NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Well, this is... stupid. A shame, DC.
http://io9.com/dc-wont-allow-batwomans-gay-marriage-to-be-depicted-1257106266
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47715
The io9 article is coloured by the writers' feelings, the CBR article (bottom one) is just the straight info.
At the CBR article, a DC spokesman says the following:
The original CBR story:
http://io9.com/dc-wont-allow-batwomans-gay-marriage-to-be-depicted-1257106266
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47715
The io9 article is coloured by the writers' feelings, the CBR article (bottom one) is just the straight info.
J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman have announced they'll be leaving as the editorial team on Batwoman, citing DC's editorial interference and in particular, the publisher's refusal to allow characters Kate Kane/Batwoman and her partner Gotham City police officer Maggie Sawyer marry each other.
That's right, while Batwoman has proposed to Maggie twice twice on panel DC not only refused to let the wedding be depicted on panel, but refused to let them be married at all. "[We] were told emphatically no marriage can result," said Williams on Twitter. He later added it was "was never put to us as being anti-gay marriage." Although how refusing to let people marry even fictional characters is not anti-gay marriage is beyond me.
Williams and Blackman will leave the series after issue #26 in December; given that Batwoman is one of DC's best titles and arguably its best-looking comic period, thanks to Williams' incredible art and panel experimentation it's a loss readers will feel keenly, even if DC doesn't.
On the other hand, maybe it doesn't matter if the creative team left, given the hassles DC was giving them. Here's a list from Williams' and Blackman's official statement, detailing the editorial interference:
Unfortunately, in recent months, DC has asked us to alter or completely discard many long-standing storylines in ways that we feel compromise the character and the series. We were told to ditch plans for Killer Crocs origins; forced to drastically alter the original ending of our current arc, which would have defined Batwomans heroic future in bold new ways; and, most crushingly, prohibited from ever showing Kate and Maggie actually getting married. All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end.
Weve always understood that, as much as we love the character, Batwoman ultimately belongs to DC. However, the eleventh-hour nature of these changes left us frustrated and angry because they prevent us from telling the best stories we can. So, after a lot of soul-searching, weve decided to leave the book after Issue 26.
Williams and Blackman say they're "heartbroken" to leave the title, and as a big Batwoman fan, I am too. Back in February, I posited that DC's refusal to publicize Kate's proposal to Maggie was an attempt to not give the press another reason to talk about noted homophobe Orson Scott Card's upcoming run on Adventures of Superman. I don't know if DC felt it worked, but given how happy DC was to promote Alan Scott's newfound homosexuality in the New 52 last year, I certainly found the lack of publicity significant.
In the first draft of this article, I though DC was only refusing to allow the wedding to take place on panel, partially because I couldn't comprehend DC would not allow the character to get married. But as Williams' tweet above shows, I was wrong. This is completely insane, and it goes well beyond DC's refusal to publicize an in-universe, homosexual character's proposal to her partner.
Leaving aside why DC would piss off one of their best creative teams, I can't fathom why DC would think this was a good idea, or at least not realize what a horrendously bad idea it is. Perhaps they thought that by never bringing it up they could keep the controversial Card hire from getting back into the spotlight, but surely someone at the company realized that allowing the marriage to take place would be a lot less controversial than refusing to let the marriage take place. Did they really not think it would come out? Who are they trying to please with this decision, other than Orson Scott Card and his ilk? Are they really worried about Card's feelings more than the majority of their readership?
Originally, I asked if DC realized ignoring the problem isn't actually a solution, but instead another part of the problem. Let me amend that: DC clearly has a problem here. And the fact that they don't seem to even realize it has a problem is possibly the biggest problem of all.
At the CBR article, a DC spokesman says the following:
UPDATE 11:53 AM, PDT: A DC Comics spokesperson has contacted CBR News, saying, "As acknowledged by the creators involved, the editorial differences with the writers of 'Batwoman' had nothing to do with the sexual orientation of the character."
The original CBR story:
Citing frustrations with "eleventh-hour" editorial changes, and an apparent prohibition against depicting Kate Kane's marriage to Maggie Sawyer, "Batwoman" writers J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman have announced they'll leave the DC Comics series following December's Issue 26. Williams later said, via Twitter, that this decision will not impact his work on the upcoming "Sandman: Overture" miniseries with writer Neil Gaiman.
"Unfortunately, in recent months, DC has asked us to alter or completely discard many long-standing storylines in ways that we feel compromise the character and the series," Williams and Blackman wrote in a statement posted last night on each of their websites. "We were told to ditch plans for Killer Crocs origins; forced to drastically alter the original ending of our current arc, which would have defined Batwomans heroic future in bold new ways; and, most crushingly, prohibited from ever showing Kate and Maggie actually getting married. All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end."
"Were both heartbroken over leaving," they continue, "but we feel strongly that you all deserve stories that push the character and the series forward. We cant reliably do our best work if our plans are scrapped at the last minute, so were stepping aside. We are committed to bringing our run to a satisfying conclusion and we think that Issue 26 will leave a lasting impression."
Williams clarified on Twitter that the editorial stance on the wedding "was never put to us as being anti-gay marriage."
When contacted by CBR News, DC Comics had no comment on the writers' announcement.
The departure of Williams and Blackman is only the latest behind-the-scenes drama for the critically acclaimed series, and for Batwoman, whose reintroduction in summer 2006 as lesbian socialite Kate Kane was met with a hail of mainstream-media coverage, perhaps far more than the publisher had anticipated. A long-rumored "Batwoman" series faced one setback after another until finally, in February 2009, it was confirmed Greg Rucka and Williams would handle the character in an arc of "Detective Comics," timed to coincide with the death-induced absence of Batman. Their tenure ended in December 2009, with "Detective" #860, followed by a three-issue arc by Rucka and Jock.
The same month their award-winning Elegy storyline ended, Rucka revealed he and Williams would continue the story in "Batwoman." But in April 2010, Rucka announced he was walking away from the character, and from DC Comics. Less than two weeks later, the publisher confirmed it was still committed to "Batwoman," with Williams co-writing with Blackman and sharing art duties with Amy Reeder. After several delays, "Batwoman" finally launched in September 2011; however, Reeder left the series after just three issues, citing "creative differences."
Read Williams and Blackman's full statement below, and check back with CBR for more on this story as it develops.
Dear Batwoman readers -
From the moment DC asked us to write Batwoman a dream project for both of us we were committed to the unofficial tagline No Status Quo. We felt that the series and characters should always be moving forward, to keep changing and evolving. In order to live up to our mantra and ensure that each arc took Batwoman in new directions, we carefully planned plotlines and story beats for at least the first five arcs well before we ever wrote a single issue. Weve been executing on that plan ever since, making changes whenever weve come up with a better idea, but in general remaining consistent to our core vision.
Unfortunately, in recent months, DC has asked us to alter or completely discard many long-standing storylines in ways that we feel compromise the character and the series. We were told to ditch plans for Killer Crocs origins; forced to drastically alter the original ending of our current arc, which would have defined Batwomans heroic future in bold new ways; and, most crushingly, prohibited from ever showing Kate and Maggie actually getting married. All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end.
Weve always understood that, as much as we love the character, Batwoman ultimately belongs to DC. However, the eleventh-hour nature of these changes left us frustrated and angry because they prevent us from telling the best stories we can. So, after a lot of soul-searching, weve decided to leave the book after Issue 26.
Were both heartbroken over leaving, but we feel strongly that you all deserve stories that push the character and the series forward. We cant reliably do our best work if our plans are scrapped at the last minute, so were stepping aside. We are committed to bringing our run to a satisfying conclusion and we think that Issue 26 will leave a lasting impression.
We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to work on Batwoman. Its been one of the most challenging and rewarding projects of our careers. Well always be grateful to everyone who helped us realize 26 issues: Mike Siglain, who brought us onto the project originally; Greg Rucka for inspirationally setting the stage; our amazing artists Amy Reeder, Trevor McCarthy, Pere Perez, Rob Hunter, Walden Wong, Sandu Florea, Richard Friend, Francesco Francavilla, Guy Major, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein; Larry Ganem, for listening in tough times; and editors Mike Marts, Harvey Richards, Rickey Purdin, and Darren Shan.
And most of all, a huge thank you to everyone who read the book. Hearing your voices, your reactions, your enthusiasm every month was such a joy, so humbling, so rewarding. You guys rock! Because so many of you embraced the series, we were able to complete four arcs, and your passion for Batwoman encouraged us to push ourselves to do our best work with each and every issue.
Thank you for loving Batwoman as much as we do.
Goodbye for now,
Haden & J H
Renee Montoya 4 lyf