in a responsible manner.
Yes, controversial.
This wasn’t going to be another costumed hero who was gay, this wasn’t going to be a supporting character or a one-time walk on or a passing story line. This was taking what has been for decades a symbol of American hetero masculinity (think John Wayne, Clint Eastwood) and showing a whole different point of view on the heroic ideal and doing it with an established character from the 50s who for decades graced the pages of what is considered in the mainstream (we in comics know better) as a child’s medium.
Yes, a cowboy who became a Wild West legend because he was the best fist fighter, the best gunslinger, and the guy who always saved the day by upholding all that is good and heroic, and yes he is all that and gay. Oh yeah, and he’s also a character whose comic you most likely picked up back when you were a little tyke.
Now, sex and sexuality have always been hot-button topics here in the states. We have to take into account that many of our readers are children whose parents may object to such content, especially discussions about alternative lifestyles. Many parents today want to be the source of information regarding sex and sexuality and all the different colors that comes in and we have to respect that choice. We have to operate under a business model that takes all points under consideration and weigh what is and isn't objectionable content in some people's minds.
Never mind the fact that there is a large lgbt audience who reads comics, and never mind the fact that most of the readers are actually adults. Quesada has even conceded to that last bit himself.
While I don't particularly care for the Rawhide Kid as a character, this all just irks me.