The Four Color Media Monitor

They published a tedious article (via One Angry Gamer) about the cancellation of Aubrey Sitterson's GI Joe spinoff very early, and it all turns into a hit piece against Richard Meyer's Youtube channel. The propaganda piece begins with:

Upcoming G.I. Joe comic book series Scarlett’s Strike Force has been cancelled by IDW Publishing before final orders from retailers were due, leading to to the book’s writer and industry professionals publicly questioning the circumstances behind the decision.

And if those sales are pathetic, then there's no point questioning anything. See how neither "pros" nor the reporter himself is willing to stress that Sitterson's disturbing cracks about 9-11 - to say nothing of the social justice propaganda he shoved into his story proper - outraged and alienated many a Joe fan, and the damage was such that plenty decided to boycott. Something Marvel and DC fans alike have to prove they can do too, even when the content in a book itself isn't political per se, but is offensive and disrespectful from an artistic viewpoint. And, to be fair, there are some who have, but still more are needed if they really want Quesada and DiDio gone from both publishers.

While IDW has stated that the cancellation is due to low sales, observers have wondered if ongoing controversy surrounding series writer Aubrey Sitterson influenced the decision.

On Sept. 11 of this year, the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C., Sitterson tweeted, “Oh good, it’s Self-Centered National Tragedy Remembrance from People Who Weren’t Even Anywhere Near New York City Day.” As provocative as that may be, the tweet didn’t receive much attention until one day later, when, as detailed previously by Bleeding Cool, the G.I. Joe fan site YoJoe.com posted on Facebook that it would “no longer promote anything from IDW Publishing while Aubrey Sitterson is involved with G.I. Joe or any other Hasbro brand.”

Isn't it obvious that Sitterson's nasty comments on 9-11 and his quarrels with franchise fans led to low sales? Or, do they believe his toxic visions are fully legit? Sigh. They continue towards the attack on the video filmer:

Sitterson, who lived in New York City during the time of the attacks, provided further context to his comment on Twitter, underlining the difference he sees between “sincere remembrances & self-centered ones.” That didn’t stop the writer from being targeted over social media from both a section of G.I. Joe fans — many of whom already had issues with his direction for the franchise — and the same corner of comics fandom that earlier this year targeted Marvel editor Heather Antos. This contingent of fans purports to be displeased with the push for increased diversity and representation in the industry, and employs tactics that have drawn association with and comparison to the alt-right. One of the most vocal critics of Sitterson has been the highly contentious and widely condemned “Diversity & Comics” Twitter and YouTube account, which currently has published at least six videos targeting the writer, including “This Is What You Get When An SJW Writes G.I.JOE.” (Its other videos include “ICEMAN Coming Out Is Worse Than You Could Possibly Imagine” and “SJWs Look Even Worse When Compared To Normal People.”)

So...they believe all these twisted visions, which include changing the established character traits of Bobby Drake, and, they perpetuate the exaggerated allegation that busloads of people were attacking Antos over the milkshake picture when it was only a handful, and only one looked vulgar. And they even act as though the SJW acronym never came to bear a bad meaning. CBR's bias is flooding the article already, aside from which, this news is already 2 weeks old, and won't recognize that Sitterson's tirades - along with his injection of homoerotica into the stories - had a terrible toll on sales, leading to an inevitable cancellation. What else do they expect?

And just who condemned Diversity & Comics podcasts? Only the most rabid of industry apologists, that's who. If they don't like the videos, they don't have to watch them.

I think I can understand why the previous owners of CBR sold it to another company. Maybe some of their advertisers thought they weren't a good investment and withdrew. And even more advertisers should now withdraw from marketing their wares on such a crummy site, now that their hostility to core audiences has become so increasingly blatant. It goes without saying they owe Meyer an apology for smearing him with such an obvious hit piece, and they'd do better to turn over a new leaf if they really want people to take their comic book journalism seriously, which it's not.

Labels: dreadful artists, indie publishers, licensed products, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, politics, sales