Lonestar, a patriotic superhero created by comic book author Mike S. Miller, was rejected by Kickstarter.com because it “does not allow … intolerance towards marginalized groups”—apparently referring to the violent transnational gang, MS-13.
MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants that fled to Los Angeles during the civil war in their home country. More than 90 percent of MS-13 members arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this year were in the United States illegally. The gang’s motto is “kill, rape, control.”
Miller, who boasts a nearly three-decade career as a comic author, including for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, is best known for his work on DC’s “Justice: Gods Among Us” series. He has also made a name for himself as a creator of comics with a conservative message.
Initially, his efforts seemed to work out really well, as the first samples of his work he had shared with the platform were welcomed.
In an email dated Sept. 27th, Kickstarter told him, “Thanks for sharing your project with us. Everything’s looking good—we can’t wait to see it go live,” Bounding Into Comics reported.
However, on Oct. 1 he got a follow-up:
“Thanks for sharing your project with us. We appreciate your interest in creating something with and for the Kickstarter community. However, after a careful review, we’ve determined that your project cannot be approved for launch.”
Miller, who thought that maybe the fact that he had also offered his work to another platform, IndieGoGo, could have been the reason for Kickstarter’s objection, responded in an email: “I’ve removed all the Soul of the Soldier stuff that is available elsewhere at this time.” He added, “These are all new covers for Lonestar, not just ‘repackaging’, but if that’s the issue please let me know.”
But, apparently, his co-production with IndieGoGo wasn’t the problem, as he got another more detailed response:
“Thanks for sharing your project with us. We’ve carefully reviewed it against our Rules, and we’re unable to approve it to launch.
As a Public Benefit Coporation committed to fighting inequality and creating a more equitable world, Kickstarter does not allow discrimination, subjugation, or intolerance towards marginalized groups. We recommend you review our Rules and list of Prohibited Items to learn more.
This decision is non-negotiable. We appreciate your understanding.”
It appears Miller got the message. He wrote to his Twitter page, “Hey team Kickstarter, it’s nice to see that you consider MS13 a ‘marginalized group’ since that’s the only people who were being ‘subjugated’ in the artwork I provided. More wokeness from the tech companies on display.”
Hey team @kickstarter, it’s nice to see that you consider MS13 a ‘marginalized group’, since that’s the only people who were being ‘subjugated’ in the artwork I provided.@benshapiro @JeremyDBoreing @QTRBlackGarrett @scrowder More wokeness from the tech companies on display. pic.twitter.com/ldRBzeUcW5
— Mike S. Miller Free Thinker (@AbacusMike) October 2, 2019
Douglas Ernst, a reporter with the Washington Times, commented: “People encourage me to declare a “side” when indie creators disagree. People want me to play Twitter Traffic Cop. Kickstarter’s decision to frame a violent gang as a “marginalized” group as a pretext to deny Mike S. Miller access to the platform is a good example why I don’t.”
You can support Miller with his Lonestar project on IndieGoGo.
The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
