Earlier this week, DC Comics abruptly canceled its new Red Hood comic from trans writer Gretchen Felker-Martin and artist Jeff Spiegel. The decision came after Felker-Martin posted comments and jokes on social media about the murder of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, which occurred on the same day—September 10—as the comic book’s launch. DC Comics said in a statement that social media “that could be perceived as promoting hostility or violence does not meet [our] standards of conduct.”
Now, in a new interview with Comic Book Magazine, Felker-Martin has opened up about her posts and DC’s decision. She claims that DC had no problem with her outspoken and sometimes incendiary social media presence when they approached her about a comic in 2024.
She recalled how her publisher at the time told her that it would “get anywhere from five to a hundred of the craziest people you’ve ever met in your life screaming for my head and yours.” She went on to say that DC initially gave her “no rules or restrictions” on its social media; a DC spokesperson reiterated to IO9 the company’s previous stance that they don’t condone posts that “promote hostility or violence.”
In the weeks leading up to the Red Hood relaunch, Felker-Martin’s previous social media posts about incriminating political topics, including the Israel-Gaza war, resurfaced. Felker-Martin told Comics Journal that it was at this point that she received pushback for her social media activities; a DC spokesperson confirmed this to Comics Journal, saying that the company had asked Felker-Martin to be more careful with her online statements. Felker-Martin claimed that she had generally complied with that request until the day of Kirk’s murder.
The author said she stood by her comments about Kirk, while also expressing sympathy for her Red Hood co-writers, which include Spokane, cover artist Taurine Clark, and editors Arianna Turturro and Rob Levin. “I can only put it down to a moment of poor impulse control,” she told The Comics Journal. “If I had thought about it for one second, of course I would have known [that it would be a problem for DC], and of course, as soon as I said it, I knew.”
Felker-Martin also emphasized that she does not want to work with DC Comics in the future: “I have no desire to be part of any organization that wants to pretend that people like Charlie Kirk are decent people who deserve respect.”
IO9 has also reached out to Felker-Martin and will update this post if and when we hear back.
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