Neil Gaiman

[MrFMercury]

Yep saw the stuff about Sandman was always going to be two series posts and thought it was shifty. Just do what they’ve done for the Good Omens graphic novel and be upfront about it. I think it’d be a good precedent to stay saying ‘we are cancelling/changing our plans for this book/show/series because it’s come to light that X is an abuser and we don’t want to give them any cash of kudos’ or something like that anyway

 

[tuberculosis]

Just saw a post that attached this screenshot. Has anyone read it? I don't think I can bear to. Apologies if it's old!

 

[Cinnabun]

Found this on twitter. Mr Talented Feminist stole his ideas from a woman.

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

That is a very intriguing idea. I am sure Jonathan and Jane split up for awhile and she was with someone before getting back together. Once a cheater....

It does make we wonder, Gaiman had a lot of celebrity friends. Who knew about all of this?

 

[theleagueofgentlemen]

Any guy who is "Outspoken" about feminism is a wrongun. Neil is no exception.

I don’t think that’s the case tbf,and in all honesty can’t recall him ever being particularly ‘outspoken’ about it (as far as I recall)
However AP has always made out that she’s some sort of ‘feminist champion’ when the grim reality is that she was a complete groomer.

 

[tuberculosis]

Are there rumours about him?

Not as far as I'm aware, he just gives (and has always given) me the same fake-unassuming good-guy vibes as Gaiman. I don't imagine he's a sexual predator, but I think we'll eventually hear about some behaviour he would rather was kept quiet.

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

Thanks for sharing. That is something I have not heard of before .

Given that she was a teacher, it would make sense if she had read or was aware of other children's books at the time. It does seem to be a clear influence.

I have read the Good Omens has started filming this week. It must feel very odd for the actors knowing what has happened since they last filmed for the show.

 

[Shawads]

Glad he’s getting cancelled, think it’s better for actors etc to lose their roles this time around and protect their future careers and reputation. I presume agencies will have some sort of contingency where work is pulled due to adverse publicity around someone else involved in the production

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

‘Good Omens’ To End With One 90-Minute Episode As Neil Gaiman Exits Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Good Omens is getting a final send-off, albeit a truncated one.

deadline.com

I have seen some rumours about this over last few days and it looks like it has been confirmed.

I feel sad for the fanbase, I know that there are some people who the show means a lot to, and theh will be disappointed that it isn't a full series. However I think they are also quite lucky that this is happening at all now.

 

[Whatevesmate]

Despite his denials his publisher have announced that they are cancelling his future works:

BBC News - Neil Gaiman's publisher cancels future works

Neil Gaiman's publisher cancels future works after sexual misconduct allegations

Dark Horse Comics was set to publish more works in the Anansi Boys series, a spin-off of the British author's novel American Gods.

www.bbc.com

 

[Danica Catrick]

She groomed and trafficked women. The part where she doesn’t pay the desperate nanny is an obvious way to control her and make her dependent on them.

I re-read that article. It’s so difficult for victims to see what is going on. Felt increasingly enraged at his manipulative but entirely predictable behaviour, including the abuser classics of threatening to kill himself and DARVO (he calls says to one victim ‘I thought you were a monster’), using therapy as a shield…

His money will cushion him. He will find more enablers and victims. He will disappear for a while then either try and come back as a misunderstood victim (the Scientology childhood, BDSM) or alt-right like Brand.

I agree that his money will cushion him. He's wealthy enough that he could never work again, or reinvent himself in any number of ways.

I'm also reminded of something I saw in an OJ documentary, where his friend said OJ couldn't believe the amount of female attention he got after the court case as he was suddenly seen by women as a bad boy. The same will happen here

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

Starting a new thread, as discussions about Gaiman had taken over the Amanda Palmer thread.

‘Good Omens’ Final Season Suspends Production Following Neil Gaiman Assault Allegations

Prime Video has halted production on the final season of 'Good Omens' after author Neil Gaiman was accused of sexual assault.

variety.com

I think they will probably be trying to work out if they can go ahead with series 3 without his involvement, or if they should can it all together.

There has also been some news in last few days that Disney is no longer looking at moving forward on The Graveyard book. However, as they have been trying to get that film going for years, they may just be using what has happened to drop a failing project.

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

I absolutely agree with whoever said that Good Omens was very ' Pleased with itself'. I think a lot of the humour of the book only works when it is read, the jokes and situations are not the same when you can actually see them play out.

I have read the book once or twice and I never got what the big deal about it was. I think maybe it was very subversive for the time it was written, but it felt a bit dated and slow by time I actually got to it.

I have not watched series 2, but i have heard what happens and I do not for a minute believe that PTerry would have written the characters as being romantically together. I think the characters were originally meant to have a lot of the writers in them, and it would be weird to write yourself as romantically paired with your friend/colleague/cowriter.


The netflix sandman had a lot of box tick diversity in it. I had no issue with the lady playing Death, she was great.

Some of the race swaps felt really shallow and lazy, you can't just change someone's sex or race and pretend that changes nothing about the character.

It was also really silly that the ' good guy' characters were more likely to be swapped to being none white, whilst the bad people stayed white.

 

[Harlot O'Scara]

Good chance the NDA was signed under duress as well, although that's hard to prove.

 

[Harlot O'Scara]

Petty considering the seriousness of it but I am glad I could never much get into Good Omens.

I never read the book but I found the TV to be unbearably pleased with itself. The bits with Tennant and Sheen were fun but the rest I thought was rubbish. I feel bad because they are kids but the kids acting was painful to watch.

The book bored me to death and the TV show looked like smug rubbish - I don't have much time for Tennant either.

I liked The Graveyard Book, though, and I was planning to read some more Gaiman, but I don't think I'll bother now.

 

[lilykestrel]

Funnily enough I remember saying to someone that I did enjoy Good Omens but there were times when I felt like the narrator made a joke and then you glance at them and they're giving you a look as if to say "well aren't I exceedingly intelligent and witty harharharhar" and it threw me off quite a bit

ETA basically my long disjointed way of saying it does feel rather smug

 

[Bread]

I'm currently listening to the podcast and shot here because I KNEW there'd be a thread on him. I have no idea who Amanda Palmer is and don't really think much of Gaiman as I'm not into fantasy, although years ago I did read some rather unsettling stories by him and I didn't know whether I liked them or not.

I'm on episode 2, and feeling rather ill. It's clear that he is very manipulative and downright weird, but there isn't anything that I personally would categorise as abusive and Scarlett's texts to him are anything but discouraging. I'm not surprised people are struggling to see their relationship as anything but consensual based on the evidence thusfar. And yet I can see into her head, and have been there to the extent that I too have disassociated from my body during sex because I so badly didn't want it to happen; and have sent a few desperate friendly happy messages to bely how disgusting I felt. I can imagine how her longing to be accepted and nurtured made her continue with something she didn't enjoy because she enjoyed the rest of it, which seemed to be her being cared for and part of a family.

It would be deeply unfair of me to call what happened rape and I never would, but it affected me hugely. I wound up in hospital after it too and it took me years to come to terms with it. I don't think that is the fault of the bloke though.

Gaiman is significantly older than the man in my experience and GETTING INTO A BATH WITH HER is bloody weird to say the least. I do wonder what would have happened to Scarlett if she had said no, or stop. Because it does seem to be that you have to be explicit in your NO; the man doesn't have to get consent explicitly, but you have to withdraw it very clearly and firmly for it to count. ETA: I haven't heard any explicit "nos" in the podcast thusfar but can finally read the article and I see there are plenty of them!

I can see him genuinely believing that he didn't do anything wrong, probably because he has done it so many times before and hasn't heard "no" from anyone or been asked to examine his own behaviour.

It's very hard to get my head around all this. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else. I normally binge podcasts but I'm not sure I can do it with this one.

 

[Tea_and_Biscuits]

Petty considering the seriousness of it but I am glad I could never much get into Good Omens.

I never read the book but I found the TV to be unbearably pleased with itself. The bits with Tennant and Sheen were fun but the rest I thought was rubbish. I feel bad because they are kids but the kids acting was painful to watch.

I liked the first series as it's based on the actual book and still had the influence and wit of Terry Pratchett there but the second one felt like a cash-in. The lesbian relationship just seemed to be there for diversity tickboxing, instead of being fully fledged characters.

There was a radio series of the book a few years back which was much better.

 

[funkimunki1984]

Tbf I’m not surprised, some of the shit he writes is dark as fuck.

I told my husband today and he went “oh ffs, I’ll just stop reading then.” TBH he’s got dyslexia so he’s only really read some of the smaller novels like the graveyard book (which was actually good and I wanted to be made into a film), stardust and Coraline. He’s read what he’s don’t and said he’s a sick fuck and binned his books. Said he should be in prison or in Bilquis’ fanny from American gods (I don’t know if anyone saw the show but he deserves to be made to suffer like those poor women have.)

 

[TheMan]

I don't think it will. OJ was a rare case in that he was considered innocent by a ton of people. Neil isn't. Neil is dead to rights. Plus in a perverted way, what he did some think is worse than what OJ did.