This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Orson Scott Card's "Superman" story won't be seeing print anytime soon.
DC Comics has put a "Superman" story that Card, the LDS science-fiction author, cowrote has been at least temporarily shelved, Wired.com reported — after a noted comics artist publicly dropped out of the project, because of protests over Card's harsh opposition to same-sex marriage.
Card's story, co-written with Aaron Johnston, was to appear in an anthology comic, "Adventures of Superman," to be released in print and digital formats later this year (April 29 in digital, May 29 in print — timed with the release of the movie "Man of Steel" in June). But Card's anti-gay opinions angered some comics fans, who were organizing a boycott of the book and of retailers selling it.
The ensuing firestorm prompted artist Chris Sprouse to drop out of the project. "The media surrounding this story reached the point where it took away from the actual work, and that's something I wasn't comfortable with," Sprouse said in a statement. "My relationship with DC Comics remains as strong as ever and I look forward to my next project with them."
With Sprouse out, DC opted to pull Card's story from the anthology, and "will re-solicit the story at a later date when a new artist is hired." That presupposes that DC can find an artist willing to be thrown into that particular briar patch.
Meanwhile, the movie based on Card's best-seller "Ender's Game" will hit theaters in November — and PR experts are wondering whether Card's anti-gay beliefs will have an effect on the movie's box-office prospects.