Fridae

The Rawhide Kid is set to be the first openly gay title character in a comic book series. According to media reports, the character is expected to come "out" next February, showing his gayness through his keen fashion sense � including a stylish leather outfit, euphemisms and campy banter rather than through gay relationships.

Although other comics like Green Lantern and X-Men have featured gay supporting characters, Marvel Comics will debut The Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather, a rebirth of the comic icon that first made the scene in 1955 and relaunched in 1960 by classic comic team Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Marvel is the home of more old-school comics like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and X-Men which featured the coming out of the popular character North Star.

The original character which lasted till 1979 was bashful with girls and wasn't intended to be gay. According to Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief at Marvel, the new character will not "come out and say he's gay," but it would be "obvious through his actions and the things he says that his preference is men, not women."

The new comic will be created by John Severin, now 86, the series' original illustrator, and Ron Zimmerman, an occasional writer for the Howard Stern Show. Zimmerman hopes his character is "an empowering character that the gay community would be able to embrace," the writer told the New York Post in an exclusive.

One of the clues to the Rawhide Kid's sexuality will include his reaction to other characters from the comic book, including The Lone Ranger. In the first issue, the Rawhide Kid comments about the Lone Ranger saying, "I think that mask and the powder blue outfit are fantastic. I can certainly see why the Indian follows him around," according to the Post.

DC Comics' Green Lantern No. 154 focused on a supporting character: Terry Bing, sidekick to the Green Lantern's human persona, Kyle Rayner. In the comic released in September 2002, Terry, an out 17-year-old, survives a severe gay-bashing attack. Terry first came out in 2001 when he revealed he had a crush on Rayner.