Given all the hype and furor this has caused online and on the news, you'd think this book was going to be a spectacular mess. Instead, it is what Zimmerman seems to have settled into, which is pleasantly mediocre, somewhat bland and nowhere near as funny as it wants to be but not wildly offensive or stupid. It's tough to fairly judge the whole thing based on the first issue, but I have to say that it doesn't compare favorably to the all-too-rare western comics like The Kents or Desperadoes. Except in terms of art, where Rawhide Kid comes up looking pretty good thanks to the gorgeous style of John Severin.
Those who have a problem with the whole gay angle of Rawhide Kid probably won't find much to complain about in this issue, whether you're pro or con on the issue of homosexuality. Really, if you don't come into this book knowing the angle, it's certainly not advertised in the book. There are several "hilarious" references to Rawhide Kid being a snappy dresser, and his dialogue has just a tinge of the stereotypical gay man, but it steers clear of being offensive or blatant.
Unfortunately, while my fears about the book being nothing but an excuse to hang tired gay stereotype jokes on didn't come to pass, neither did much of an exciting plot. It's your typical western, with a gang coming to a town that can't handle them, and the super-hero/cowboy coming to town to help out. Except that instead of helping out, he makes a few quips and goes off to his campsite, where he's joined by several young boys to make more quips. After one of the young boys backtalks his father in that overly smarmy Zimmerman dialogued fashion, which is both anachronistic and, as always, not really that funny.
What saves the book from being completely average is the artwork by John Severin, who is way too good for the material. He can really capture the look of the desolate yet hopeful frontier towns of the old west, the clothes of the well-dressed citizenry or equipped-for-riding cowboys and of course the storytelling is perfect. Severin has the same mastery of facial expressions and reactions as Steve Dillon, and his panel arrangements are both compelling and easy to follow, speaking to his long experience in comics as well as his talent. Folks who pick this up based on the two-month-old mainstream news buzz, if there are any, will find this an easy first-time reading experience.
Rawhide Kid is largely what I expected in terms of the art being much better than the writing, but it isn't the groan-worthy "so bad it's entertaining" read that I thought it would be. Though the tone of the piece is reminiscent of Zimmerman's work on Get Kraven or Ultimate Adventures, he doesn't seem to have aimed for the outrageous and quite possibly completely offensive style I was afraid of. Instead he's aimed for a slow, smarmy, middle of the road approach that doesn't seem terribly suited to the western thus far.
