Home Comics & Toys Ethan Van Sciver has parted ways with Comicsgate

Ethan Van Sciver has parted ways with Comicsgate

2 min read
18

Ethan Van Sciver (2)

Every movement has a face, and for the better part of its inception since last year, Comicsgate had a very vocal leader in the form of DC and Marvel veteran Ethan Van Sciver. The comic book artist who made a name for himself with some truly spectacular visual runs on New X-Men, Green Lantern: Rebirth and The Flash: Rebirth, Van Sciver was the figure for many people who felt disenfranchised by the recent trend of making comic books more inclusive, to rally behind.

The Comicsgate movement worked wonders for Van Sciver, as his YouTube channel Comic Artist Pro Secrets exploded in popularity, with Van Sciver repositioning himself as the messiah of a new flock of followers who believe themselves to be marginalised by the comic book industry and the changing tides of time. It wasn’t without controversy of course, as one of Van Sciver’s more topical videos called out writer Gail Simone with a series of verbal attacks based on their time working on Firestorm in 2011.

It’s horrid stuff, with many facts omitted and the abuse levelled at Simone going far far beyond creative differences and into downright hateful territory. If you feel like reading it, here’s a link for you here at ComicsBeat. Anyway, before Richard Meyer came along and started a spat with Mark Waid, Van Sciver was leading the charge on a personal crusade that got him blackballed from the big two in the comics book industry.

ComicsGate was Ethan Van Sciver. Was. During the weekend Van Sciver posted a new video on his new channel,  All Caps Comics, and announced that he was leaving the group:

It’s not exactly surprising to see this happen. Comicsgate may be a group that proclaims to be a consumer revolt against a perceived forced inclusion of race and politics, but the fringe movement became something far more hateful instead, with numerous reports of harrassment circulating throughout the wider comic book industry as creators found themselves under attack on social media platforms.

Ethan Van Sciver

Thing is, Comicsgate was bound to see a schism form, and while Van Sciver leaving isn’t a death knell for the group, it’s a massive blow that they probably won’t recover from anytime soon. As for Van Sciver, he’ll still be able to broadcast his own controversial opinions, albeit with the benefit of not being held responsible for the more toxic elements of Comicsgate.

 

Last Updated: November 12, 2018

18 Comments

  1. So basically, Ethan’s skiving away from the movement?

    Reply

  2. Jason A. Quest

    November 13, 2018 at 04:30

    Could someone who hasn’t been drinking the KKKoolAid summarize WHY he claims he’s leaving? “Here, watch these long, rambling videos” isn’t very helpful.

    Reply

    • The D

      November 13, 2018 at 06:32

      The gist of it is that Comicsgate became far too toxic and alt-right assosciated for even Van Sciver to remain in, so he has chosen to seperate himself from the movement and focus on creating the kind of comic books that he wants to see back in the industry.

      Reply

    • Ace Alpine

      April 2, 2020 at 23:45

      KKKoolAid is what got Comicsgate into this mess in the first place. That and too many “The Birth of a Nation -1918” films. The number one KKK recruitment film.

      Reply

  3. Valerie Finnigan

    November 2, 2019 at 22:04

    Based on my experience, EVS *is* one of the more toxic elements of CG.

    Reply

  4. Gregory McNeill

    November 13, 2020 at 21:40

    Can anyone tell Ethan Van Sciver that he is the problem? I want to see more People of Color and Women characters that aren’t stereotypical. Both Comicsgate and Van Sciver are clueless to what’s happening in the world case in point the racial reckoning that is going on in America due to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmud Aubrey, and Breyonna Taylor including COVID 19 has exposed decades of institutionalized racism that is also in the comic book industry both DC and Marvel and other companies. You want to reflect a changing world and expanding audience, not cater to a comic book audience
    who are like Van Sciver and his ilk that are racist and intolerant.
    They are hurting the comic book industry, not helping it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Best comic book covers of the week – 7 June 2021

From the streets of Gotham to the far reaches of the Multiverse, these are the best comic …