Comic book publisher drops author Neil Gaiman amid sexual misconduct allegations

NEW YORK - The American comic book company that publishes the graphic novels and comics of Neil Gaiman announced over the weekend that it would no longer work with the English author after

a storm of sexual misconduct allegations

and that it would halt the publication of his forthcoming Anansi Boys series.

Dark Horse Comics wrote on social platform X on Jan 25: “Dark Horse takes seriously the allegations against Neil Gaiman and we are no longer publishing his works”.

The announcement followed a New York magazine article in January that contained allegations that Gaiman sexually abused and assaulted multiple women over several years.

Gaiman, 64, has emphatically denied the allegations

and said in a statement on Jan 14: “I have never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.”

The announcement by Dark Horse Comics, which is based in Milwaukie, Oregon, is the latest fallout for Gaiman. Television adaptations of his work have been paused, productions have been dropped, and several publishers have backed away from working with him on any new projects.

Dark Horse released the first of the Anansi Boys comic book series, which was an adaptation of Gaiman’s 2005 novel of the same name, in June 2024. It was intended to be an eight-part series, seven of which have been released.

The New York magazine article, published on Jan 13, gave shape to allegations that began circulating in July 2024, when

several women appeared on a podcast

titled Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman. After they accused the author on the podcast of sexually assaulting and abusing them, several of Gaiman’s film adaptations and Hollywood projects were dropped or paused.

The response has been slower in the literary and publishing industries, where the initial reaction to the allegations, and then to the New York magazine article, was more tepid. Still, publishers have begun distancing themselves from Gaiman. Several prominent writers have denounced him or pushed for his literary awards to be stripped.

In an internal memo to the staff of WW Norton earlier in January, the company’s president said that the publishing company would no longer work with Gaiman and would not take on any future projects from him.

HarperCollins, which has published many of Gaiman’s most popular titles, has said it does not have any new books planned from him.

Neither Gaiman’s lawyer nor his literary agent at Writer’s House responded to a request for comment. NYTIMES