DC cancels gay Superman comic amid sales decline

A Superman comic book series centered around the superhero’s bisexual teenage son will be shelved by the end of the year.

DC Comics announced that “Superman: Son of Kal-El” will end with issue No. 18 in December during the New York Comic Con over the weekend, according to entertainment news site Bleeding Cool.

The comic’s storylines had 17-year-old protagonist Jonathan Kent heavily involved with social issues, such as school shootings, fighting climate change deniers and rescuing “undocumented migrants,” according to the Daily Mail.

Kent — the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane — started a relationship with a refugee ’hacktivist’ Jay Nakamura by the series’ fifth issue.

“The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity,” series author Tom Taylor told the New York Times in an interview last year.

The spin-off series had been struggling commercially.

After selling nearly 69,000 copies when its first issue dropped in July 2021, the comic had fallen to 37,500 copies sold by its fourth month, according to the Daily Mail. Last month’s sales were at 34,000.

Mr. Taylor said that Jonathan Kent will be brought back as the main character in “Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent,” which will begin early next year.

“I couldn’t be more excited for Jon Kent to headline the iconic Adventures of Superman,” the writer said, according to Bleeding Cool. “It’s a real testament to the fantastic response of fans to Jon as Superman.