In this episode of Waiting on the Trade, guest host Kathryn Prince helps us unpack the complications of collaborative works and cancel culture, as we discuss Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and co.’s Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
This Month’s Discussion Questions
- Warren Ellis has leveraged his power as a popular writer to be a creep to a lot of young women. So, what are your thoughts on cancel culture in comics, given they are so collaborative?
- Has the comedy of Nextwave held up for you?
- Which Nextwave member is your favorite (and why)?
Explanations, Observations, and Links of Note
- Let’s get the important bits out of the way first, huh? Here’s a link to the original statement published by Warren Ellis’s victims on SoManyOfUs.com. And here’s a link to an article published on The Beat roughly a year later, addressing the situation at that time. And finally, here’s a Newsweek article about Ellis and the allegations against him, which includes a response from him.
- Because you likely need an upper after reading all that, here’s a picture of this episode’s “script” mid-recording, when the word BUTTS appeared in rainbow text with a fuchsia background. I dare you not to laugh at that.
- Can confirm: Transpolation is not a word.
- Here’s some additional insight on what happened with that Ellis/Villalobos Wildcats series that never materialized. The actual events weren’t quite what I said in episode, and the delay/cancellation happened before any of the Ellis accusations surfaced.
- We talked about Brandon Sanderson’s unique situation and beliefs enough that you might want to read this Esquire profile of him. Pat and I both read it and found it interesting.
- I’m not going to share images of all the references to past comics Pat found, but I will share Ultimate Captain America and Elsa Bloodstone lampooning him.
Follow-Up Recommendations
If you liked Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., we think you might also like:
- Fratboy humor movies of the 2000s. (IMO, Old School did not hold up. Kat still kinda liked it.)
- The Manhattan Projects.
- Transformers vs. G.I. Joe.
New to the show? Waiting on the Trade is a comics book club podcast, run by two gents who don’t have time for monthly comics. If you’d like to get in touch with us, you can email us at WaitingOnTheTrade@gmail.com.
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As always, thanks for listening!