“Divided States of Hysteria” comic sparks social media uproarJuly 1, 2017 - 12:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - For the second time in a month, Image Comics and writer/artist Howard Chaykin are facing outcry over the Divided States of Hysteria comic book series, The Hollywood Reporter said. The latest round of upset surrounds the cover for the series' fourth issue, due for release in September. The cover, by Chaykin, features a Pakistani man hanging by a noose, with his genitalia exposed and mutilated, and a name badge pinned to his chest bearing a racial epithet. The artwork was originally released June 21 along with the covers for Image's other September releases, but there was no notable response to the cover until Friday morning (June 30), when social media — seemingly prompted by this tweet — started taking notice. As of writing, Image Comics has not responded to the many complaints about the artwork for the series, which takes place during a second American Civil War, launched after a terrorist attack destroys New York City. Outrage surrounding the cover follows an earlier controversy surrounding the first issue of the series earlier this month. That issue, which was not only published during Pride month but also was released with a Pride variant cover, prominently featured a transgender sex worker who is beaten by her clients once they discover she is trans, leading to her killing them in self-defense and being arrested for their murder. In reaction to reader response at the issue's homophobia, Image posted an essay from the first issue, written by series creator Chaykin, in which he complained about the current political climate in the country. A subsequent announcement of the issue returning to print included a statement from Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson that said, in part, "Rooted in the worst aspects of reality, this is indignant, rebellious fiction, designed to make readers both angry and uncomfortable, but more than that, it’s intended to provoke thought about how and why things have reached a state where the tools for progress — discourse, understanding, cooperation — are shunned in favor of treating anyone with an opposing viewpoint as an enemy combatant." Chaykin, whose past comics work includes two volumes of the pornographic horror series Black Kiss as well as recreations of pulp heroes The Shadow and Blackhawk, is no stranger to controversy. Indeed, the pre-release promotion for Divided States saw him boasting that the series "may very well get me arrested here in the good ol' USA." Photo: Howard Chaykin Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |