I was very tempted to write a eulogy for Neil Gaiman in this post, in order to express my extreme displeasure at discovering that he's yet another in a long list of celebrities revealed to be a heinous abuser. The sexual assault allegations against him are serious, and I have no reason not to believe them. I'm incredibly frustrated that yet another artist whose work I love and support is somebody I'll need to shun and denounce going forward. I used to count myself a fan of Johnny Depp, Woody Allen, Louis CK, Bill Cosby, and Joss Whedon. Gaiman's the worst one yet, because he's been my favorite author for the past twenty years. I have a whole shelf full of his books and comics, and upcoming adaptations of his work are among the few pieces of media I'm actually looking forward to.
Did I know or suspect that Gaiman deserved to be canceled? No. When I was a starry-eyed fan in my twenties I read his blog daily for years, but I stopped putting him on a pedestal after his first divorce, when he became more famous in the 2010s. A couple of incidents made it clear to me that he was very fallible and probably behaved very differently when he was out of the public eye. I figured he had a few skeletons in his closet, because nearly everyone does, but I didn't suspect they were anything like what's been alleged. But that said, I've always enjoyed his public persona very much. I was always glad to see him when he did promotion for his projects, or when he'd pop up on social media stumping for social causes or clapping back against the bigots. Gaiman has always been very good at being a public figure, even thriving on social media in spite of its toxicity. He was an LGBT ally so much earlier than most, and a big presence during the WGA strike. There's a conspiracy theory going around that the allegations against Gaiman were manufactured by the outlet that reported them - The Tortoise - which has right-wing ties. I want that to be true, but it isn't.
It's hard not to draw parallels to "Calliope," the issue of "The Sandman" comic Gaiman wrote thirty years ago. It's about a young writer who enslaves and sexually abuses an ancient Greek muse to fuel his success. The recent adaptation of that story for the "Sandman" television series added some eyebrow raising details, including that the writer styled himself as a feminist and championed progressive causes. Gaiman didn't script that episode, but he had an awful lot of influence on the show. Instead of coming off as perceptive and self-critical, "Calliope" reads as awfully confessional now. "Writers are liars" is one of the memorable lines, spoken by the abusive writer's equally terrible mentor. I've spent a long time wondering who that character might have been based on (Harlan? Roger? Surely not Terry?), and if I may have to go through this whole mess again with another of my favorite authors.
Speaking of the "Sandman" television series, a selfish part of me is the most upset about the various adaptations of Gaiman's work that could be in jeopardy. The allegations against Gaiman haven't turned into a wholesale canceling of everything he's involved with. However, this can't be ruled out, and the potential blowback will affect a lot of projects - the second season of "The Sandman," the third season of "Good Omens," which has been reduced to a final ninety minute wrap-up movie, the "Anansi Boys" miniseries, and multiple movies that are in development. "Good Omens" has been affected most so far because Gaiman is the showrunner and primary writer. The next season of "The Sandman" is far enough along that it'll be completed, but I don't know if we're getting further seasons to finish off the series. I've been waiting a very long time to see some of this material adapted, and I'm going to have to do mental gymnastics to justify to myself that it's okay to enjoy them.
And at the end of the day it is okay to enjoy them. I'm not going to throw out a whole shelf of books or my copies of the "Coraline" and "Stardust" movies. I'm going to keep watching "Sandman." Maybe "Good Omens" too. It's perfectly reasonable to not support Neil Gaiman's work as a writer going forward, but I draw the line at denying the twenty-year relationship I already have with his older output, and the adaptations that are the collaborative work of so many other people. I'm going to treat Gaiman like he's dead, and grieve the person that I thought he was. And I'm going to brace myself for the next cancellation, because now this is a normal part of my life and consuming media.
And it sucks, but it is necessary. And it'll get done.
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