Re: Orson Scott Card, outspoken anti-gay marriage gent, to write new Superman comic
Lots of people rage about a lot of things where comic book fans are concerned. It was only a month or three ago that the writer of Spider-Man was receiving literal death threats for the stories he recently wrote.
Not sure if I agree here. There are definitely some things people have done in the past that should disqualify them from working in certain fields or on certain projects.
Much will depend on how you define "anti-gay".
Joe Kelly wrote a story where Supergirl talks about the importance of family in one of DC's annuals a few years back, for instance.
Talked of the responsibility a man has to his wife and child.
Made for a very good story, and, as far as I know, was well-received.
Could Orson Scott Card write such a story without being called "anti-gay"? Even it were virtually identical text-wise?
Some people are guaranteed to interpret his work based on what is being said about him in Internet Circles now, and likely won't even realize that they're doing so when that happens.
I don't think DC loses anything by having controversial people on staff.
The media buzz generates interest and gets people curious.
Publicity is rarely a bad thing.
As far as Superman's character and reputation go; well, I personally never heard of O.Scott Card before this week, and I doubt the casual reader of Superman would have, either.
So how would this affect the Man of Steel, the content of the stories, at all? Superman has always been a character for family and tradition.
If Card follows his own apparent bent, it will remain that way.
It's nothing new.
Right now it occurs to me that this topic must have been explored before, but, it would be interesting to see if Superman consistently reflects the mainstream views of his day.
Characters at other companies could be counter-culture or revolutionary or tackles issues Big Blue writers would avoid.
Immediately coming to mind is how Stan Lee tackled the prevalence of drug abuse back in the 1970s in the pages of Spider-Man.
Likewise the hiring and struggle of minority groups.
I believe Lee at Marvel was the first, and, although I am certain Superman writers EVENTUALLY followed him, I am also certain such did not take place until after successful sales had "proven" it safe for DC to pursue such storylines.
Such seems to have always been the case. At least from the 1960s to the present day.
Superman may be a leader in the fictional comic hero community; unlike Spider-Man, however, he has not proven much of a leader in the real world.