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Marvel Comics officially announced at the New York Comic Con last weekend Shadow of Vader, in five parts Star wars miniseries written by Star Wars: The consequences trilogy book scribe Chuck Wendig. Except that, the last two numbers will no longer be written by Wendig because the author has just revealed that Marvel has fired him.
In a long statement posted on Twitter this afternoon, Wendig confirmed that he had been "fired" by Marvel from the last two issues of Shadow of Vader, as well as "a not yet announced SW book. Io9 asked Marvel Comics to make a statement about Wendig's departure, but a spokesperson would only confirm that the publisher and Wendig had separated. We also asked Lucasfilm to comment on Wendig's claims and update this story if we hear more. Sources close to the record said that Marvel had ongoing conversations with the creators about the use of social media, but did not elaborate on the known conversations with Wendig.
According to the author, the decision came directly from the publisher of Star wars Mark Paniccia, who spoke about Wendig's vocal presence on social media – discussing Star wars, the reaction to recent movies of the saga like The Last Jedi and American politics – as the main reason for the decision. In Wendig's own words, "it was too much politics, too much vulgarity, too much negativity on my part."
The initial tweet of Wendig's statement is above, but for an easier reading, here is his statement in its entirety:
So here's what happened – I just got fired from Marvel. Removes numbers 4 and 5 of SHADOW OF VADER and a book SW not yet announced. This could be a long thread, so apologize in advance. (I'm hesitant to talk about it, because, honestly, it gives a victory to the most painful people, something they've wanted for a long time, but I also have the impression that I've long been Honesty and frankness, and that I do not feel like lying when people realize that I'm no longer on these books)
To go back a bit, when SW: AFTERMATH came out, I guess most people know it, but maybe not, I put some elements (LGBT characters) that were not well received by a certain subset of fandom. This resulted in both a campaign of negative reviews, found in various FB groups and other worst places on the Internet, which began to rise the very minute the book was put online. I was literally about to publish the book at midnight, and when I was done, there was already a stack of star critics piling up – which seemed odd, of course. And scary too. I did not understand what was happening at the time. (And as a warning, I obviously recognize that yes, some people do not like the book for the usual reasons, and the people who hold these reasons should not be grouped with the more skeptical side of the fandom. tl; dr see also comments TLJ.)
I've also started receiving TONS of harassment – harassment that has been going on for years, harassment that has forced me to contact the local police and prevent it from attempting to SWATting, harassing all over the country. 39, Internet, here, FB, Reddit, YouTube. Obviously, it was sometimes boots or puppets, but it was rather scary and very personal. I did not talk much about it, or even underline it, but it was there, a kind of … constant background noise. (Christ, for special treatment, go get my name and watch the YouTube videos if you want a revealing insight.)
And I was worried of course because, shit, I thought I had messed up. I wondered for a moment if the book was bad. But then he hit the list and stayed on the list for four weeks – as well as the list of the next two books, and EMPIRE's End was placed even higher on the list than the first book. And privately, LFL employees have said that they feared nothing, that they knew I was speaking for both myself and for STAR WARS, which has always been a brand and a progressive business. And it made me very proud to work for them too, not only because, hell, I warmed in the light of STAR WARS, but also because the people were great and they understood it perfectly. (Hell, a lot of people in LFL are being harassed a lot, I mean, it's not news, but Kelly Marie-Tran? Bueller? Bueller?)
After doing HYPERION with Marvel, they then hired me to write the TFA adaptation, which forced me to work with great people – @hantos and @ cracksh0t – on a difficult project, because it was actually a translation of the film that an adaptation. (I know that Heather has received one of the worst harassments in the industry, I can not say how much Marvel protected her or not, but I know she was at the bottom a major funnel of misery from Comicsgate and their relations.Illk Much worse than I have suffered.)
Still, I thought things were going well, and I was hoping to work more with Marvel or SW or a combo of the two someday – comics is not really my "thing" in itself, but I felt to control the situation. he. Of course, the harassment continued – and it got worse when TLJ came out. Which, I am sure, is not a surprise to anyone who has already tweeted: "Hey, I really liked THE LAST JEDI!" . And I had seen other signs that people were being fired for political reasons, or people like @ChelseaCain who got fired and was also badly maligned.
And then we announced SHADOW OF VADER the juuuuust last weekend and the people were enthusiastic and I thought everything was fine. I have not been made aware of any problem whatsoever and my online profile has always been my profile online, so. Except, yes, no. Today I have received the call. I am fired. Because of the negativity and vulgarity that my tweets bring. Seriously, that's what Mark said the editor. It was too much politics, too much vulgarity, too much negativity on my part.
Basically, because I was not civil.
Which, of course, is their decision to make. I am not their boss. (And if it turns out they're not the boss of me either, Har har.) (I'm joking because otherwise I'm crying.)
From what I understood from this appeal, it was a Marvel decision, not an LFL decision, but I can not really confirm it. The publisher said that he had placed the call. He seemed genuinely upset by my tweets and blasphemies, so maybe that's right. And again, it's his right to do it. If they honestly believe that my presence will damage the book, I do not wish it. I want the book to shine and artists like Juanan Ramirez and Greg Smallwood to do incredible things. Artists like these are gods in my mind, so I'm happy not to distract from their literal magic.
But this creates a troubling precedent. We have already seen one – James Gunn, Jessica White, etc. – people sent back because they had upset the nest of the wasp, the gate shaped like an asterisk. And it seems strange to be furious that I'm crazy about politics when – well, look around. Climate change, children in cages, sexual harassers at the highest levels of power, etc. A call for civility as a PA GOP candidate threatens Tom Wolf with a golf cleat. I do not know, man.
I know that gives a great victory to Comicsgate. That will embolden them. But they won – I'm no longer in Marvel and, for the moment, at least, in any sort of Star Wars. Make your turn of victory, I suppose. (Just leave me out of this.) (All that being said, many great people are still working in these institutions and storytelling worlds, and I hope you will continue to support them and tell the stories that they have. They say.) To conclude: it's really very scary. And it breaks my heart. I am very sad and worried about the country in which I live, for the world and for the creative people around the world. Courage to all. I'm afraid it will get worse before things get better.
P.S. Vote in November as if your life depended on it. Because it could.
Wendig's release Shadow of Vader This is just the most recent successful use of an alleged call to "civility" by online trolls. It should be noted that Gamergate, his imitating toxic cultural campaign, and his imitator Comicsgate, spoke of the need for a "civil" speech while taking advantage of targeted harassment campaigns (including doxxing, death threats, etc.) against people who defended progressive values or criticized President Trump. on social media.
These forces seek to force companies like Marvel or their Disney parent company, as was the case with the dismissal of director James Gunn. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3– cut ties with progressive vocal talents in hopes of avoiding online reactions. These campaigns serve only to harass and silence the voices with which they disagree and to punish those who dare to speak.
This post has been updated with additional context from a source drawn from Marvel's conversations with their creators about the use of social media.
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