10 Biggest Comics Controversies Of 2017
5. IDW Publishing Listen To Angry Trolls
IDW Publishing cancelled G.I. Joe spin-off Scarlett's Strike Force, claiming low sales before the final order cut-off date. But many have called B.S. on this excuse.
As mentioned earlier, G. I. Joe writer Aubrey Sitterson, who was also announced as the writer of this spin off title, came under fire from a segment of G.I. Joe and comics fandom that had taken a hardline, far-right stance on the creator and his push for adding diversity to the franchise.
When Sitterson made comments after September 11th this year that some found controversial, regarding a difference between genuine and false remembrance and respect for loss, this anti-diversity crowd leaped on it as an excuse to demand the writer's head on a platter from IDW Publishing, threatening boycotts.
After a few months, during which time IDW Publishing barely promoted the project outside of it's announcement, the publisher announced that they were cancelling the series after the third issue, leaving it in a considerable cliffhanger according to the writer, due to what it claimed were poor sales.
However, the final order cut off hadn't even been reached yet for retailers, and the first issue hadn't even hit shelves, so Image's reasoning sounds almost disingenuous. Added to this, in an interview with Bleeding Cool, Sitterson went into how he'd been effectively kept from talking about the situation or the books by IDW Publishing. At time of writing, Sitterson has no other titles planned with IDW.
To many, it looks as though IDW Publishing caved to a small, but highly vocal, segment of fandom that regularly employs serial harassment, exploitative hyperbole and vitriol via social media and YouTube videos.