Most writers believe that they are their own harshest critic.

But in today’s world of vile anonymous posts and venomous social media messages, even writers with a belly full of self-loathing would agree that adage doesn’t ring true anymore.

At least, it wasn’t true for Cullen Bunn, the current and soon-to-be-exiting writer on Aquaman. In an Ask Me Anything session with Reddit’s Comic Book community, Bunn explained why issue #48 will be his last.

A quick look at Twitter shows how some of the precincts in Hater Nation responded to Bunn’s take on the character since starting the series in June with issue #41.

Nothing brings Aquaman fans together like an unabated dislike for Cullen Bunn's writing. We'll be stronger for this in the end, guys. — Joey M (@Cinecrab) September 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/LFCJordans/status/649364769921728512

Take a shot every time you cringe reading a Bunn Aquaman comic — Al (@MayorSnart) September 30, 2015

Bunn, who described his approach on Aquaman as “a weird fantasy adventure type story,” also generated fan ire with issue #44, which featured a case of rape by deception.

Here’s what Corrina Lawson at Geek Mom had to say about that plot point:

“Aquaman is raped in this issue. It’s by deception, not force, but it’s still rape. If a story is going to introduce this kind of squicky plot element in it, it needs to handle it appropriately. It doesn’t. It’s played as ‘Whoa, look readers, watch them have hot sex,’ as if the rape itself is meant to be sexy to readers. Not cool.”

In an online forum at Comic Book Resources, the writer conceded that “it might have been a story that would have worked better with some other character.”

“The uproar comes from so many different directions, and I want to try to respect everyone’s perspective if at all possible. That means I’m gonna put my foot in my mouth probably, but I’ve been doing that all my life.

When I started writing this scene, I didn’t sit down to write a “rape” scene or to create any sense of shock value. Didn’t even cross my mind. That’s on me. I probably SHOULD have thought more about what this scene would mean as I wrote it. I did consider the repercussions to the story… but maybe not as thoroughly as I should have. I dunno. But I’m not perfect and I might make mistakes occasionally. “What I was writing was a scene that moved the story forward, depicted how vile the villain was, and would have implications for Arthur moving forward.”

Bunn’s AMA wasn’t just about Aquaman, though. He also talked about his upcoming stint on Uncanny X-Men, the end of his critically acclaimed, creator-owned book The Sixth Gun, and comics in general.

On Which of His Comic Series Is His Favorite

On the Lineup for His X-Men Series

On the End of The Sixth Gun

On The Sixth Gun Becoming a Movie or TV Series

On His Comic Book Sacred Cows

On His Non-Comic Influences

On His Dream Comics Job

On His Favorite Booze

Check out the entire AMA for more from Cullen Bunn.