Earlier this week, comic book publisher Valiant continued its recent “Beyond” reboot with Bloodshot #1. Shortly after its release, readers noted the comic—written by Mauro Mantella with art by Fernando Heinz Furukawa—contained narration that felt like a pointed jab at transgender people.
In the panels below from the issue, Bloodshot muses about his struggles against vampires and how the Yakuza have worked with the local government to “normalize blood consumption, and that’s messing with the minds of the younger ones. […] There are kids who want to be bitten to become vampires because their favorite influencer says they’re one. And parents who force their children into that irreversible change just to feel modern, and believing that they’ll be thankful for it when they grow up.”
© Fernando Heinz Furukawa/Valiant ComicsThe character’s inner thoughts aren’t that dissimilar to how transphobic people seem to think people begin to question their gender identity—the idea that trans people do it for kicks, or that they’ve been led astray by a particular person online who’s spreading the message, particularly when it comes to kids. This thinking and desire to “protect our children” is what’s led to so many anti-trans laws in the United States that prevent gender-affirming care, erase transgender people from American culture, and generally try to ensure that they are not allowed to exist in day-to-day public life or are put into incredibly dangerous and life-threatening situations.
Comics industry workers soon decried Bloodshot, leading to co-publisher Alien Books and Mantella’s apology “for the harm caused by the phrasing in [the comic]. While the story takes place in a fictional world of vampires and cults, we understand that a specific line of dialogue has been read as alluding to real-world issues, specifically, the discrimination faced by trans people.”
“That was never the intention,” it continues. “The original line was written by an Argentinian creator and was unfortunately a case of nuance being lost in translation. We fully recognize that intent does not erase impact, especially when dealing with subject matter that affects real lives and communities.”
Alien will change the dialogue in the book’s digital and collected editions and vowed to give scripts a “more intense review by our proof readers.” But the apology itself was undermined by pinning the blame on nuance being “lost in translation,” as many pointed out Mantella himself is a professional translator and has worked with U.S.-based comic publishers before, including DC Comics. Compounding the issue further is that Mantella’s social media history is ridden with instances of him sharing right-wing and particularly anti-LGBTQ views. At the time of writing, several posts and shares from Mantella’s online presence have been found, either still on his accounts or since deleted after they were recirculated online in the last few days, including previously retweeted jokes from an anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ Twitter account, similar memes espousing COVID-19 and vaccine denialism, as well as conspiracy theories surrounding Ukraine during its years-long war with Russia.
io9 has reached out to Alien for comment regarding Mantello’s past social media behavior and will update when, or if, a response is given.
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