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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Books / Nerd Waiting for Hateful Homophobe Orson Scott Card's Superman Comic Book? Don't Hold Your Breath

Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 2:52 PM

Yesterday, I told you that Chris Sprouse, the artist who was scheduled to draw a Superman story written by hateful homophobe Orson Scott Card, backed out of the comic. DC Comics promised that as soon as they found another artist, the story would be released. Now Rich Johnston comics rumor site Bleeding Cool reports that the comic might never be released:

I understand that this may never happen. That, basically, there is no “hurry” to find a replacement artist… and that the people involved with putting the comic together simply weren’t aware of Orson Scott Card’s activist membership. I mean, I was. I’m sure you were. But, it seems not everyone was.

As Johnston points out, the movie version of Card's best and most popular novel Ender's Game comes out this fall. There's no way fan backlash is going to stop a movie from coming out, but it sure will kick off some interesting discussions.

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If you want to see Ender's Game but don't want to support Card, buy a ticket to a different film and then go into Card's film instead.

Buy one for a film you aren't interested in, but want to support for whatever reason.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on March 6, 2013 at 3:04 PM

Isn't the answer to Ender's Game just to pirate the movie? I loved the book, long before I learned of Card's politics. I still love the book, and his politics sadden me.

I want to see, and be disappointed by, the movie.

Posted by No Witty Name on March 6, 2013 at 3:05 PM

I was a voracious reader when I was younger and Orson Scott Card was probably my favorite author. Someone who I'd actually buy the hardback of his books because I was so excited about them. Something inside me died when I came upon one of his early diatribes about how the Boy Scouts must be protected from the gays. It saddens me that he has just gotten worse from there. I'll probably skip Ender's Game and try to wall off my good memories of his earlier books from the disappointment I feel in their author.

Posted by fletc3her on March 6, 2013 at 3:27 PM

I wonder how movie-tie-ins will or will not be affected, like the assumed "New Mt. Dew Flavor!" advertisement or the, "Pick which scratch-off!" thing at Burger King, or whatever giant companies with dough to throw around and equality-support policies.

Posted by Drew2u on March 6, 2013 at 3:35 PM

Regarding the Ender's Game film: it's been in development hell for a decade or more for the simple reason that it would (and I predict will) make a terrible movie. I loved the book, and unlike many people, loved the followup trilogy. But it just won't work on the screen without massive changes.

Regarding Superman Adventures: Now, instead of missing out on a story by the excellent Jeff Parker in order to avoid supporting card, I get the Parker story along with one by Jeff Lemire!? This is a change I approve of!

Posted by evilvolus on March 6, 2013 at 3:50 PM

The comic will get done. Frank Miller will step in.

Posted by seatackled on March 6, 2013 at 4:00 PM

Posted by evilvolus on March 6, 2013 at 4:22 PM

As @5 says, there's a good chance Ender's Game The Motion Picture is going to suck (or perhaps worse, be crashingly mediocre). They've apparently aged the main characters, compressed the timeline, and engaged a cast of stars (the last of which worked out so well for so many films from Hook to Golden Compass). The stills so far look like a movie, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Posted by usagi on March 6, 2013 at 4:24 PM

OSC was my favorite author as a young adult and I must have read his early novels dozens of times. I knew he had a negative perception of Teh Gays (you can't read Songmaster without picking that up in a big way) but willingly overlooked it - until he came out screeching against gay marriage. He has since become completely unhinged over it. I gave all my books of his to the Goodwill and stopped caring about anything new he put out. I still love the memory his work but it is just too painful knowing his EXTREME on me and my family to spend another dime or minute of my time on it. I do not understand how a person with such empathy in other areas can so willingly blind themselves to their own hatred. I hope he eventually comes around. I can only hope.

Posted by mike in oly

on March 6, 2013 at 5:50 PM

I missed the first day of 9th grade because I stayed up all night the night before reading Ender's Game. I've read it a million times. I'm both excited and terrified by the idea of a movie. I'm also really, really bummed out that OSC turned out to be such a douche. It'd be nice if he came around...

Posted by disintegrator

on March 6, 2013 at 6:20 PM

@10: OSC has been out and proud as an antigay douche for over two decades. Don't hold your breath waiting for the leopard to change his spots.

Posted by TLjr on March 6, 2013 at 8:28 PM

@6: Lawl, at least nobody takes Frank Miller seriously.

Posted by undead ayn rand on March 6, 2013 at 9:32 PM

@12

I dunno. Might be kind of neat to see Lex Luthor and Brainiac drawn as a pair of Muslims.

Posted by seatackled on March 6, 2013 at 10:51 PM

Hmmm. Card is "hateful" and a "homophobe". These are terms now most commonly used by (genuinely) hateful persons to shut down dissenting opinion, in an effort to dominate the conversation rather than allow fair discussion or debate. Show me a person who slings these terms around so frivolously, and I will show you a new age Nazi.

Posted by Gothiccan on March 8, 2013 at 12:01 PM

Orson Card id not a homophobe. He simply supports the notion that marriage is between a man and a woman. Characterizing that view as hatred of gays is disingenuous. The conversation cannot take place when such misrepresentation is demonstrated by people who are themselves more intolerant than the man they mischaracterize. When I read all of this I went out and bought the Formic wars. My version of justice.

Posted by Card Reader on March 19, 2013 at 2:26 PM

@15 No. Card is more intolerant. His detractors are simply intolerant of his intolerance - which is tolerance acting in self-defense. He wants to deny equal rights to an oppressed minority. They are merely describing him as what he is.

@14 No, those terms are now most commonly used by reasonable people to describe people who actually are "hateful" and "homophobic". The reason bigots are bothered by it is because they don't view themselves as bigots. But they are. Card is, and you are. It is fair discussion to call a racist a racist, and it is fair discussion to call a homophobic bigot a homophobic bigot. Reasonable people now understand that homosexuality is morally neutral. Social shaming of those of you who don't has social utility.

Posted by Alanmt on March 19, 2013 at 8:56 PM