There are no superheroes in the real world, but every now and again someone does something in the name of truth, justice and the American way: A Dallas comic-book store says it won’t carry DC’s The Adventures of Superman when it hits shelves on May 29 because it was written by homophobic sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game).
Zeus Comics owner Richard Neal posted on Facebook:
Zeus Comics will not be carrying the print edition of writer Orson Scott Card’s Superman. Card sits on the board of the National Organization of Marriage which fights against marriage equality. His essays advocate the destruction of my relationship, that I am born of rape or abuse and that I am equated with pedophilia. These themes appear in his fiction as well.
It is shocking DC Comics would hire him to write Superman, a character whose ideals represent all of us.
If you replaced the word ‘homosexuals’ in his essays with the words ‘women’ or ‘Jews,’ he would not be hired. But I’m not sure why its still okay to ‘have an opinion’ about gays? This is about equality.
In 2006, Neal’s store received the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award, for doing “an outstanding job of supporting the comic-art medium both in the community and within the industry at large.”
It’s important to support business that take a stand against bigotry even when it might hurt profits. Why not hop over the Zeus Comics website and pick up some items for yourself or the comics reader in your life?
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Ron Jackson
Kudo’s to Richard Neal for doing the right thing. Enders Game was one of my favorites. Now I can’t enjoy reading it because Card has come out as a homophobic asshole. IMO he’s probably just another self loathing closet case. I one read his fiction carefully you can see it.
parker
I too think that Card is a closet pedophile ranting about the evils of homosexuality
to cover his own secret longings. There are too many scenes in his books
where little boys are lounging naked around the barracks, running naked down the
halls, or wrestling naked in the showers. It’s an image that he seems to enjoy.
I thought Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow were the best sci-fi stories I had ever
read, but now, because of Card’s politics, I can’t even look at them.
BigDaddy007
An avid comic reader here as well as someone who has read Card’s Alvin Maker series. I find it odd (as with quite a few other public figures) how mores can take a back seat to self-interest and profit. I’m sure Card is aware that DC has gay characters who’s lifestyles resemble those of their straight counterparts, normal lifestyles even though he completely disagrees that such a thing is possible (See http://www.nauvoo.com/library/card-hypocrites.html). But as with all things capitalistic,(read as money-driven), if it doesn’t make dollars, well it doesn’t make sense. I’m sure he’s applying that same train of thought to writing for the comic companyor maybe even writing as a whole. I’m a Superman fan but eh, not that much…
stfallon1028
Zeus Comics? Richard Neal? Home of and star of the amazing web series The Variants? YAY! (Boycotting the mean anti-gay man is awesome too)