Credit: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1 VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS SAMNEE
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  • ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1 VARIANT COVER BY CHRIS SAMNEE

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how DC Comics was facing backlash for hiring militant bigot Orson Scott Card to write a story in a Superman comic. Following those reactions, the artist for the comic, Chris Sprouse, has backed out of the project, explaining, “The media surrounding this story reached the point where it took away from the actual work, and that’s something I wasn’t comfortable with.” The issue’s now moving forward, but without Card’s story.

(Would a comment from Sprouse saying, “You know, I just didn’t want to work with a homophobe,” or a comment from DC saying, “So… ah… we shouldn’t have hired a gay-hating weirdo to write a character who stands for tolerance and freedom. Our bad!” have been better? Yeah. But the end result’s likely the same—sure, DC’s claiming Card’s story will still run at some point, but the more likely scenario is that DC will sweep this thing under the rug in a while by giving Card a kill fee.)

But where does this leave local comics shops? In the case of Floating World Comics—which had planned not only to host a signing with one of the book’s other writers, Jeff Parker, but also to donate their share of the issue’s proceeds to an LGBT charity—things haven’t changed.

“Our event was a response, to try an turn an ugly situation into something positive,” says Floating World’s Jason Leivian. “Also to demonstrate that if Card wants to aggressively pursue his agenda, it won’t go unnoticed. He can expect people to speak up against him. Good for Chris, and his response which effectively led to the story’s cancellation.

“No reason to cancel our show,” Leivian continues. “It turns our party into even more of a celebration. And people can buy the book knowing that the only compensation Card got was a kill fee.”

Parker also weighed in. “As far as I know I’m still going to sign that Wednesday! I think Jason has hired dancers or something.” Parker also points out that Vancouver’s comics shop, I Like Comics—one of the first stores to announce they wouldn’t be selling the issue due to Card’s participation—is now ordering 200 copies of the comic.

Meanwhile, one person’s been noticably silent through this whole thing. Daniel D’Addario at Salon tried calling Card, but was told Card wouldn’t be commenting. “He thinks that it always makes these things worse,” a woman at Card’s home explained.

Wait. Card somehow making things worse when he opens his mouth? Nah. That’s crazy talk.

With honor and distinction, Erik Henriksen served as the executive editor of the Portland Mercury from 2004 to 2020. He can now be found at henriksenactual.com.

10 replies on “UPDATE: Superman, Bigotry, and Portland’s Comics Shops”

  1. Conservatives always go on and on about “the marketplace of ideas”. Well, the marketplace of ideas has found Card’s ideas less than worthy. Perhaps he’ll come up with some better ones. Perhaps not.

  4. DC, readers and the comics biz community are free to do whatever they like, and they apparently have here. But what do his views have to do with whether he can write a good comic script? Jonathan Richman is a total asshole, but I still love my Modern Lovers albums. John Cusack is a notable dick, but how can you never watch Better off Dead again?

    If what he wrote was horribly bigoted and inappropriate for a Superman comic, THEN get upset. Or at least get upset at him in the fora where he is making his bigotry known. What it has to do, on principle, with making art I have no idea.

  5. Torridjoe- I agree. Boyz In The Hood is still enjoyable to me, even though it was filmed when Ice Cube was firmly in the “I hate Whites and Koreans” phase of his career

  8. TJ, it’s way beyond just being a dick and you know it. Card is a leader of the National Organization for Marriage (the “There’s a storm a-comin'” idiots), writes frequent anti-gay screeds–including advocating for homosexuality to be outlawed, etc.

  9. Some day in the not-to-distant future, the ideals you hold now that pass for progressive will be considered the exact opposite by a younger generation. It’s happened over and over again as long as society has existed. Keep that in mind when you’re carrying your pitchforks the next time one of these issues arises.

  10. RE: Chuck: Do you think that segregation and anti-miscegenation are going to make a comeback too? You don’t seem to understand what progress is.

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