DC Comics announced at New York Comic Con over the weekend that it will return to the original Man of Steel and discontinue its recent Superman story arc that depicted the superhero as gay after 18 issues of underperforming sales.
The series, “Superman: Son of Kal-El,” depicted Clark Kent’s son, Jonathan, taking the reins as the Metropolis superhero. The series was not featured in the top 50 comic books by units sold in December 2021 when it was just five issues deep, indicating subpar sales, according to the Washington Examiner. The series had not made up for its lost revenue as of August 2022, when it once again failed to crack the top 50.
“Superman: Son of Kal-El will end with issue #18, but fans of Jon Kent do not need to worry! Writer Tom Taylor and artist Clayton Henry will be telling new Jon Kent stories in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent,” DC announced in a press release.
DC Comics Announces The Cancelation Of Tom Taylor’s Woke “Superman: Son Of Kal-El” Series https://t.co/nqbQneQoAv
— Bounding Into Comics (@BoundingComics) October 10, 2022
The series had a mixed reaction from fans who felt that writer Tom Taylor would promote left-wing narratives in the comics, Bounding Into Comics wrote. These included climate change demonstrations, rescuing undocumented migrants, wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, most controversially, depicting the new Superman as gay. (RELATED: Watch 2 Iconic Comedians Unite In Trailer For Hilarious Retelling Of ‘A Christmas Carol’)
The news comes just a week after Warner Bros. revealed they had turned another iconic character gay. In their newest digital download flick, “Trick-or-Treat Scooby Doo,” Velma Dinkley is depicted as fawning over a female character named Coco due to her “Incredible glasses,” and notes that she is “Obviously brilliant,” and “Loves animals.”