Gretchen Felker-Martin, a transgender author best known for controversial horror fiction, has lost a major DC Comics deal after posting vile remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Hours after Kirk, 31, was gunned down at a campus event in Utah on September 10, Felker-Martin posted: “Thoughts and prayers you Nazi b-tch. Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie.”
The backlash was swift. DC Comics, which had recently published the first issue of Felker-Martin’s “Red Hood” series, terminated the deal and announced it was canceling all future orders. Retailers were offered credit for unsold copies.
In a statement to Popverse, DC emphasized its values: “We affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. However, posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.”
Doubling Down
Rather than retracting their comments, Felker-Martin doubled down in a lengthy essay shared on Patreon.
“I had spent years smelling traces of the poison fumes [Kirk] left in his wake, seeing his sneering face, his mouth full of teeth like baby corns and gums like congealed aspic,” she wrote.
They continued: “I stand by the sentiment of what I said. Kirk was evil. He can no longer hurt us, even if his cruelty will linger like a bad smell for decades to come.”
While acknowledging their joke was “glib,” Felker-Martin said it was “irresistible” and admitted their only regret was not engaging earlier in what she described as “unpacking how violence is done and at whose behest.”
A History of Controversy
This is not the first time Felker-Martin’s writing has sparked outrage.
- In 2022, she authored a horror novel that imagined J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter creator, being burned alive in her home.
- In 2023, she targeted several writers she accused of transphobia, posting: “If they all had one throat, man.”
- She has repeatedly courted controversy for violent imagery directed at high-profile figures who oppose transgender policies.
The Fallout
The decision by DC to sever ties underscores a wider trend. More corporations are distancing themselves from creators whose online comments cross the line into violent rhetoric.
Felker-Martin’s removal from the Red Hood project marked a decisive move by DC Comics. The company sought to distance itself from rhetoric it deemed incompatible with its standards of conduct.
