Writer Chelsea Cain has had a tumultuous past relationship with social media. Cain briefly quit social media in 2016 after backlash to the cover of Mockingbird #8 (which Cain wrote, though the cover was drawn by Joelle Jones), in which the titular hero wore a t-shirt which famously invited readers to "Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda." It was a defining moment for the comics medium presence of Cain, who is known primarily as a novelist. Cain announced her return to comics in 2018 with Man-Eaters, a comic in which girls are transformed into killer were-cats, a transformation caused by menstruation.

A mutation in Toxoplasmosis causes menstruating women to turn into ferocious killer wildcats—easily provoked and extremely dangerous. As panic spreads and paranoia takes root, the fate of the world rides on the shoulders of one twelve-year-old girl. Part Cat People, part The Handmaid's Tale, all pro-feline agenda. MAN-EATERS—Cain's first comic since Mockingbird lit up Twitter and made international headlines—is produced for Image comics by Ministry of Trouble, a production company founded by Cain and Miternique in 2017 with the mission of making trouble.

As a follow-up to the controversy of the Mockingbird t-shirt, the satirical concept of Man-Eaters is thumb in the eye to those who complained about that feminist agenda. However, the comic immediately fell under criticism for its focus on menstruation as the defining characteristic for women in the comic, thus excluding the experiences of transgender or nonbinary people in Man-Eaters' dystopian metaphor.

Cain responded to some of that criticism, including in an interview with Women Write About Comics:

And can you tell me if/how the book will tackle what this kind of hormone therapy means for characters who aren't cis? I think it's really important to tell stories from a lot of different points of view. This is a story about what it's like to be a cis gendered female coming of age in a culture that consistently reinforces the messaging that periods are shameful, that our bodies are shameful, and that womanhood—and the biology that goes along with it—is something gross and not for polite company. It's about rejecting that narrative and making something powerful from it. You don't have to have a uterus to be a woman. Anyone who thinks that hasn't been paying attention. But let's not get lost or distracted here—this is a specific story, about a specific experience—the way that all good stories are. And if I'm doing my job well, I think that anyone can relate to it. I think that someone who is trans knows full well what it feels like to struggle with being defined by biology and by the social messaging that makes us all, at one point or another, feel like monsters.

As well as on Twitter:

In "Maneaters", is it just cis women who can turn into werepanthers and strike back against their oppressors? Is the the catalyst for the transformation womanhood or vaginas/periods? If the latter do ppl w/ vaginas who aren't women still transform? — A Flock Of Plague Doctors (@Plaguing_Possum) September 15, 2018

"Kinda the whole point of the series is this: being a homicidal werepanther does not require a uterus or a vagina…in the end we all get to decide what kind of cat we're going to be." We hope you'll feel welcome in our colony of cats. 💜 2 of 2 — ministry of trouble (@ministrytrouble) September 17, 2018

I pledge to you, to all of you, to make this the best, most inclusive and empowering story that I can possibly make. I know it's a hell of a responsibility. And i don't take it lightly. No one should. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) September 17, 2018

But 9 issues into Man-Eaters, that binary view of gender is still present in the book and continues to be criticized. Cain has occasionally responded to that criticism, most relevantly for this story to one particular reader, who stated on Twitter back in May, "I want to like @ImageComics #ManEaters so bad, but it is SO HEAVILY founded in bio essentialism and TERFness that it's impossible to not feel like it perpetuates the same misogyny/systemic violence that it's attempting to tackle."

TERF is an acronym that stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, in other words, someone who espouses feminist beliefs but does not believe that transgender women count as women, attempting to exclude them from women's spaces.

"I appreciate any comic on menstruation and the literal violent eating of men—I super duper do—but #ManEaters further cements the toxicity of a gender binary in a heavy-handed, sad way," another tweet from the same person said.

At the time, Cain responded to these tweets, saying, "Again, thanks for the feedback. Seems like you're a regular reader. Which is…weird. Because you hate us. I'm so grateful for the work of our three 14-year-old contributors. And then I read comments like yours, and I think WHAT HAVE I DONE?" and "We will work on being more nuanced. And less specific. I guess I think of stories as points-of-view. As in, a person's story in the world. I guess I thought that being specific was kind of the reason I was doing this."

However, in the recently released Man-Eaters #9, both of the reader's tweets were featured in the pages of the comic, plastered on billboards on the wall of the forced reeducation camps in the book. As the panels blew up on social media, the original reader noted that she was feeling overwhelmed and was turning off her notifications, which is why her tweets have been quoted, rather than embedded, above, in an attempt to respect anonymity as much as possible, even if that cat is already out of the bag, thanks to all of this.

Once pointed out, this has, as one might expect, not gone over very well, with fans, critics, and fellow comic book creators taking to Twitter to comment on it.

Is this our pride month image transphobia scandal for the year? Happened so early this year! (Assuming this is real and not shopped. I'm not buying that comic to find out) https://t.co/fB5cLCj67f — Sarah Horrocks (@mercurialblonde) June 8, 2019

Chelsea Cain came to prominence in the comics community thanks to this "ask me about my feminist agenda" cover, which provoked backlash from sexist fanboys, and made her into a feminist figurehead. Now she's using that platform to punch down at trans people. Very disappointing. pic.twitter.com/ReNBT3aI1y — Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (@Hello_Tailor) June 8, 2019

If your "feminism" doesn't include trans folks, your "agenda" is bullshit. — Jill Pantozzi (@JillPantozzi) June 8, 2019

I just flat out do not understand how anyone could actually believe a feminist concept comic that excludes trans people does not meet the criteria of trans exclusionary radical feminism. — Nick Hanover (@Nick_Hanover) June 8, 2019

Though some did come to Cain's defense.

It's not terfy. — Magdalene Visaggio 🏳️‍🌈 – DEATH RATTLE (@MagsVisaggs) June 8, 2019

Chelsea did an imperfect book about how it felt to go through puberty and how her own body was communicated to her. I don't see the problem with that. — Magdalene Visaggio 🏳️‍🌈 – DEATH RATTLE (@MagsVisaggs) June 8, 2019

After remaining silent for the early part of the day Saturday as the furor grew on Twitter, Cain initially responded:

I didn't know that. I just wanted to acknowledge the really painful criticisms of the work and that sense I have that no matter how hard we try we are made to feel worthless and small. It was meant to echo a voice. The one that tells me I am a failure. Or as I call it, Twitter. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

Which led to further discussion of Cain's reaction to criticism.

How's that working out for you https://t.co/XT4il8cBKw — C.P. Hoffman & Co. Dept Store 🏬 (@CPHwriter) June 9, 2019

I'm starting to think we can construct a working definition of privilege built entirely around the extent to which people react disproportionately to reasonable, polite critiques of the status quo. — C.P. Hoffman & Co. Dept Store 🏬 (@CPHwriter) June 9, 2019

No. You don't get to sic 13K followers on a fan with concerns about your book and then say you didn't know. You don't get to say you represent all women while simultaneously shitting on most women. You said this in response to those tweets and just… blew it for pettiness. https://t.co/swWawhQ0Zx pic.twitter.com/wHvLj0dDzE — bisexual lighting and murder [unionize comics!] (@swindlesoiree) June 9, 2019

It's just that you don't seem to love this medium. You don't love the fans. So…why? Comics can be awful and mean and unfair. It's also a baby of a medium, still finding itself. I don't want to find an identity if it's punching down, constantly and unapologetically. — bisexual lighting and murder (@swindlesoiree) June 9, 2019

A few hours later, Cain took another try at a response, tweeting a public statement:

I'm so incredibly proud of Man-eaters. Of our creative team. Of the three 14-yr-old girls we publish. I'm incredibly grateful to have had the chance to tell this story, on our own terms. It's been financially ruinous. And emotionally wrecking. And totally worth it. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

I'm devastated that our comic has been attacked for excluding trans women bc our plot involves periods. Having a period does not make a person a woman. I haven't had a period since I was 35. Most women don't have periods. We are girls. Then we are menopausal… — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

…But here's the thing. A large group of humans are shamed for bleeding every month. And that's not okay. And if Man-eaters makes even a few of those humans laugh or feel empowered or feel a tiny bit less weird about a totally natural process, then we did okay. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

We all know what it's like to feel like we are gross or wrong or scary. We are all humans. Man-eaters is about what happens when you're made to feel like a monster, and about what happens when you refuse to accept that narrative. It's also about periods. Sorry. And good night. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

And responding to a few tweets directly:

I fucked up. I didn't know. I will learn. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

I know. And thank you. We just have three more issues. Anything we've done wrong is my fault. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

And then one more statement:

Let me make this clear: I'm an idiot. I'm super sorry. I'm defensive because it MEANS so much. If you are trans and feel excluded by MAN-EATERS, that's on me. Not you. You are glorious. And brave. And, gah. Thank you. I am listening. I am trying. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

I can be dumb sometimes. I get so defensive and self-righteous. It creates blind spots. And that's not okay. And I'm sorry. And seriously, now I am actually going to go to bed. Right. Now. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

As Cain notes, Man-Eaters has three more issues yet to hit stores, with Man-Eaters #12 tentatively scheduled for release in September, though September's solicitations have not yet come out. On Sunday morning, Cain returned to Twitter, this time to solicit trans sensitivity readers for the remaining issues.

Would any of you be willing to be a trans sensitivity reader for our last few issues of MAN-EATERS? We can't pay. But I will send you comics! And I will listen, and do my best. Reply here & I will follow you and then DM. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

However, the work would be done without monetary compensation, with Cain offering to send comics instead. Can you guess that this didn't go over very well either?

I'm sorry. I've never worked with a sensitivity reader. I can't seem to stop screwing up, can I? I was just trying to say that I was open to feedback. But you're right. Of course. I can't ask anyone to work for free. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

I didn't even know sensitivity readers were a thing in comics. I really have no business being here. I work on ME for free. We thought we were doing something good. I'm so sorry. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

I know. God I am so stupid. The more I try to help the more I hurt. Should I just cancel the comic? — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

Eventually, Cain said she would speak with Image Comics about funding a sensitivity reader for the comic.

I cannot ask anyone to work for free. I don't get paid for my work on ME. Our entire budget goes to pay our team. But this is important. I will talk to Image and see if I can get $ for this. I'm just operating on the fly here. I appreciate yr patience as I educate myself. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

Though she then continued:

I like that you think I make money from the series. There is no money. Though it's a great idea. Just in general. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

Before finally tweeting:

Nothing I say can make it better. I've learned that here. Intentions are kind of irrelevant. Actions are everything. So we will try to make the best last 3 comics we can. And I will work really hard to make up for my mistakes. Sorry, again. For all of it. — Chelsea Cain (@ChelseaCain) June 9, 2019

For publisher Image Comics, it's the latest in a series of recent controversies surrounding transgender issues in the comics they publish, with Airboy in 2015 and Divided State of Hysteria in 2017, which, like this time around, also occurred during Pride Month. Image keeps a tweet pinned to the top of their timeline with the following disclaimer:

Just a reminder: Creators are not employees of Image. They are independent and speak for themselves. — Image Comics (@ImageComics) March 29, 2018

We reached out to Image Comics, but they declined to comment.