DC Comics has abruptly cancelled its new Batman spinoff series Red Hood following public backlash over social media posts by its writer that appeared to celebrate the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The series, written by Gretchen Felker‑Martin and illustrated by Jeff Spokes, was set to follow Jason Todd leaving Gotham for the New Orleans-like city of New Angelique to team up with the Huntress on a murder-mystery. The cancellation was announced on 10 September, the same day the first issue went on sale.
According to multiple US media outlets, DC informed retailers that orders for issues #2 and #3 would be cancelled and that retailers would be credited for all invoiced copies of issue #1, even if already sold. The second and third issues were due for release on 2 October and 12 November.
Felker‑Martin made the posts on her now-suspended Bluesky account. One post read: “Thoughts and prayers you Nazi b***h,” while another said: “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie Kirk.” The writer, who is trans, was temporarily suspended from Bluesky earlier this year for posts about JK Rowling.
A DC Comics statement acknowledged the right to “peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints” but said that “posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct”. Kirk, 31, died after being shot in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley University.
On social media, fans expressed disappointment at the cancellation, with some criticising the decision and others the quality of the writing. One fan wrote: “So they cancelled it bc the authors comments about K*rk but not because it was horribly written, ooc, and the author openly admitted to not reading ANY red hood comics before writing a RED HOOD COMIC?”
