On the same day the new Batman-inspired Red Hood comic book series hit stores, DC Comics announced it was cancelling all future issues, citing writer Gretchen Felker-Martin’s social media posts about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
On September 10, Felker-Martin, who is transgender, had posted on her now-deactivated BlueSky account: “Thoughts and prayers you Nazi bitch,” and “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie Kirk.”
Felker-Martin’s hostility toward Kirk stemmed from his vocal opposition to transgender rights and gender-affirming care, his claims that transgender identity is a “social contagion,” “mental delusion,” and “lie,” and his calls for conservatives on college campuses to report professors promoting so-called “gender ideology,” according to The New York Times.
Kirk’s death and Felker-Martin’s posts coincided with the September 10 release of the first issue of the new Red Hood series, which she was slated to author through December 2026.
Billed as DC’s first in-universe title for readers 17 and older, the series was set to follow Jason Todd (Red Hood), a former Robin-turned-antihero, and Helena Bertinelli (the Huntress) as they relocate to Louisiana and face new threats. As of September 10, retailers had ordered three issues, with the next two scheduled for October 2 and November 12.
According to Popverse, DC Comics is not only cancelling all future issues but also offering retailers credit for first-issue orders — even for copies already sold to customers.
“At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints,” the company said in a statement. “Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.”
Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Felker-Martin’s posts about Kirk were not the only reason for her firing, but “the final straw that broke the camel’s back.” The Comics Journal reported she had previously been criticized for calling Israel’s government “fascist,” comparing Zionism to “full-fledged Nazism,” and making off-color “jokes,” including one about the World Trade Center attacks as “the most principled and defensible thing [Osama bin Laden] ever did.”
Anti-transgender activists also seized on a scene in Felker-Martin’s novel Manhunt — reportedly being adapted for TV by trans director Lilly Wachowski — in which J.K. Rowling dies when her castle catches fire and collapses.
Felker-Martin told The Comics Journal that despite backlash over her past comments, none of those issues were raised when DC editor Arianna Turturro, who is also transgender, first discussed the Red Hood project with her.
“We had a conversation about it, and I told them, ‘As soon as you hire me, you’re going to get between five and a hundred of the craziest people you’ve ever met in your life, screaming for my head and yours,'” Felker-Martin said.
Felker-Martin said DC placed no explicit limits on her public comments or social media posts. A company spokesperson countered that all creators receive written guidelines on social media use, a point confirmed by two other DC creators.
After her Red Hood announcement, Felker-Martin said she was targeted by the far-right Comicsgate movement, which opposes diversity in comics, including hiring creators from racial, sexual, and gender minorities. She also faced criticism from pro-Israel outlets over her comments on Israel’s military actions in Gaza — which some critics say amount to “ethnic cleansing” — following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians.
Amid the criticism, editors Arianna Turturro and Rob Levin called Felker-Martin to warn of “some internal hesitation” about continuing the series. A DC spokesperson told The Comics Journal the call was meant to urge her to be mindful of her social media tone. Felker-Martin said she complied with that request — until Kirk’s killing on September 10.
Felker-Martin, who called Kirk a “loathsome person” and said she had contempt for his incendiary remarks, admitted to “poor impulse control.”
“Had I thought for another second, of course I would’ve known [that it would be a problem for DC], and naturally, as soon as I had said it, I did know,” she said — while refusing to apologize and insisting she has “no regrets.”
After her posts about Kirk, Felker-Martin said DC Editor-in-Chief Marie Javins called to inform her the Red Hood series was cancelled, citing concerns that she was “promoting violence or harm,” which DC and parent company Warner Bros. could not support. A DC spokesperson confirmed Javins was among several people on the call that delivered the news.
A screenshot obtained by Bounding Into Comics shows Felker-Martin posting about a call from a Warner Bros. executive who, she said, yelled at her and “very much wanted a groveling apology.”
Felker-Martin told The Comics Journal she believes DC Comics viewed her as a “disposable person.”
“Frankly, I feel they were interested in my cachet as a transgressive horror author,” she said. “And the moment that became politically disadvantageous for them, they cut and ran.”
Felker-Martin added that even if DC offered her future work, she would refuse.
“I have no desire to be part of any organization that wants to pretend that people like Charlie Kirk are decent human beings who deserve respect.”
Reports that the person who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk had left behind bullet casings engraved with phrases espousing "transgender ideology" have been debunked.
The rumor spread quickly after conservative commentator Steven Crowder posted to X on the morning of September 11 -- the day after the shooting -- claiming he had received an email from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives officer describing such engravings.
Crowder shared what he said was an email from an ATF officer claiming investigators had recovered the weapon used in Kirk's killing, with one spent cartridge in the chamber and three rounds still in the magazine. The email further alleged the cartridges were engraved with "transgender and anti-fascist ideology."
Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer with close ties to President Donald Trump, claimed during a deposition in her defamation lawsuit against HBO that sources close to the former president told her U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is gay.
Loomer is suing the network over comments by comedian Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher, who joked that she had an affair with Trump. She alleges Maher's on-air remark about her "sleeping with Trump" -- echoing a rumor circulating at the time -- cost her a job in the Trump administration and the political influence that would have come with it. HBO has argued that Maher's comment is protected under the First Amendment, just as Loomer's own inflammatory remarks are shielded when she targets her political enemies.
Treven Michael Gokey was arrested by Phoenix police on September 17 for allegedly threatening to shoot up Cruisin’ 7th, a popular gay bar near his Arizona apartment. He faces felony charges of making a terroristic threat and using a computer to threaten, after blaming the LGBTQ community for recent acts of violence.
According to court documents, police were called to the 39-year-old's apartment for a welfare check after a crisis hotline reported he had threatened to shoot up the bar, claiming he was “triggered by political events.”
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