Orson Scott Card's artist on Superman runs out on him

A sad fallout in the manufactured controversy over Orson Scott Card: Chris Sprouse, the artist who was going to draw the Superman story, quit the job (via Big Hollywood):

Due to the media attention surrounding the science-fiction writer and his story in the forthcoming Adventures of Superman, artist Chris Sprouse — who was to illustrate a tale by Card and Aaron Johnston — has departed from the book, according to DC Comics. [...]

Due to the creative change, the Card story will not appear in the first collected issue out May 29. Instead, it will feature a story by writer Jeff Parker and artist Chris Samnee, as well as a tale by Jeff Lemire and one by writer Justin Jordan and artist Riley Rossmo.

DC is also looking for a replacement illustrator for Card's story.

I really hope a conservative leaning artist - there's probably many more of those in comicdom today than writers - will step up to plate. But this is a definite setback in a controversy that's come up for all the wrong reasons. According to this site, Sprouse has also been the artist for a book featuring Midnighter, one of the two gay cast members of the Authority in the now defunct Wildstorm line. That may be a clue to his positions and why he left.

One of the saddest parts of this case is that people like Mark Waid and Jeff Parker are having a field day with this, seeing it as something to celebrate:

DEAR EVERYONE, please buy ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1 by @jeffparker, @chrissamnee, @jefflemire and others! NOW HOMOPHOBE-FREE!
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) March 5, 2013

@ryanajoseph @fotocub @chrissamnee No one's telling anyone that. Creators are standing up against an anti-gay organization. Boo hoo.
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) March 5, 2013

@jcharmley They're entitled to. That's their right. As is the right to fight against gay rights. But both actions have consequences.
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) March 5, 2013

@jtlol You're correct. I keep forgetting that writing Superman stories is a Constitutionally guaranteed right. My bad.
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) March 6, 2013

I think Waid must be jealous for 2 reasons: Card is a lot more successful than he'll ever be, and DC's not giving him much work anymore, if at all. A real shame he can't understand why it doesn't help to be gleeful.

Update: if there's one more letdown I can find, it's artist Colleen Doran:

@markwaid I used to get criticzed for making all the men I drew look too gay. Maybe I shoud draw Superman now. What Would Card Do?
— Colleen Doran (@ColleenDoran) March 5, 2013

That's not funny.

Update 2: Jeffrey Meyer at Newsbusters inspects an article hostile to Card on Wired's site written by a man who's also contributed to CBR, Newsarama and a few other places.