Busiek ignores Scott Allie's reprehensible acts
I almost missed this, but Busiek's ignoring the offensive antics of a certain Dark Horse editor:
He's praising Scott Allie? Umm, Kurt, are you aware that Allie was recently exposed for assault, sexual or otherwise, on Joe Harris and other employees at Dark Horse, in some cases while under alcoholic influence? According to CBR, some employees speaking anonymously said no action was ever taken to distance him. This in-company interview from 2006, eerily enough, seems to allude to his repulsive behavior like biting. And you talk about working with him as though it were all a "treat", even long after the mask came off? For shame. If I'd worked with a man like that and discovered he'd committed an act so revolting, I wouldn't want to say anything remotely praiseworthy of him, and the less said about him afterwards, the better.
But what's even more disturbing is that Mike Richardson's still employing that sewage rat at his company, at the expense of many other staffers and freelancers. That is not how normal people would run a business. If I were in charge of Dark Horse and found out Allie committed an assault, I'd tell him that, if he really cares about the company, he'd either resign voluntarily, or I'd call the police and have him arrested for trespassing. Indeed, he should've been charged by the local police for his offense, yet even that doesn't seem to have happened. And it could have bad long term effects on the publisher; what if some contributors are discouraged and want to ply their trades elsewhere? All of which doesn't seem to concern Busiek, so at least we know whom not to ask for advice on a serious issue.
Since we're on the subject, I can't remember if I'd written about this before, but artist Tess Fowler once accused fellow artist Brian Wood of harassing/assaulting her at a convention. He admitted it, and his apology was at least more sincere than Richardson's own response to the news about Allie. Update February 9, 2018: it appears the allegations about Wood may be an exaggeration, even if he's not entirely innocent, according to some video commentaries by Diversity & Comics. If that's the case, then this is one case where a SJW made a whole show over nothing.
Boy, after this discovery, it's clearer than ever why Busiek is a writer who'll have to be taken with a grain of salt. An editor commits assaults without consequence, and all Busiek can do is demonstrate why these awful things are able to happen. I don't think he's publishing any of his own work under their label at the moment. But if he really disapproved of Allie's offensive acts, he'd make sure to move shop elsewhere. I think there's grounds here for the Robert E. Howard estate to revoke Dark Horse's license on Conan. I once had more respect for Richardson, as the founder/publisher of Dark Horse. But after the news about Allie's shoddy performance in public and how Richardson refused to take action, I've lost a lot of respect for him. He's the kind of potential ultra-liberal who gives Oregon a bad name, and unless he shapes up, no sane writer or artist should spend time with him. To buy any books from them at this point, I'd surely have to hold my nose.
@BLCAgnew @carynord Thanks. It was. A real treat to work with Cary, Dave Stewart, Scott Allie and the ineffable Richard Starkings.— Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) December 9, 2015He's praising Scott Allie? Umm, Kurt, are you aware that Allie was recently exposed for assault, sexual or otherwise, on Joe Harris and other employees at Dark Horse, in some cases while under alcoholic influence? According to CBR, some employees speaking anonymously said no action was ever taken to distance him. This in-company interview from 2006, eerily enough, seems to allude to his repulsive behavior like biting. And you talk about working with him as though it were all a "treat", even long after the mask came off? For shame. If I'd worked with a man like that and discovered he'd committed an act so revolting, I wouldn't want to say anything remotely praiseworthy of him, and the less said about him afterwards, the better.
But what's even more disturbing is that Mike Richardson's still employing that sewage rat at his company, at the expense of many other staffers and freelancers. That is not how normal people would run a business. If I were in charge of Dark Horse and found out Allie committed an assault, I'd tell him that, if he really cares about the company, he'd either resign voluntarily, or I'd call the police and have him arrested for trespassing. Indeed, he should've been charged by the local police for his offense, yet even that doesn't seem to have happened. And it could have bad long term effects on the publisher; what if some contributors are discouraged and want to ply their trades elsewhere? All of which doesn't seem to concern Busiek, so at least we know whom not to ask for advice on a serious issue.
Since we're on the subject, I can't remember if I'd written about this before, but artist Tess Fowler once accused fellow artist Brian Wood of harassing/assaulting her at a convention. He admitted it, and his apology was at least more sincere than Richardson's own response to the news about Allie. Update February 9, 2018: it appears the allegations about Wood may be an exaggeration, even if he's not entirely innocent, according to some video commentaries by Diversity & Comics. If that's the case, then this is one case where a SJW made a whole show over nothing.
Boy, after this discovery, it's clearer than ever why Busiek is a writer who'll have to be taken with a grain of salt. An editor commits assaults without consequence, and all Busiek can do is demonstrate why these awful things are able to happen. I don't think he's publishing any of his own work under their label at the moment. But if he really disapproved of Allie's offensive acts, he'd make sure to move shop elsewhere. I think there's grounds here for the Robert E. Howard estate to revoke Dark Horse's license on Conan. I once had more respect for Richardson, as the founder/publisher of Dark Horse. But after the news about Allie's shoddy performance in public and how Richardson refused to take action, I've lost a lot of respect for him. He's the kind of potential ultra-liberal who gives Oregon a bad name, and unless he shapes up, no sane writer or artist should spend time with him. To buy any books from them at this point, I'd surely have to hold my nose.
Labels: bad editors, indie publishers, misogyny and racism, moonbat artists, moonbat writers, violence
