Did Bleeding Cool Go Too Far?
By Dan C. on Dec 23, 2012 with Comments 18
BleedingCool.com runs controversial blog post
***Update 12/24/2012*** Bleeding Cool has taken the post down and replaced it with an apology from Rich Johnston. I’m glad to see that. However, the fact that in his apology, Rich calls out that he decided to take the post down after conducting a Twitter poll makes this whole thing feel even more like a shock-jock publicity stunt.
I’ll be the first to admit, I sometimes post stupid, baseless shit. Guilty as charged. That being said, I think Rich Johnston crossed a line tonight when he ran a post that seemingly made light of a 9 year old boy’s battle with Leukemia and his love of Spider-Man. After it went up, Twitter exploded in an outrage, with comic writer Ron Marz leading the charge and taking Johnston to task. For his part, Rich Johnston defended it as, “Just looking in hindsight at what seems to be a very unfortunate juxtaposition.”
On Sunday night, Bleeding Cool ran a post that was simply titled, “Um…” which was basically just a copy/paste of a nine year old kid’s letter that originally appeared in Captain America #10, which ran eight months ago. The letter reads as follows (I didn’t include the kid’s last name because, well, he’s a nine year old kid)…
Hi. My name is KJ. I am 9 years old and I love Marvel comics! I am in the hospital right now because I have leukemia. Marvel comics have helped pass the time on some very long days. My favorite character is Captain America and my favorite comic is the Defenders. Just as sure as Spidey beats Doc Ock, I am going to beat leukemia! Thank you very much.
-KJ,
Hasbro Childrens Hospital
Providence, RI
Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool
Rich Johnston, the guy who runs Bleeding Cool and who authored the post, added that it was an “unfortunate juxtaposition.” At first glance, many of you, or maybe even most of you, don’t see what the big deal is. Okay, so allow me to translate what is meant to be a very geeky, inside joke/reference. In his letter, KJ mentions that he’ll beat Leukemia, “just as sure as Spidey beats Dock Ock.” Well, it’s no secret that Amazing Spider-Man #700 comes out on Wednesday and in that issue, without giving away too much, Spidey doesn’t exactly beat Doc Ock. So the gist of this post is basically, “Hahaha. Bad comparison, kid!”
I will say that, despite what Rich Johnston says, I do think this feels pretty dirty. Johnston says it’s an “unfortunate juxtaposition”. Is it? KJ’s letter ran eight months – thirty-two weeks – ago. It wasn’t as if Marvel was running this the same week that they were shipping Amazing Spider-Man 700. No, Bleeding Cool is the one that did that. They created this juxtaposition. Additionally, the post leaves me with the mental picture of a bunch of comic geeks standing around snickering as this kid – who’s fighting cancer – is talking about his favorite comic book characters.
After the online shit storm kicked off, Johnston went back and added the following piece of commentary…
Nevertheless in all the various online bitching about this plot or that character, it’s heartening, especially at this time of the year, to see how people read comics to be inspired. And it’s that kind of reaction that should inspire us, to be the best that we can be.
I don’t believe for a second that Bleeding Cool or Rich Johnston meant this to be an inspiring post. Otherwise, he wouldn’t title the post, “Um…” Bottom line, this was a bad joke that very few people got, with the punchline coming at the expense of a nine year old cancer patient. So, to answer the question that I posed in the title of this post – Did Bleeding Cool go too far? – I would say that, yes, Bleeding Cool went way too far with this. Nothing about this post was clever, funny, or interesting. It was, pure and simple, mean.
Hopefully, Rich Johnston – who’s been reporting on comics for many years – comes to his senses and 1.) Takes the post down and 2.) Issues an apology. I’m far from Mr. Manners or even Mr. Good Ideas, but even I know that you don’t use a kid with cancer as the butt of a joke. Or in an “unfortunate juxtaposition.” You just don’t do that.
Filed Under: Geek Culture
The article certainly comes off as “Spider-man didn’t beat Doc Ock, you’re f%&ked”
Way to stay classy Rich.
Exactly. As if a nine year old boy battling cancer isn’t enough of an “unfortunate juxtaposition”, Rich Johnston decides to go out of his way – two days before Christmas – to rub it in.
RJ, you’re so full of shit your eyes must be deep brown. Dan got it right and all your who me? reactions won’t save u this time.
Yeah, I don’t get the backlash.
It’s not Rich’s fault that Marvel chose an atrocious ending for ASM, one that all but says ‘good guys don’t win when push comes to shove.’ Any logical company getting a letter like this would maybe stop and think that perhaps THAT ending wasn’t the right thing to send out given how many kids still want to believe in superheroes.
But no, blame Rich. Clearly he’s to blame. (Rolls eyes so hard the interent explodes!)
a) Marvel didnt do that or isnt remotely saying that, read the bloody issue.
b) If they took your suggestion nothing bad would happen to any of their characters EVER. Almost every other issue theres some leter from some boy or girl (or their parents) about a horrible decease and [some connection to comics]. Pick and choose the right one and you can find a comparison like this for ANY comic event.
Its utterly false drama on many levels.
Posting a horrible story from someones life to get views is just exploitation, pure and simple.
The worst Marvel can be accused of…the very worse…is telling a story some people dont like.
If it was to “get views” I wouldn’t have run it on a Sunday night over Christmas with a headline as buried as “Um”. It was a curio, nothing more.
You make a mockery of a child’s fight with cancer and then blame others? It isn’t about criticizing Marvel, but a 9 year old. Of course you took it too far and contine to do so by justifying what you wrote.
I did not make a mockery of a child’s fight with cancer.
Are you seriously playing the victim in this? Jesus, Rich. You’ve pulled some sordid shit in the past but this is just ridiculous.
Sordid shit? Like what?
Rich Johnston: Given the title of the post, seeing it as anything other than a tasteless joke is meeting you much more than halfway. If you don’t see anything wrong with your post, defend it as written. Don’t try to pretend it’s something it’s not.
The title of the post was “Um”.
He posted a picture showing the irony of Marvel publishing a 9 year old’s letter saying Spider-Man gives him strength to fight his disease only for them to kill Spider-Man 10 months later. I don’t see any mocking here.
“Just as sure as Spidey beats Doc Ock, I am going to beat leukemia!” and then Johnston posting it with a title of, “Um…” and calling it an “unfortunate juxtaposition”. I take that as Rich Johnston trying hinting at something that isn’t very funny.
The letter was featured in Captain America 10? That was out the same time as Ends Of the Earth. The kid was obviously talking about Ends of the earth in which Spidy went up against Doc Ock.
That post just sounds dumb now man …
Okay then it’s an unfortunate juxtaposition by hindsight that’s been whipped up by Ron Marz’s Attack Squad.
Certainly no criticism of Marvel was intended and the latter text was intended to clarify that.
But then the gist you take was also some heavy re-interpretation. There was no mocking of a cancer patient, indeed the original piece is a rather heartening one.
Jesus, Rich, I refuse to believe you weren’t smart enough to know how most people would interpret this. I get the impression that you enjoy lighting up these hate-storms.
Wasn’t it just a few days ago that you set Liefeld and Larson off with another one of your “juxtapositions” when put up a post with a title – that you later changed – that implied Liefeld wasn’t the sole creator of Youngblood?
This sort of thing is starting to look like a pattern and it reflects rather poorly, I think, on your site’s image.
The pitch document for Youngblood to Malibu was credited to both Kanalz and Liefeld and copyright to them both. Now clearly a deal was done before publication. But I don’t have any problem in crediting Kanalz as a co-creator of Youngblood as I do co-crediting Bill Finger for Batman.