Over the last few months, CBR and Polygon writer Kieran Shiach has used his platform to go after both comic book fans and creators for one major sin, not following his own worldview.

He first targeted DC Comics artist Ethan Van Sciver. Ethan’s crime? He’s a Republican who produced a sketchbook called My Struggle featuring the Green Lantern villain Sinestro. Shiach took this sketchbook and Van Sciver’s Republican beliefs to label him a Nazi. He then began to constantly crusade against Van Sciver issuing numerous calls for him to be fired by DC Comics and constantly labeling him a Nazi.

Kieran was rightfully criticized for his tweets about Ethan from fans and other journalists alike. Other Twitter users also pointed out that different political opinions shouldn’t cost a man his job. Shiach, of course, played the victim.

But again, he didn’t learn. He then decided to target comic book veteran Howard Chaykin. He made repeated calls for Chaykin to be fired from DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He would even label Chaykin a “racist and transphobic.” What did Chaykin actually do? He wrote The Divided States of America, which includes a depiction of a horrific crime involving a transgender person.

Kieran’s new target? Diversity & Comics YouTuber Richard Meyer and comic book fans who want good storytelling without ham fisted political ideology being preached at them.

This piece by @asher_elbein covers a lot of ground that the Buzzfeed didn’t, especially the rampant transphobia at the heart of these harassment campaigns.https://t.co/dwhUsZPSEz — Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 2, 2018

Kieran went on a tirade to smear Richard Meyer for comments and jokes made at the expense of people who are in the industry.

This is the sort of person Richard C. Meyer is. There’s no equivocating, no innuendo; this is the sort of stuff he’s telling his followers in private while leading harassment campaigns in public. pic.twitter.com/XWDp3QM2bv — Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 2, 2018

Meyer described the Dark Roast as “nothing different than how people talk when joking with friends.”

The Dark Roast was supposed to be private. It’s nothing different than how people talk when joking with friends. It’s fine. Most people roasted it for being tame and boring when it was supposed to be edgy. https://t.co/tQhpWi2YL1 — Diversity & Comics (@DiversityAndCmx) April 4, 2018

Shiach isn’t the only one to attack Meyer. A few weeks ago, another activist disguised as a creator wished for Meyer’s death. They hoped he would have been blown up by an IED. Shiach took a different approach trying to attack Meyer’s character. He pointed to misdemeanor charges from about 20 years ago.

The piece also confirms Richard C. Meyer’s criminal record, none of which should surprise you. pic.twitter.com/eA5muy1jHi — Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 2, 2018

Meyer pointed out that all the charges were actually dismissed.

Kieran Shiach @kingimpulse stalks my Clinton-era charges and then cuts off the part where it shows every single charge was dismissed. pic.twitter.com/9WI9zeDZz1 — Diversity & Comics (@DiversityAndCmx) April 3, 2018

he went on to explain what the charges were for.

I told the story in a few videos.

1999

ASSAULT- Kicking a guy’s ass

STALKING- Going to his house to kick his ass

HARASSMENT x 2- Calling him on the phone twice to tell him I would kick his ass All got dismissed to a simple Disorderly Conduct. Enlisted 6 months after the hearing. https://t.co/mg2HZhYMDx — Diversity & Comics (@DiversityAndCmx) April 4, 2018

And he pointed out this is nothing new. He even wrote about it in a self-published book back in 2005.

SJWs like @kingimpulse “uncovered” information about my arrest record that I openly shared in a self-published book in 2005. pic.twitter.com/a4DtfU7Sl6 — Diversity & Comics (@DiversityAndCmx) April 4, 2018

Then like a pro-Yugio play, Kieran pulled the race card and claimed that the channel’s name was because he didn’t want diversity in comics:

Something interesting that I didn’t realise until Asher pointed it out; the Diversity and Comics channel was established following David Gabriel’s “readers don’t want diversity” comments last year. pic.twitter.com/meeYo7oTNB — Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 2, 2018

Richard for his part rebutted this idea in a video below:

In the 13-minute video, Richard clearly explains the meaning behind the name in a way that makes plenty of sense to the normal human walking around. But of course, in the mind of someone like Kieran Shiach, you cannot look past peoples’ differences and treat it as a single aspect of their being instead of the totality. That is one of Richard’s sins according to Shiach.

To hit the point home Kieran ends his tirade by once again using strong labels. He calls him a “racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic bigot.” Then he tries to belittle him by saying he wasn’t able to write Spider-Man.

He spent all his life believing he was special because he was a straight white man and when he couldn’t walk into a job writing Spider-Man, it broke his tiny little brain. — Kieran Shiach (@KingImpulse) April 2, 2018

That point seems absurd given Richard is currently raising funds for his Jawbreakers – Lost Souls comic on Indiegogo. The project has currently raised $40,550 from 1121 backers.

Comicsgate will continue to hound creators who feel that they’re entitled to both our money and our political leanings. Like any industry, comics require people to buy, and it seems that certain factions would rather die on the hill of political preaching than be as inclusive as they claim. If the industry continues to bite the hand that feeds them, then the new norm will be an ever shrinking audience. In fact, that seems to be the case as industry tracker Comichron reports sales for comics and graphic novels are down “a little less than 9%, the smallest drop since the first quarter in 2017.”

While comic book movies are a huge success, there is no reason comic books shouldn’t be reaping some of the rewards. And I believe that these activists/creators are a big part of the problem.

What do you all think? Let me know in the comments below!

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