An artist who was to illustrate an
upcoming Superman comic has quit the project over the controversy
surrounding writer Orson Scott Card's anti-gay views.
Card and Aaron Johnson are
collaborating on a tale to be included in the forthcoming Adventures
of Superman.
The decision to hire Card, a board
member of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's
most vociferous opponent of gay marriage, has drawn loud protests.
Nearly 17,000 people joined an online
petition organized by AllOut.org asking DC Comics to drop Card
from Adventures of Superman.
In a statement released Tuesday, artist
Chris Sprouse said he's decided not to participate in the project.
“It took a lot of thought to come to
this conclusion, but I've decided to step back as the artist on this
story,” Sprouse said. “The media surrounding this story reached
the point where it took away from the actual work, and that's
something I wasn't comfortable with. My relationship with DC Comics
remains as strong as ever and I look forward to my next project with
them.”
The decision means the anthology will
not premiere in May with the Card story.
DC Comics has previously defended its
decision to hire Card, who is best known for writing Ender's Game
and its sequel Speaker for the Dead, both of which won Hugo
awards.
“As content creators we steadfastly
support freedom of expression, however the personal views of
individuals associated with DC Comics are just that – personal
views – and not those of the company itself,” a spokesman told
gay glossy The Advocate.