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Comicsgate
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Comicsgate
Comicsgate was an alt-right harassment campaign meant to oppose diversity and progressivism in the North American superhero comic book industry. Its proponents targeted the creators hired, the characters depicted, and the stories told, and claimed that these elements have led to a decline in both quality and sales. The name is derived from Gamergate, a similar movement related to video games. Its members present it as a consumer protest, primarily advocating their views on social media; some have produced books intended to reflect the group's values. It is part of the alt-right movement, and has been described by commentators as a harassment campaign, which "targets women, people of color, and LGBT folk in the comic book industry". Threats of violence, as well as the vandalism of one store, have been attributed to the campaign.
Key figures in Comicsgate include commentator Richard C. Meyer, who posted under the banner Diversity & Comics, and former DC Comics illustrator Ethan Van Sciver.
Members of the movement object to diversification of comics, especially the increasing inclusion of women as writers and characters. The storylines objected to include those such as the "All New, All Different" campaign undertaken by Marvel Comics in the later 2010s, in which various white male characters that had traditionally had the superhero identities of Wolverine, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, and Spider-Man were temporarily replaced by female or racial-minority characters. Comicsgate adherents have also complained about stories dealing with current social issues, and the depiction of women with less sexualized figures.
They argue that the increasing diversity of comics, both among creators and in terms of characters, has led to declining quality and sales. While it is true that comic sales declined in the late 2010s, this decline was across the board and not limited to, or worse for, the diverse comics that Comicsgate targets. Tricia Ennis, writing for SyFy Wire, stated that some such comics, in fact, had been notably successful, such as the Kamala Khan version of Ms. Marvel, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel.
In 2016, female superhero Mockingbird was depicted on a comic book cover wearing a t-shirt that read "Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda". This was followed by harassment on Twitter of series writer Chelsea Cain, including a posted illustration of Mockingbird depicted apparently dead after a brutal attack with her costume torn off, with the t-shirt phrase as a caption.
A July 2017 social media post by Marvel Comics assistant editor Heather Antos, featuring several young female coworkers getting milkshakes in memory of company veteran Flo Steinberg, drew attention from members of the movement. Antos was described by them as a "diversity hire", "an unqualified bimbo", and "the 'false rape charge' type", and the group in general as "fake geek girls", "tumblr-virtue signalers", and "the creepiest collection of stereotypical SJWs anyone could possibly imagine". Antos reported receiving rape threats and being doxxed, and—with her friends and coworkers—being the target of a prolonged campaign of online harassment.
Richard C. Meyer has made the campaign a common subject on his YouTube channel and Twitter account. He took credit for the firing of writer Aubrey Sitterson from the IDW comic G.I. Joe: Scarlett's Strike Force after Sitterson criticized on social media what he saw as "performative grief" about the September 11 attacks. In a 2017 video titled "The Dark Roast", Meyer referred to a female Marvel Comics editor as a "cum dumpster", accused various female professionals of "sucking their way into the industry", and described a transgender female writer as a "man in a wig".
Members of Comicsgate have responded to professionals criticizing the movement by circulating blacklists of such creators to boycott, including one which categorized individuals as members of the "Pravda Press", "SJW vipers", and other derogatory labels. Among those placed on such lists and criticized for their views have been Larry Hama, Mark Waid, Alex de Campi, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Eric July, Chuck Dixon, Matt Fraction, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Colorist Moose Baumann recounted that he received threats of violence after stepping away from Van Sciver's creator-owned book Cyberfrog. Media critic Kaylyn Saucedo, artist Tim Doyle, comic writer Kwanza Osajyefo, and cosplayer/comic writer Renfamous have all recounted being the target of harassment and doxxing.
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Comicsgate
Comicsgate was an alt-right harassment campaign meant to oppose diversity and progressivism in the North American superhero comic book industry. Its proponents targeted the creators hired, the characters depicted, and the stories told, and claimed that these elements have led to a decline in both quality and sales. The name is derived from Gamergate, a similar movement related to video games. Its members present it as a consumer protest, primarily advocating their views on social media; some have produced books intended to reflect the group's values. It is part of the alt-right movement, and has been described by commentators as a harassment campaign, which "targets women, people of color, and LGBT folk in the comic book industry". Threats of violence, as well as the vandalism of one store, have been attributed to the campaign.
Key figures in Comicsgate include commentator Richard C. Meyer, who posted under the banner Diversity & Comics, and former DC Comics illustrator Ethan Van Sciver.
Members of the movement object to diversification of comics, especially the increasing inclusion of women as writers and characters. The storylines objected to include those such as the "All New, All Different" campaign undertaken by Marvel Comics in the later 2010s, in which various white male characters that had traditionally had the superhero identities of Wolverine, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, and Spider-Man were temporarily replaced by female or racial-minority characters. Comicsgate adherents have also complained about stories dealing with current social issues, and the depiction of women with less sexualized figures.
They argue that the increasing diversity of comics, both among creators and in terms of characters, has led to declining quality and sales. While it is true that comic sales declined in the late 2010s, this decline was across the board and not limited to, or worse for, the diverse comics that Comicsgate targets. Tricia Ennis, writing for SyFy Wire, stated that some such comics, in fact, had been notably successful, such as the Kamala Khan version of Ms. Marvel, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel.
In 2016, female superhero Mockingbird was depicted on a comic book cover wearing a t-shirt that read "Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda". This was followed by harassment on Twitter of series writer Chelsea Cain, including a posted illustration of Mockingbird depicted apparently dead after a brutal attack with her costume torn off, with the t-shirt phrase as a caption.
A July 2017 social media post by Marvel Comics assistant editor Heather Antos, featuring several young female coworkers getting milkshakes in memory of company veteran Flo Steinberg, drew attention from members of the movement. Antos was described by them as a "diversity hire", "an unqualified bimbo", and "the 'false rape charge' type", and the group in general as "fake geek girls", "tumblr-virtue signalers", and "the creepiest collection of stereotypical SJWs anyone could possibly imagine". Antos reported receiving rape threats and being doxxed, and—with her friends and coworkers—being the target of a prolonged campaign of online harassment.
Richard C. Meyer has made the campaign a common subject on his YouTube channel and Twitter account. He took credit for the firing of writer Aubrey Sitterson from the IDW comic G.I. Joe: Scarlett's Strike Force after Sitterson criticized on social media what he saw as "performative grief" about the September 11 attacks. In a 2017 video titled "The Dark Roast", Meyer referred to a female Marvel Comics editor as a "cum dumpster", accused various female professionals of "sucking their way into the industry", and described a transgender female writer as a "man in a wig".
Members of Comicsgate have responded to professionals criticizing the movement by circulating blacklists of such creators to boycott, including one which categorized individuals as members of the "Pravda Press", "SJW vipers", and other derogatory labels. Among those placed on such lists and criticized for their views have been Larry Hama, Mark Waid, Alex de Campi, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Eric July, Chuck Dixon, Matt Fraction, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Colorist Moose Baumann recounted that he received threats of violence after stepping away from Van Sciver's creator-owned book Cyberfrog. Media critic Kaylyn Saucedo, artist Tim Doyle, comic writer Kwanza Osajyefo, and cosplayer/comic writer Renfamous have all recounted being the target of harassment and doxxing.