Marvel under fire for banning writers submitting comics about ‘alternative lifestyle advocacies’
NEW YORK – AUGUST 31: In this photo illustration, vintage Spider Man and X-Men Marvel comic books are seen at St. Mark’s Comics August 31, 2009 in New York City. The Walt Disney Co. announced that it plans to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in stock and cash, bringing 5,000 Marvel characters including Spider Man and Incredible Hulk under the Disney umbrella. (Photo Illustration by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
When Marvel asked writers to submit comics under their new Create Your Own feature, it almost became easier to list what you could write about, rather than what you couldn’t.
In a bid to launch the new platform, which allows fans to create original comic strips using Marvel characters and stock background illustrations, users were given an exhaustive list of what they couldn’t write about in the programme.
And in a long list of prohibited themes, plots and characters – including “noises related to external bodily functions”, “bare midriffs” and “double entendres” laid one dynamite point of controversy – any mention of “politics, including alternative lifestyle advocacies” is prohibited, wrote The Verge.
And to lay it on thick, the organisation emphasised that Create Your Own users could not write about “controversial topics” of any kind, including “social issues”.
Comic book critic Matt Santorini pointed out exactly what the move from Marvel indicated to its audiences.
Oh @Marvel. I was so going to let this one pass. But you HAD to end the year by launching a product that prohibits depicting gay people.
“No politics, including ‘alternative lifestyle advocacies’”
Tell me again how progressive this company is. https://t.co/rywr4OasZM
— FotoCub is on Bl*sky (@FotoCub) December 29, 2017
And according to the journalist, this is not the first homophobic move that the comic book magnate has made this year.
This year, @Marvel:
1. Told retailers that people were "sick of diversity"
2. Said artists don't sell books
3. Made Nazi Captain America their summer event
4. Partnered with an arms dealer on propaganda
5. Mocked fans in Not Brand Echh
6. Hired a sexual harasser as VP-New Media— FotoCub is on Bl*sky (@FotoCub) December 29, 2017
Naturally, other queer fans of the Marvel series were outraged and confused by Marvel’s swipe at the LGBT community.
https://twitter.com/T_MECE/status/946722397289316352
https://twitter.com/nerdysaiyanbish/status/946947381664342017
@JoeQuesada claims it's "totally an accident" all their LGBT stuff is canned while we know for a fact Marvel has actively censored queer content in their books they now have a policy that says "alternative lifestyle advocacies” are against the rules.— Alexis Sara 🏳️⚧️ 🏳️🌈 TSL (@TransComics) December 29, 2017
ppl: we want more women n lgbt characyers
m: no
ppl: but-
m: no
ppl: ok lol white cis men it is— Marvel Fans (@marrvelfans) December 29, 2017
No Social Issues! Says the company who's most well known franchise is a metaphor for the LGBT community and contains a long spanning plotline focused on an allegory for the HIV/AIDS epidemic
— Alice Lily Kyra (she/fae) (@magicalgirlkyra) December 29, 2017
A series of other inexplicable references and issues are also banned from being mentioned on the platform.
Users cannot make any reference to death, bad language or proxies for bad language, vitamins, gossip, aliens or scandal.
As well as this, any material produced on the platform is owned under copyright by Marvel, and not the author in question.
