DC canceled the highly anticipated Red Hood series on the same day the first issue was released. This was due to social media comments made by writer Gretchen Felker-Martin, which also led to the writer having her Bluesky account suspended.
DC responded by sending a statement to retailers later in the day. The statement announced the cancellation of the Red Hood series, which had already solicited a second and third issue. The publisher also offered a credit for all invoiced copies of the first issue that had not already been sold.
Why is DC canceling Red Hood?
When contacted for reasons behind the cancellation, DC Comics provided the following statement: “At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.”
This is not the first time that DC has canceled a series due to the comments or actions of a creator. In 2018, the publisher canceled the series Border Town after writer Eric M. Esquivel was accused of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of a former partner. Earlier this year, the publisher canceled a special facsimile reprint edition of The Sandman #8 due to allegations of sexual misconduct faced by author Neil Gaiman.
The cancellation of the new Red Hood series is unfortunate for many reasons. Regardless of all other factors, the series’ art team has also lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The book itself was also generally well-reviewed, including at SuperHeroHype. However, it is understandable why DC would cancel the series rather than assign a new writer to continue it after a single issue.
