Former Batman writer Tom King took to Twitter to issue an apology to DC Comics artist Jae Lee after he insinuated that Lee was part of a “hate group.”
After DC Comics shared a variant cover for Rorschach #1 by Jae Lee, King took to Twitter where he wrote, “Today DC put out an alternate cover to Rorschach by Jae Lee, who has also done covers for comicsgate, a hate group.”
He added, “DC does not consult creators on alternate covers; I reached out to them to express my deep disappointment. Far as I’m concerned this is the cover to Rorschach #1.”
The targeting of Lee would come almost 10 days after DC Comics had announced King’s upcoming Rorschach series that made it abundantly clear that Lee would be doing a variant cover for the first issue.
Related: DC Comics Announces New Rorschach Series From Tom King
King would follow up his first tweet with a subsequent one where he wrote, “I spoke with Jae. He’s not on Twitter, didn’t know comicsgate existed, and doesn’t support hate of any kind. We’re all good. Best possible outcome.”
King’s comments appeared to be in reference to a variant cover he did for Ethan Van Sciver’s Cyberfrog 2: Rekt Planet that is currently crowdfunding on IndieGoGo.
Related: DC Comics Artist Jae Lee Responds To Batman Writer Tom King’s Insinuations
Following King’s comments, Lee would respond on Instagram.
Lee wrote, “Two weeks ago, June and I took Loki to San Diego to see a specialist. He did not survive due to complications from the surgery.”
He continued, “This past Friday was supposed to be a day of mourning. We were back in San Diego to pick up his ashes. We were going to take him to the beach and comfort each other by sharing our favorite stories about our little boy.”
He then stated, “Instead, a part of the internet I avoid like the plague came barging in. I had companies I’m working for calling me, friends reaching out to me. I’m seeing hate pouring out of strangers’ mouths, accusing me of things I have no knowledge of.”
“I’m seeing first hand how fast lies are spreading. Let me be clear, I’m not part of ANY group,” Lee added.
He went on, “We never made it to the beach. We spent the entire six hour drive back home on an emotional roller coaster.”
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Lee then expressed his anger, “I’m writing this because I’m angry. These irresponsible tweets are not harmless. They do not just go away. They have real world consequences.”
He then specifically referenced King’s tweet about the two of them being good, “They can take away your job. Your life. Your memories. June and I were robbed of a special day. So, no, we’re not ‘all good.'”
Lee elaborated, “This isn’t the start of a conversation. This is the end. So please, don’t drag me into a world I never wanted to be a part of, nor will I ever want to be a part of.”
He then ended on an optimistic note, “I want to honor Loki by going back to producing art made with love. For people who enjoy it for what it is. Something that hopefully brings joy into their lives.”
Finally, he concluded, “Mommy and Daddy miss you so very much, Loki, our love.”
Now, King has posted a public apology on Twitter.
King wrote, “As I have done privately, I’d like to publicly apologize to Jae Lee for my actions a few days ago.”
He continued, “I should’ve talked with Jae before I sent a tweet about him that put his career at risk. I made a critical mistake, and am profoundly sorry.”
“I will do what I can to repair this with Jae, and I will do better in the future,” he added.
King then wrote, “I’m not going to offer explanations because they sound like excuses, and I’m not asking for forgiveness or understanding. I’m just saying I see what I did, and I’m going to try to make up for it. Thank you.”
What do you make of Tom King’s apology to Jae Lee?