It looks like Aubrey Sitterson's finally been fired from IDW
"Also, being entirely honest, as great as the design is, in 2017, a big, heavily muscled white guy with a shaved head, massive guns and a t-shirt that reads THE RIGHT OF MIGHT gives off a vibe that reads way too alt-right for me," Sitterson virtue signaled on Twitter. Swapping out a fit soldier for an obese POC (person of color) was exactly the salve for Sitterson's angst about the perceived "alt-right" influence on a classic comic (drawn before alt-right was a thing). However, Sitterson was about the only one happy with this change. Comics fans everywhere boycotted G.I. Joe and let IDW Comics know that they would not be buying any more until Sitterson was fired.How a guy with a shaved head supposedly represents "alt-right" I can't begin to figure out. If he actually thinks something's wrong with a shaved head, then gee whiz, fix that, but don't go across so many galaxies to transform the character from a man to a woman, and in such poor taste.
When asked what the final straw was that caused the blowback, Meyer fingered Salvo, saying he "was the touchstone." He added, "The obesity was the biggest factor. It's ridiculous." Indeed, portraying American soldiers as fat, slovenly women is not only ridiculous but insulting to the military.Have BC's contributors parchance thought to apologize for villifying tons of Joe fans, including many military vets and people devastated by 9-11? Guess not. They'd best come to terms with how their politically correct approach and sucking up to company heads while shunning the core audiences of comicdom has only infuriated the masses, and is bound to cost them a readership too. In fact, I'm sure it already has. Most entertainment sites today that were dedicated to the art form have long lost ground after it became clear they were in the tank for Marvel/DC's higher echelons and anybody else who met their PC standards, and there's thankfully more people today who realize it doesn't pay to buy superhero comics "just because". Those specialists in the medium who won't represent the better interests of the creations and the wishes of the audience for tasteful entertainment cannot be surprised when the fandom figures things out and turns against them for their reprehensible standings.
Industry publication Bleeding Cool wasn't pleased with the fan boycotts and blamed Diversity & Comics for the downfall of Sitterson, describing Meyer as an "anti-diversity troll." In response, Meyer scoffed, "There is no such thing as Moral Police in America. And if there was...you people would not be qualified." But there were others who also called for Sitterson's firing, including the well-known G.I. Joe fan site YoJoe.com. After Sitterson tweeted insulting sentiments about 9-11 on September 11, 2017, the fan site fought back.
So GI Joe may have been saved the humiliation from social justice Sitterson advocates. And with a little more work, we'll hopefully be able to finally get Marvel and DC to cut it out as well, and let go of the company executives who're part of the problem.
Labels: dreadful artists, dreadful writers, licensed products, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, politics