A transgender author who was removed from a DC Comics project after public comments about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has doubled down on her remarks, posting a Patreon essay that further criticized Kirk’s appearance and defended an earlier joke about his assassination.
Gretchen Felker‑Martin wrote in the essay that making a "glib joke" about Kirk after his killing was "irresistible" and described his face in graphic terms. She also defended a separate Patreon line, "I hope the bullet's OK," which drew broad attention after it circulated online. Felker‑Martin published the essay two days after her initial comments went viral and after DC announced it would remove her from the publisher's Red Hood comic-book series.
DC Comics said the publisher had canceled subsequent issues of the Batman spinoff and asked retailers to withdraw copies of the debut issue; the company said it would offer refunds. "At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints," the company said in a statement. "Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC's standards of conduct."
The first issue of Red Hood was released the same day DC announced the cancellation, and some retailers were instructed to pull the debut from sale in exchange for refunds. Felker‑Martin's removal from the title followed widespread online criticism of her remarks after Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot last week while speaking at a political event on a Utah college campus. Police have said 22‑year‑old Tyler Robinson shot Kirk; investigations and legal proceedings are ongoing.
In her Patreon post, Felker‑Martin criticized Kirk's politics and activism, calling out what she described as his promotion of "violent white supremacy" and the "brutal oppression of those he considered undesirable." She also wrote that she regretted not taking opportunities earlier to prompt a broader discussion about how and why violence occurs.
Felker‑Martin has a history of contentious public statements that drew attention before the Red Hood incident. In 2023 she posted a tweet expressing violent sentiments toward author J.K. Rowling amid disputes over transgender rights; she later remained a focal point in debates about trans issues and public discourse. In 2020 she tweeted remarks that appeared to justify the September 11, 2001, attacks, later deleting the post and issuing an apology. Her novel Manhunt includes a scene depicting the death of a Rowling‑like character, according to prior coverage.
Publishers, retailers and creators across the comics industry frequently face scrutiny when writers' or artists' off‑panel conduct becomes public. Industry reactions have differed in past cases, sometimes resulting in removals, editorial responses or public statements reiterating company conduct standards.
Felker‑Martin's Patreon essay framed her comments as a response to what she characterized as Kirk's own use of rhetoric that promoted harm. She did not retract the contested lines and instead defended addressing the subject in blunt terms. The debate over the post prompted immediate consequences for her DC project and renewed conversations about the boundaries between creators' private commentary and their professional work.
Representatives for Felker‑Martin did not immediately provide additional comment beyond her public posts. DC's statement emphasized the company's policy against posts that can be seen as promoting hostility or violence and confirmed that the publisher would refund customers who had purchased the debut issue.
Kirk's killing has prompted law-enforcement action and public debate. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the shooting and the motivations of the accused, Tyler Robinson, while friends, colleagues and conservative outlets have condemned the murder and called for legal accountability. The reactions to Felker‑Martin's posts highlight the ongoing tensions between creators' speech, community standards in the entertainment industry and the consequences for professional relationships when public remarks draw widespread condemnation or support.
The Red Hood cancellation and the fallout from Felker‑Martin's posts underscore how statements made off the page can swiftly affect publication plans and distribution in mainstream comics, and how publishers are navigating responses to creators' conduct amid polarized public conversations about politics, safety and accountability.