DC Comics abruptly cancelled its new Batman spinoff following public backlash over social media posts by its writer that appeared to celebrate the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Red Hood, written by Gretchen Felker‑Martin and illustrated by Jeff Spokes, was meant to follow Jason Todd leaving Gotham for the New Orleans-like city of New Angelique and team up with the Huntress to solve a murder-mystery.
“Sweat, blood and powder burns. Broken bones and mind control. A city rotted from the inside out. Jason’s going through hell on the hunt for an enigmatic telepath, and he’s taking us with him,” Felker-Martin said in June. “I’m thrilled to be helming this new run of Red Hood with Jeff Spokes.”
The cancellation of the monthly series, which was revealed in July 2025, was announced on 10 September, the same day the first issue of Red Hood went on sale.
According to multiple US media outlets, DC informed retailers that orders for issues #2 and #3 would be cancelled and that retailers would be credited for all invoiced copies of issue #1, even if those copies had already been sold.
“DC Comics cancels existing orders for Red Hood #2 and Red Hood #3, and any orders for future issues of the series,” the company told retailers, according to Popverse. It “will credit retailers for all invoiced copies of Red Hood #1, inclusive of copies that may have already been sold.”
The second and third issues were set to be released on 2 October and 12 November, respectively.
According to The Wrap, Felker‑Martin made the posts about Kirk on her now-suspended Bluesky account.
“Thoughts and prayers you Nazi b***h,” one post read. “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie Kirk,” another said.
Felker-Martin, who is trans and frequently participates in political discourse online, was temporarily suspended from Bluesky earlier this year for posts about Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has repeatedly been accused of transphobia.
A DC Comics statement to The Wrap acknowledged the right of creators to “peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints” but said that “posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct”.
The statement did not name Felker‑Martin directly.
The Independent has reached out to DC Comics for comment.
Kirk, 31, died on Wednesday after being shot in the neck during an outdoor speaking event at Utah Valley University.
He was roughly 20 minutes into a question-and-answer session in front of 3,000 people when he was shot.
A police manhunt for the gunman is ongoing.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and media personality, was well known for his campus appearances and debates on hot-button issues. As an anti-abortion Christian, he routinely debated progressive liberals, Muslims, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, resulting in allegations of misogyny, Islamophobia, and homophobia.
On social media, fans expressed disappointment at the cancellation of Red Hood, including those who weren’t too happy with the series.
“So they’re firing a writer for posting about the death of a fascist but the guy who participated in the deaths of countless people in iraq still writes wonder woman slop, got it,” one fan wrote on X, referring to former CIA officer and comic book author Tom King.
so they’re firing a writer for posting about the death of a fascist but the guy who participated in the deaths of countless people in iraq still writes wonder woman slop, got it https://t.co/v0uDzwaaQK
— bimba (@bimbvx) September 11, 2025
“So they cancelled it bc the authors comments about K*rk but not because it was horribly written, ooc, and the author openly admitted to not reading ANY red hood comics before writing a RED HOOD COMIC? We won but for the wrong reasons,” wrote another reader.
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