Neil Gaiman's Comic Book Publisher Drops Him amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Yahoo

27-01-2025

Fantasy author Neil Gaiman has been dropped by his longtime comic book publisher after multiple women accused him of sexual assault.
The works of the 64-year-old author, who is best known for properties like Coraline, The Sandman and Good Omens, will no longer be published by Dark Horse Comics, the company announced on Jan. 24 in a post on X.
'Dark Horse takes seriously the allegations against Neil Gaiman and we are no longer publishing his works,' the Oregon-based company wrote.
Dark Horse — which publishes comic books, graphic novels and manga — also confirmed in the post that it has cancelled the Anansi Boys comic series, an adaptation of the writer's 2005 novel. Seven of the comics in the eight-part series have already been published.
In the wake of the allegations, Gaiman also stepped back from production of the third season of Prime Video's Good Omens adaptation, which will now conclude with a single 90-minute episode, according to Variety.
Disney's The Graveyard Book, a film adaptation of Gaiman's 2008 book, has also been paused, and Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives, co-created by Gaiman, has been canceled, though it is not clear whether these moves were directly related to the allegations against the author, per Variety.
The upcoming second season of The Sandman, however, is still expected to release on Netflix as planned, the outlet reported.
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News of Dark Horse severing ties with the Coraline author comes after the multiple women — including Scarlett Pavlovich, who formerly babysat for the author's son with his ex-wife, Amanda Palmer — spoke on the record about their alleged interactions with the famed novelist in a Jan. 13 Vulture report.
In the report, Pavlovich recalled an alleged instance when she was babysitting Gaiman's son at his New Zealand home, and she and the author were alone in the house. Gaiman, who was separated from Palmer at the time, suggested that she take a bath, Pavlovich said.
Pavlovich claimed that while she was in the bathtub, Gaiman joined her, naked, even though she said 'no,' and proceeded to participate in nonconsensual sex acts. Pavlovich also claimed that throughout her time babysitting for the family, Gaiman continued to assault her.
The allegations detailed in the Vulture report come about six months after the author was first accused of sexual assault in July 2023, when British podcast Master posted six episodes centered on the sexual assault allegations against Gaiman from five different women.
On Jan. 14, the day after the latest report was published, Gaiman addressed the claims in a lengthy statement posted on his website, writing that he watched the news of the allegations "with horror and dismay."
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"As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognize and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen," he wrote in part. "I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever ... At the time I was in those relationships, they seemed positive and happy on both sides."
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The fantasy author also denied "there was any abuse," and wrote that he is "prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I'm not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can't accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn't do."
On Jan. 15, Palmer also addressed the allegations in a statement provided to NME. 'While Ms. Palmer is profoundly disturbed by the allegations that Mr. Gaiman has abused several women, at this time her primary concern is, and must remain, the well-being of her son and therefore, to guard his privacy, she has no comment on these allegations,' a representative for Palmer told the outlet.
Read the original article on People