Posted By Leo Reyna on February 11, 2013

Image Source: Ty Templeton’s Art Land

Last week DC Comics revealed a new digital comic series featuring the Man of Steel in his classic attire. The stand-alone anthology named Adventures of Superman will be written and drawn by a number of all-stars like Jeff Parker, Chris Sprouse, Marv Wolfman, and Bruce Timm. However, the first writer chosen for the new Superman series, Orson Scott Card, has sparked anger from the LGBT community for his past anti-gay remarks.

While Card is a well-regarded science fiction novelist, the famed Ender’s Game writer has made his disapproval of homosexuality known in the past. He formerly supported laws banning gay sex and suggested they be used as an example “to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.” Card also came under fire for connecting paraphilia and homosexuality in his 2004 essay, Homosexual “Marriage” and Civilization. Publisher Weekly criticized his 2008 novella, Hamlet’s Father, for using King Hamlet as a link to pedophilia and homosexuality, a claim Card later denied. The National Organization for Marriage, an anti-gay marriage group, welcomed Card to their board of directors in 2009.

Considering DC’s strong push for gay and lesbian characters in their comic book universe like Batwoman, Bunker, and Alan Scott in Earth 2, their decision to hire Card is viewed as a step backwards for the LGBT comic book community. This is especially concerning since Card will write for Superman, seen by many as the greatest symbol of humanitarianism. All Out has started a petition asking those disappointed in DC’s decision to make their voices heard and demand Card be dropped from Adventures of Superman. As of now, the petition is 1,164 signatures away from their 5,000 goal.

DC is not the first comic publisher to hire Card and receive backlash. Marvel Comics faced similar criticism when they hired Card to write the Ultimate Iron Man series and later published the remaining issues of his comic book series, Wyrms and Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker. Video game publisher Epic Games also faced controversy when they set their Metroid-style digital game, Shadow Complex, in Card’s 2006 novel, Empire. In a comment section on Gamasutra discussing the moral dilemma of purchasing Shadow Complex, comic book writer and the game’s scripter, Peter David, denounced any potential boycott of the downloadable title as “cheap, vicious and small-minded” ”scare tactics” that only hurt freedom of speech. Chuck Jordan, a writer and game designer for Telltale Games, greatly disagreed with David’s assertions:

It’s my belief that what you do matters — everything you do. I think it’s ridiculous to believe that encouraging people not to buy Shadow Complex because of Card’s involvement is an assault on free speech. But I think it’s ridiculous because it’s an expression of free speech. What’s not ridiculous is that underlying idea: that small, seemingly trivial decisions can ripple out to have much greater ramifications. Saying “it doesn’t matter” or “what’s the big deal” or “what are you hoping to accomplish” isn’t just apathetic, it’s dangerous. It does matter, all of it.

Where do you stand on the issue? Should DC Comics continue to work with Orson Scott Card, or should they remove him from Adventures of Superman? Please remember to act respectfully when commentating.

Categories: Comics
Tags: Adventure of Superman, DC Comics, dc digital first, DC Digital Firsts, Marvel Comics, Orson Scott Card, Shadow Complex