Earlier this week, Charlie Kirk, an influential, often highly controversial conservative activist, was shot dead while speaking at an event at a university in Utah.
While responding to a question about gun violence in the U.S., a single bullet struck Kirk in the neck, seemingly killing him instantly. The shooter, Tyler Robinson, 22, has since turned himself in and is likely facing the death penalty.
The news of Kirk’s death has seen many notable figures chime in, but it was those from author Gretchen Felker-Martin that sparked outrage in the world of comic books. After taking to social media to mock, and some might even say celebrate, Kirk’s shooting, the transgender writer was fired by DC Comics. Her high-profile new series, Red Hood, was subsequently cancelled after one issue (which went on sale the same day that Kirk was killed).
Talking to The Comics Journal, Felker-Martin made it clear that she stands by her comments, but did express sympathy for the Red Hood creatives no longer working on the series. "I had no regrets for what I said about [Kirk]. [Kirk’s murder] just didn’t strike me as an especially hot flashpoint. This is such a loathsome person. Everyone on the entire internet is talking about how pleasant it is that he got his."
"I saw that he had died in the middle of spreading more of the bigotry that he spent his every waking moment promulgating, and in a way that he had advocated for others to die, and felt nothing but contempt for his life," the writer continued. "I mean, this is a man who I’ve watched for years go on television and on enormous stages and convention halls and say that me and everyone like me should be stoned to death."
Claims that Kirk advocated for gay people to be stoned to death have been widely disputed, with author Stephen King recently apologising for suggesting the activist said what Felker-Martin describes above.
The author has often courted controversy online, sharing divisive remarks about the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Still, she says that she warned DC something like this could happen, despite being asked to be mindful of her social media posts.
"I can only put it down to really just a moment of poor impulse control. Had I thought for another second, of course I would've known [that it would be a problem for DC], and naturally, as soon as I had said it, I did know," Felker Martin said, confirming she received a call from DC Editor in Chief Marie Javins, who told her, "'The story of the issue's release had gone from being celebratory to something that DC and Warner Brothers couldn't stand behind or defend,'" and that "any kind of promotion of violence or harm is unacceptable to them."
"I said that I've listened to Charlie Kirk being an overt Nazi for years of my life, and I had no regrets for what I said about him," Felker-Martin added.
"At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints," the publisher said in a statement on Thursday. "Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct."
This week has seen those on both sides of the political spectrum come together to condemn this type of violence, and no matter whether you supported or reviled Kirk's outlook, it does rather feel like the former Red Hood writer crossed a line.
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