Can I claim to be boycotting something when I never had any intention of buying it in the first place? That’s the quandary I’m facing with Ultimate Iron Man, to be written by sci-fi author Orson Scott Card.
Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter has some informative links on Card’s conservative views. There was also some lively discussion on the subject on Usenet. Card certainly does sound like someone whose work I’d avoid on principle, but I’m not a science fiction fan, and I have to admit that the chances I’d actually pick up Ultimate Iron Man under any circumstances are next to nonexistent. (With all due respect to Iron ‘Fro, I’m just not a fan.)
Comics always seem to rob me of the opportunity for activist purchasing patterns. Sure, there are creators whose public personas I find repugnant, but I usually find that out after I started avoiding their work for purely aesthetic reasons. How am I supposed to vote with my dollars under these circumstances? It would be like giving up cooked cauliflower for Lent.
For more on Card, stop by I Am NOT The Beastmaster and Crocodile Caucus.