When DC commissioned Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card to write the Adventures of Superman digital comic coming this April, the backlash was predictably severe. Card, a long-time critic of homosexuality, has called gay marriage "the end of democracy in America", and in 2009 he became a board member of the National Organization for Marriage - a group that campaigns against same-sex marriage. The news has sparked outrage in many circles, and now the artist that was set to collaborate with Card on the project has stepped away.
Here is what Sprouse had to say in a statement:
"It took a lot of thought to come to this conclusion, but I've decided to step back as the artist on this story. 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."
DC also issued a statement supporting Sprouse, and revealing that because of his departure the story that was to feature he and Card would be pushed back to a later date. The first issue launches digitally on April 29, and then in print starting May 29th.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.