❓WHAT HAPPENED: DC Comics canceled a new series by transgender writer Gretchen Felker-Martin after he celebrated the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Gretchen Felker-Martin, Charlie Kirk, DC Comics, and Utah State University student Tyler Robinson.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on September 10, 2025, at Utah State University, with DC Comics’ decision following shortly after.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie,” Felker-Martin posted on social media.
🎯IMPACT: DC Comics canceled Felker-Martin’s Red Hood series after one issue and offered credits for unsold copies.
Gretchen Felker‑Martin, a transgender horror author, has lost a publishing deal with DC Comics, behind franchises such as Batman and Superman, following a social media post mocking the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Felker‑Martin, who was set to release a new comic book series titled Red Hood, responded to news of Kirk’s death by writing, “Hope the bullet’s okay after touching Charlie.”
The post sparked swift backlash, and DC Comics quickly moved to cancel the series after only the first issue had been released. The company issued a statement saying, “Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.” Retailers were offered credit for any unsold copies.
Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah State University. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, a student whose boyfriend is transgender, was taken into custody and charged with murder.
Felker‑Martin, a man who poses as a woman, later defended his remarks in an essay published on Patreon. He described Kirk as “evil” and alleged that “His cruelty will linger like a bad smell for decades to come.” He added that He regretted not taking that cruelty more seriously when others tried to raise the issue. Felker‑Martin is no stranger to controversy. In 2022, he authored a horror novel depicting author J.K. Rowling burning to death, and in 2023, he made inflammatory public comments accusing several writers of being transphobic.
The fallout from Kirk’s assassination has extended far beyond Felker‑Martin. People in media, government, education, and academia have faced disciplinary actions or been terminated for making similar remarks about Kirk’s death. For instance, Matthew Dowd, a political analyst at MSNBC, was fired after he said on air that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which ultimately lead to hateful actions,” a statement the network deemed inappropriate and insensitive.
Karen Attiah, a former columnist at The Washington Post, confirmed she had been fired for posts on Bluesky that were labeled “gross misconduct” by the paper. A U.S. Secret Service agent was also suspended after allegedly posting celebratory messages about the killing, while a FEMA employee and an assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University also lost their jobs following comments seen as condoning or mocking Kirk’s assassination.
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