On September 10, DC Comics abruptly pulled Red Hood, canceling existing and future orders and crediting retailers for invoiced copies of Issue #1. The comic was canceled in the wake of writer Gretchen Felker-Martin posting irreverent jokes on Blue Sky in response to the murder of a well-known transphobe, homophobe, xenophobe, and racist Christian nationalist. When questioned about the cause of the cancellation, DC stated:
At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.
For further details, please read the release obtained by Popverse and the more thorough article from The Comics Journal which includes Felker-Martin’s response to the cancellation.
We condemn DC’s actions which are difficult to see as anything but anti-expression censorship. Given that Gretchen has harmed no one, has in no way promoted violence, and is only exercising her right to free speech, it is disheartening to witness DC’s willingness to punish a person for using that right. Throwing a trans writer and her work aside and effectively seeking to scrub Red Hood from the face of the earth is not a commensurate response to three social media posts. Such wholesale actions have not been taken when DC writers have (allegedly) engaged in much more egregious and horrific acts including making disparaging comments about Asian actors and engaging in human trafficking.
DC has decided to punish a trans woman who made a joke—a woman known for making jokes, known for satirizing dark, troubling topics, known for mocking bigots and fascists. You knew who Gretchen Felker-Martin was when you hired her and rather than sticking to your editorial and artistic choices, you threw her under the bus.
DC, you owe Gretchen an apology. You know how to contact her.
And you owe her, the artists, Jeff Spokes and Becca Carrey, and readers the release of the Red Hood series.
-Bitches on Comics
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