Dark Horse Comics Writer Christof Bogacs Says You Can’t Have A Career In Mainstream Comics And Be Part Of Comicsgate
John F. Trent
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Dark Horse Comics writer Christof Bogacs recently declared that comic book writers and artists cannot have a career in mainstream comics and be part of Comicsgate.
Under Kingdom (2023), Dark Horse Comics
Bogacs, who saw his Under Kingdom graphic novel get published at Dark Horse Comics in April took to Twitter where he wrote, “It worries me how many new creators think they can be part of c****cs g**e and still have a career in mainstream comics. You can’t. Simple as that.”
Bogacs then accused members of Comicsgate of being abusive, “Other creators and editors aren’t going to hire anyone associated with a group responsible abusing them and their co-workers.”
Christof Bogacs Twitter
In a subsequent tweet he added, “This is real literal advice I had to give an indie creator who was ‘surprised’ to hear comics gate was controversial… don’t act dumb, it’s f***ing obvious what the ‘movement’ is about.”
He concluded, “No one is going to buy that you simply ‘didn’t know.'”
Christof Bogacs Twitter
Prominent Comicsgate figure Ethan Van Sciver responded to Bogacs’ tweets writing, “It’s about protesting political discrimination in comics. If you didn’t know, now you do. #ComicsGate”
Ethan Van Sciver Twitter
While Van Sciver responded to Bogacs’ assertion that Comicsgate was about being abusive, and set the record straight on that accord, Bogacs’ assertion about not having a career in “mainstream comics” if you are part of Comicsgate might be accurate especially if you assume “mainstream comics” means Marvel Comics, DC, Image Comics, Dark Horse, etc…
Former DC Comics artist Mike S. Miller revealed to Bounding Into Comics that DC does indeed have a blacklist, “They don’t publicize this stuff. They try to go around saying there’s no such thing as a blacklist, but I talked to Brian Augustine… because he was my editor at the time… but he told me point black. He’s like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s a blacklist. The editors love putting people on the blacklist at DC.”
RELATED: Marvel Artist Mike Deodato Praises Grand Rapids Comic-Con and Insults Mike S. Miller
Back in 2018, Miller was initially banned from the Grand Rapids Comic-Con. After the convention announced their banning of Miller, Marvel artist Mike Deodato offered praise for taking such action.
He wrote on Twitter, “A big round of applause to Grand Rapids Comic-Con for excreting out Mike S. Miller from their convention. Here is the letter they sent to the creature in question.”
Mike Deodato Jr. Twitter
Deodato would later encourage his followers to attend the convention because it was “Comicsgate free.”
He tweeted, “Support this comic-con! They are Comicsgate free! Grand Rapids Comic Con 2018 Promo.”
Mike Deodato Jr. Twitter
Former DC and Marvel writer Chuck Dixon also told Bounding Into Comics in 2018 that these comic book publishing companies blacklist individuals for their “personal religious or political beliefs.”
He said, “A lot of great talent is either unemployed or underemployed because of either their personal religious or political beliefs. Their personal beliefs. The blacklists are very real and a lot of careers have been damaged. And as bad as this kind of discrimination is, the effect of silencing other creators who fear for their livelihoods is even more far-reaching. It’s intimidation, pure and simple; a radical core of far-left editors and publishers forcing their ideologies on the creator community as well as the readership.”
Dixon elaborated, “Most damaging, in the long term, is the hiring of staff and assigning of freelancers based on their political beliefs rather than any kind of merit. The result is the current crop of, frankly, mediocre efforts from companies that used to be the industry leaders. It’s hard to find even a competently written and drawn comic let alone anything that could be called exemplary examples of the medium.”
Hunter Ninja Bear (2022), Fenom Comics
More recently former Marvel Comics artist Joe Bennett, who worked on Immortal Hulk with writer Al Ewing and was slated to work on Marvel’s Timeless projects was blacklisted by Marvel Comics after a 2017 political cartoon he created in favor of Brazilian politician Jair Bolsonaro began making the rounds on social media in 2021.
A Marvel spokesman informed Games Radar Bennett was blacklisted telling the outlet he would not be working on “any future Marvel projects.”
The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1 #49 “All Ye Who Enter Here” (2021), Marvel Comics. Art by Joe Bennett, Ruy José,,Belardino Brabo, and Paul Mounts.
It’s very clear these companies do indeed blacklist individuals for their religious and political beliefs, so it’s not hard to imagine they would blacklist people for being Comicsgate especially given the movement is about protesting political discrimination in comics as Ethan Van Sciver pointed out.
Cyberfrog: Dark Harvest (2023), All Caps Comics
What do you make of Christof Bogacs appearing to confirm a Comicsgate blacklist exists among a number of the more prominent American comic book publishing companies?
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