Dark Horse Comics has canceled plans to publish the final issue of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys comic series following the latest allegations of sexual assault against the author.
“Dark Horse takes seriously the allegations against Neil Gaiman and we are no longer publishing his works,” the comic book publishers wrote on social media Friday. “Confirming that the Anansi Boys comic series and collected volume have been cancelled.”
An adaptation of Gaiman’s 2005 novel, Dark Horse announced plans to publish Anansi Boys as a multi-volume comic book collection in February 2024, with the first volume spanning eight monthly issues. The first issue arrived in June 2024; the following month, the first accusations surfaced against Gaiman in the investigative podcast Master, with three women accusing the author of sexual misconduct.
Gaiman has denied the allegations against him, but while the streaming services working on Gaiman’s television projects severed ties with him, Dark Horse continued to publish issues of Anansi Boys. However, after seven issues, New York magazine published its own cover story on Gaiman that brought forward even more victims of Gaiman’s alleged sexual abuse, leading to the comic book publisher’s decision to ultimately cancel the series before the volume-ending eighth issue, as well as a planned release of the volume in its entirety.
Marc Bernardin, the writer on the Anansi Boys comic book series, wrote on Instagram last week, “Last Wednesday, issue 7 of Anansi Boys hit the stands. It will be the last issue. Dark Horse will not collect it into a trade.”
“Anansi Boys is about two brothers, twins. One is meek, timid, like a flopsy, set-upon puppy. The other brother is narcissistic, hedonistic, governed by nothing other than his own pursuit of sensation and pleasure. They seem so different, but they are very much flip sides of the same coin. Literally. I never gave too much thought about that. Until now,” Bernardin continued. “My heart breaks for the survivors and any pain seeing these books on the shelves might have caused.”
It’s unclear if Dark Horse will also discontinue publishing its past collaborations with Gaiman, including comic book adaptations of his American Gods, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and a series of Norse mythology.
Following the initial allegations against Gaiman, Disney+ paused plans to adapt Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book into a feature film, and Prime Video pivoted away from a third season of Gaiman’s Good Omens, instead opting for a feature-length final episode without Gaiman’s participation.
In a statement posted to his website following the New York article — which features the accounts of eight accusers — Gaiman wrote, “I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever.”