Current Events > wow seems valiant released a transphobic comic

(+) Yeah! (+)

me before i get to the last text box: is this transphobic? i'm not-
me when i read the last text box: oh shit what the fuck

Mauro Mantella: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/MauroMantella

Just a totally normal comic where bloodsucking ghouls are used as a metaphor for trans people, nothing to see here.
/s

Not even subtle

"Alien Books and writer Mauro Mantella sincerely apologize for the harm caused by the phrasing in Bloodshot #1. While the story takes place in a fictional world of vampires and cults, we understand that a specific line of dialogue has been read as alluding to real-world issues, specifically, the discrimination faced by trans people. That was never the intention. The original line was written by an Argentinian creator and was unfortunately a case of nuance being lost in translation. We fully recognize that intent does not erase impact, especially when dealing with subject matter that affects real lives and communities. We are taking the following steps immediately:

• The dialogue in question will be updated for all digital and collected editions to better reflect the intended fictional context.
• Going forward, all scripts will undergo a more intense review by our proof readers as part of our editorial process to ensure clearer, more responsible storytelling.
• We appreciate the feedback from readers, creators, and industry peers who brought this to our attention. We take this seriously and are committed to learning from it.
• Alien Books values inclusion, empathy, and creative responsibility. We will do better."

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/valiant-comics-responds-to-accusations-of-transphobia-in-bloodshot-1/

they responded

* The dialogue in question will be updated for all digital and collected editions to better reflect the intended fictional context.
* Going forward, all scripts will undergo a more intense review by our proof readers as part of our editorial process to ensure clearer, more responsible storytelling.
* We appreciate the feedback from readers, creators, and industry peers who brought this to our attention. We take this seriously and are committed to learning from it.
* Alien Books values inclusion, empathy, and creative responsibility. We will do better."

Gonna be real, kinda refreshing to get this corporate response over what you tend to expect nowadays where they just double down.

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/valiant-comics-responds-to-accusations-of-transphobia-in-bloodshot-1/

they responded

* The dialogue in question will be updated for all digital and collected editions to better reflect the intended fictional context.
* Going forward, all scripts will undergo a more intense review by our proof readers as part of our editorial process to ensure clearer, more responsible storytelling.
* We appreciate the feedback from readers, creators, and industry peers who brought this to our attention. We take this seriously and are committed to learning from it.
* Alien Books values inclusion, empathy, and creative responsibility. We will do better."

"We only accidentally used an incredibly common and well-known transphobic dog whistle, because of nuance."

I'm willing to believe, based on how quick and unambiguous the response was, the people who wrote it didn't see the particular panel that was so bad. It is very plausible that the only person who saw it besides the artist was one mid level editor who either agrees or is so overworked that they just skim through everything and their brain wasn't properly interpreting every panel.