Marvel Comics
Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven
By Hervé St-Louis
April 2, 2022 - 18:15

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Ron Zimmerman; Gary Friedrich
Artist(s): Howard Chaykin: Ogden Whitney
Colourist(s): Edgar Delgado: Tom Smith
Letterer(s): Jeff Eckleberry; Art Simek
Cover Artist(s): John Cassaday, Dave Johnson, Mark Brooks, Arthur Suydam
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4431-1
$19.99 USD



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There came a time when seven of the best gunslingers in the West banded together to rescue the Earp brothers captive of the evil Cristo, the Rawhide Kid’s arch nemesis. Led by Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, Billie the Kid, Red Wolf, Doc Holiday, Annie Oakley, and Two-Gun Kid prepare to storm the Mexico compound where the brothers are kept. But the evil gunslinging counterparts of the Sensational Seven await for them. Will the fabulous Rawhide Kid and his posse defeat their opponents?

This series was not as funny nor as groundbreaking as the original one written by Zimmerman. First, Johnny Bart was aware and in on the joke about his sexuality. Every one else was also aware and seemingly okay with it. Next, the jokes kept borrowing from the contemporary times, instead of playing with the period. The campiness was gone and replaced with a world where gays, blacks, women, cannot be talked about negatively. The edginess that made the original series turn head and annoy conservatives and reactionaries was replaced with early forms of wokeness where Doc Holiday would correct any bad behaviour from truants and filth-mouth miscreants.

Moreover, there were no threats to the heroes. Everyone they faced was dealt with in seconds. The jokes about being the fastest shooters in the West can only go so far. When there is no challenge; what’s the point of the story? And then, the subplot with Billy the Kid did not get resolved and he escaped without any punishments. What was the point of this series?

The artwork by Chaykin, I’m sorry to say, was almost hideous. Yes, Chaykin is a fan-favourite but here, his backgrounds were much stronger than the faces that he drew. They keep becoming more cartoony and ridiculous. Even his storytelling was poor in this series. The original Rawhide Kid Slap Leather was innovative, funny as hell, and did not take itself seriously. This new version was boring and did not even seem to be a sequel of the first, continuity-wise. Even the nod to The Magnificent Seven fell nowhere. Save your time and money.
Rating: 6/10

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