Almost two years after the original allegations were made public, The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman has released a statement addressing the accusations that were made against him, and he continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Last January, New York Magazine published an in-depth piece titled, “There Is No Safe Word,” which outlined - in disturbing detail - allegations of sexual assault that have been made against the acclaimed comic book and novel writer. This followed earlier accusations from five women (four of whom were interviewed for the new article) that came to light the previous year. A police report was filed, but the investigation was ultimately dropped.
We're not going to go into the sickening events described in the piece, but if you do decide to read it (you'll find a non-paywall version below), be warned that it contains a number of graphic descriptions of sexual assault.
Gaiman - who is best known for his work on The Sandman, as well as the likes of American Gods, Good Omens, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane - has previously denied all of the allegations against him, and is now claiming that he was the victim of a smear campaign.
"I've learned firsthand how effective a smear campaign can be, so to be clear: The allegations against me are completely and simply untrue. There are emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict them. These allegations, especially the really salacious ones, have been spread and amplified by people who seemed a lot more interested in outrage and getting clicks on headlines rather than whether things had actually happened or not. (They didn't.)"
Gaiman also revealed that he has been working on a new book.
“It’s been a strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half, but I took my own advice (when things get tough, make good art) and once I was done with making television I went back to doing something else I love even more: writing. I thought it was going to be a fairly short project when I began it, but it’s looking like it’s going to be the biggest thing I’ve done since American Gods. It’s already much longer than The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and it’s barely finished wiping its boots and hanging up its coat. And I spend half of every month being a full-time Dad, and that remains the best bit of my life.”