More Shops Announce Boycott Of Anti-Gay Writer's Comic Book

Earlier this month Andy reported that Zeus Comics and Collectibles has decided to not carry the upcoming DC comic 'Adventures of Superman' comic book due to writer Orson Scott Card's extreme anti-gay views. The Whatever store in San Francisco quickly followed suit as did Maryland's Gorilla King Comics.

Now even more stores are joining the boycott. A Canadian store, the Comic Book Shoppe, has announced it will pull all of Card's previous books from their two locations and encourage their customers to boycott the Superman comic when it is published in May.

The CBC interviewed the owner of the store who explained why he felt he needed to take action:

"This is a man who wants to criminalize homosexuality," said Rob Spittall, the owner of The Comic Book Shoppe 2 location on Bank Street, not far from Ottawa's gay village.

"Superman is a very iconic character to a lot of the gay community. He's a character that stands for truth, justice and freedom for all, and to see and learn, like I had, about Orson Scott Card … I was astounded to find out that everything there was true," Spittall said.

He made the decision to make Card's work available by special order because some customers take collecting too seriously to stop because of someone's personal beliefs.

"I'm telling my customers I want to boycott this book. You have the freedom of choice whether you want to buy it or not, but we're saying, please don't," Spittall said.

An online petition demanding DC Comics fire Card is fast approaching 16,000 signatures. Click here to sign it yourself.

DC Comics' 'Batwoman' Proposes to Her Girlfriend

Bleeding Cool reports on a hot revelation in Batwoman #17, out today:

Kathy Kane, the Batwoman, DC’s leading lesbian lady asks Maggie Sawyer, Captain Sawyer, her secret girlfriend to…be her wife. No idea how well that’s going to go down. And you have to read the build up to this – and the rather dangerous epilogue. There’s no guarantee we’re going to hear wedding bells.

(via jmg)

Gay Writer To DC Comics: 'Be Better,' Be Like Superman

Gay journalist and Superman aficionado Glen Weldon won't be reading Orson Scott Card's Superman story.

It's not only that Card's an anti-gay activist who works with the National Organization for Marriage, it's because of the character at hand, Superman. It would be a different story if Card were commissioned to helm a story starring a minor character -- oft-mocked Matter-Eater Lad, the avowed geek suggests -- but Superman's different; " he's the superhero."

"Superman is an ideal," Weldon writes at NPR. "He represents our best self. That's what he's for. He's not the hero we identify with — that's what Spider-Man is for... In Superman, we see ourselves as we hope to be. It's right there in the name — he's not 'Pretty Good Man' or 'Doesn't Suck Man'; he's Superman. He personifies our noblest ideals, ideals we believe in, and strive for..."

Weldom reminds readers that Superman was originally a "champion of the oppressed," but has picked up some other fitting nicknames along the way, including "man of tomorrow."

One of the other nicknames that accrued to Superman right away – that predates "Man of Steel" by a good amount – is "The Man of Tomorrow." And much of his early iconography bears a distinctive Socio-Realist, Diego Rivera vibe: a lot of burnished golden sunrises, eyes raised to the horizon, gazing into the future.

Because that's where he lives, Superman. And that's what he says to us: We can do better. We can be better, to ourselves, and to each other.

Hey, DC Comics? Be better.

So far it seems DC is standing by their decision to hire Card for the two-part digital story. The company said in a statement, "As content creators we steadfastly support freedom of expression, however the personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that -- personal views -- and not those of the company itself."

Comic Store Owner Explains His Decision to Not Carry DC Comics 'Superman' Written by Orson Scott Card: VIDEO

This morning I reported that Richard Neal at Dallas-based Zeus Comics and Collectibles decided not to carry the new DC Comics series 'Adventures of Superman' because of the involvement of uber-homophobe writer Orson Scott Card.

Doug Magditch at NightcapTV interviewed Neal about his decision.

Said Neal: “Superman stands for broader ideals, including inclusion of gays and lesbians and the rest of the world. Why would you hire a writer that is such a bigot? Why is it okay to be a bigot today?”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Neal noted that Card often inserts his political views into his comics.

Jeremy Hooper points out a post from artist Ben Bates and writer Ryan Sohmer imagining what Card's vision for Superman might be like:

Dallas, San Francisco Retailers Boycott DC Comics' 'Adventures of Superman' Over Orson Scott Card Involvement

Last week I reported that DC Comics had hired uber-homophobe Orson Scott Card to write their digital-first series 'Adventures of Superman'. Retailers are now responding to outcry from readers, GeeksOut reports.

The first is Richard Neal at Dallas-based Zeus Comics and Collectibles. The second is the Whatever Store in San Francisco.

 

Since my first report, an AllOut petition was created to get DC comics to dump card.

And DC Comics responded with a statement to the Advocate suggesting that they'll keep him on  "As content creators we steadfastly support freedom of expression, however the personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that — personal views — and not those of the company itself."

Meanwhile, NOM's Brian Brown is exploding with rage:

“This is completely un-American and it needs to be stopped,” Brown said. “Simply because we stand up for traditional marriage, some people feel like it’s okay to target us for intimidation and punishment.”

Brown called the attacks on Card frightening and said it’s another example of gay rights activists trying to punish those who believe marriage should be a union between a man and woman.

“Marriage is the union of a man and a woman,” Brown said. “That is not hateful. That is not bigoted.”

He said it’s not the first time gay activists have tried to have people fired for their personal beliefs. He recalled the story of a waitress in California who gave money to Proposition Eight. Pro-gay activists set up picket lines at the restaurant calling for her ouster.

“We can disagree on core issues – but we can do so in such a way where we don’t try to hurt or intimidate each other,” Brown told Fox News.

DC Comics Hires Homophobic Sci-Fi Author Orson Scott Card to Pen New Superman Series

DC Comics just announced a digital-first series called the Adventures of Superman this week, which is launching in April, Comics Alliance reports:

Among those contributing are ComicsAlliance favorites Jeff Parker (Bucko, Red She-Hulk) and Chris Samnee (Daredevil, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom), who will collaborate on a story about Superman's first encounter with Lex Luthor. But before that, Adventures of Superman begins with a two-part story written by popular novelist Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game) and drawn by the great Chris Sprouse and Karl Story

Unfortunately, for DC Comics, Card is a well-known homophobe and anti-gay activist who in 2008 called for the overthrow of government if Prop 8 fails.

If you want a good sample of his writings on gays, check out this column entitled Homosexual "Marriage" and Civilization.

You may recall that two years ago Card was under fire for penning a new printing of Hamlet. William Alexander wrote a review of it:

Here's the punch line: Old King Hamlet was an inadequate king because he was gay, an evil person because he was gay, and, ultimately, a demonic and ghostly father of lies who convinces young Hamlet to exact imaginary revenge on innocent people.

And finally, not sure what his status is at the moment, but last we checked he was a board member of the National Organization for Marriage.