Fired DC Writer Doubles Down on Ghoulish Comments That Got the Red Hood Series Canceled

DC Comics has canceled its newest Batman spinoff, Red Hood, just days after the first issue hit stores. The publisher informed retailers about the decision on the same day the debut issue was released.

Red Hood was meant to be a monthly series starring Jason Todd, also known as Red Hood, and Helena Bertinelli, or Huntress. The story followed the characters as they moved to Louisiana to start new lives filled with crime and challenges.

The series was also promoted as DC’s first ongoing title rated for readers 17 and older in the main DC Universe.

The second issue was scheduled for early October, with a third planned for November. Gretchen Felker Martin was writing the series, Jeff Spokes handled the artwork, and Taurin Clarke created the covers.

DC confirmed that all issues after the first are canceled and that retailers will be credited for all copies of issue #1. In a notice sent to stores, DC stated, “DC Comics cancels existing orders for Red Hood #2 and Red Hood #3, and any orders for future issues of the series. DC Comics will credit retailers for all invoiced copies of Red Hood #1, inclusive of copies that may have already been sold.”

The cancellation came after Felker Martin faced backlash for comments made online about the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Screenshots from suspended Bluesky account included posts such as, “Thoughts and prayers you N** b****,”* and, “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie Kirk.”

The posts spread quickly on social media, leading to public outrage and calls for DC to act. The company later released a statement saying, “At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.”

Felker Martin addressed the situation. Martin said, “It just didn’t strike me as an especially hot flashpoint. This is such a loathsome person. I saw that he had died in the middle of spreading more of the bigotry that he spent his every waking moment promulgating, and in a way that he had advocated for others to die, and felt nothing but contempt for his life. I mean, this is a man who I’ve watched for years go on television and on enormous stages and convention halls and say that me and everyone like me should be stoned to death.”

Martin continued, “I can only put it down to really just a moment of 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.”

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