Diversity & Comics YouTuber and writer Richard Meyer is suing comic book writer Mark Waid.
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Reported by Bleeding Cool, Meyer is suing Waid over claims of “tortious interference with contract and defamation” over Meyer’s upcoming graphic novel Jawbreakers. Back in May, Antarctic Press announced that they would be publishing Jawbreakers with the publication planned for August. However, the publisher later announced that they would no longer be publishing the graphic novel. According to Meyer’s lawsuit, Waid is the reason why.
After the initial announcement that Jawbreakers was being published by Antarctic Press, Waid took to Facebook to post that he had called the publisher to alert them of problematic behavior on Meyer’s part, specifically, “creators whose marketing strategy is to allegedly (*koff*) encourage their fans to threaten the employees of stores, and/or harass and one-star-review-bomb stores, that don’t order their product.” It’s that statement and others that Meyer alleges “bullied” the publisher into dropping Jawbreakers.
“Later that day, Waid spoke by telephone with one of the owners of Antarctic Press and convinced him that Antarctic Press should repudiate its contract with Meyer,” the lawsuit reads. “Frightened for its very survival by Waid’s threats, and primarily because of his unwelcome interference, Antarctic Press caved to Waid’s pressure.”
Meyer goes on to claim that Waid’s actions have caused him to be blacklisted in the comics industry at large and is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 due to Antarctic Press dropping Jawbreakers. As for the defamation claim element of the lawsuit, Meyer claims that Waid “intentionally published statements of fact to his followers and the general public” including those the suit says characterize “Meyer as a racist, serial harasser of minorities, and as affiliated with white supremacists.”
In response to Meyer’s lawsuit, Waid’s lawyer Mark Zaid called the suit “frivolous”.
“Mark will aggressively fight this frivolous lawsuit with every legal means available but at the end of the day what will have the greatest favorable impact for him are the actual facts,” Zaid said. “Mr. Meyer’s lawsuit will further reveal to the world his true nature. Ironically his own litigation will likely increase the professional isolation he alleges Mark has caused.
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