The creators of the Superman comic that has The Man of Steel coming out as bisexual have been given police protection after receiving death threats from furious fans who are anti-LGBTQI.
According to reports, Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to the private residences of illustrators and production staffers tasked with producing the controversial comic, ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El’, to protect them after they received several threats from fans irritated by the latest Superman sexual orientation.
More so, officers were deployed to the studio itself, in Los Angeles, to protect staffers from potential attacks.
The revelation comes barely weeks after comic-book giant DC confirmed that it’s poster-boy protagonist would reveal himself as bisexual in an issue slated for release on November 16, sparking backlash.
Amid the outpour of criticism, the comic’s writer, Tom Taylor, defended the choice to write the character as a member of the LGBTQ community, arguing the beloved hero’s sexuality is but a small detail – one that will allow LGBTQ people “to see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics”.
However, not everyone shares the same upcoming sentiment, with many slamming DC for the company’s creative liberties, which included the decision to scrap the old Superman slogan “truth, justice, and the American way” to “truth, justice and a better tomorrow” for the current comic.
Earlier this month, Raymond Arroyo, a media personality, angrily asked why DC Comics was allowing staffers to sexualize superheroes on a talk show.
“Why are they sexualizing superheroes? Call me when they have a gender-stable aisle with superheroes whose sexualities we know nothing about. I was a Batman and Superman and Spider-Man kid. I loved those heroes. We just wanted them to get the bad guys, not a venereal disease. Leave our comic book heroes alone”.
Raymond Arroyo
Former Superman actor Dean Cain, who portrayed the superhero for four seasons on the 1993 TV series ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman’, also spoke out on the controversy, suggesting that the staffers producing the comic were “bandwagoning”
“They said it’s a bold new direction. I say they’re bandwagoning”, the former Man of Steel said in a televised interview earlier this month. I don’t think it’s bold or brave or some crazy new direction”.
Cain noted that he would prefer to see Superman fighting the “real evil in the world today” like “corruption and government overreach”.
A host of readers also took to social media to voice their concerns over the comic book publisher’s announcement, which came on October 11, 2021, National Coming Out Day.
“Congratulations,” one user wrote on Twitter in response to a tweet from Tom Taylor detailing DC’s announcement. “You just wrecked one of the oldest comic heroes”.
“This won’t translate to sale,” another user wrote, labeling the change as “fake”. The cross fan also suggested that the team behind the comic “only do this for headlines“.
Another wrote: “Way to ruin a character, let’s just do whatever it takes to please the 0.01% of the population”.
Meanwhile, one commentator said: “I applaud this in EVERY way. I just hope you’re prepared for the backlash from parents and conservatives all over the map”.
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