The launch of Valiant’s new Bloodshot has been hit with a huge dust-up online, as anti-trans dogwhistles were seemingly included in the dialogue, leading to multiple apologies by publisher Alien Books and writer Mauro Mantella. Cadence Comic Art has been hit with a lawsuit by 17 artists. Marvel launches The Infernal Hulk.
SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON BLUESKY, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON.
Powered by RedCircle
Episode Transcript:
Valiant’s Bloodshot relaunch hit with significant backlash.
Cadence Comic Art hit with lawsuit.
Marvel launches The Infernal Hulk.
This is Comic Book Club News for August 18, 2025.
Valiant’s Bloodshot Relaunch Causes Backlash Over Anti-Trans Dogwhistles:
This past Wednesday, Valiant launched its new-reader-friendly Valiant Beyond initiative with Bloodshot #1, by writer Mauro Mantella. However, readers quickly discovered a panel in the book that contained language used in anti-trans messaging, albeit through the lens of Bloodshot fighting vampires. Since then, a lot has happened.
To review, here’s the offending narration, regarding a new world order that includes becoming a vampire on demand: “There are kids who want to be bitten to become vampires because their favorite influencer says they are one. And parents who force their children into that irreversible change… just to feel modern… and believing that they’ll be thankful for it when they grow up.”
After the backlash hit, Valiant publisher Alien Books and Mantella issued a joint statement, provided to Comic Book Club. In it, Alien and Mantella “sincerely apologize for the harm caused by the phrasing in Bloodshot #1. While the story takes place in a fictional world of vampires and cults, we understand that a specific line of dialogue has been read as alluding to real-world issues, specifically, the discrimination faced by trans people.”
Alien went on to explain that as Mantella is an “Argentinian creator,” it was a “case of nuance being lost in translation.” They also said they would take steps to update the dialogue digitally, and in collected editions, and “undergo a more intense review” of scripts.
Immediately, this too faced pushback as Mantella is credited as a translator on Simon & Schuster’s bio page for the author. And as also discovered online, on Mantella’s X account, he had frequently reposted anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-vaccine conspiracy accounts.
Following these revelations, Mantella’s X account was deleted, and he posted a lengthy message on Instagram and Facebook once again offering his “sincere apologies.” In addition, he went further into explaining the supposed translation error as he “borrowed a common phrase used by haters and tried to adapt it to the fictional world of vampires I was building.”
As for reposting conspiracy theories, Mantella did admit he enjoyed them, but “I often search for that kind of material because I find it fascinating and inspiring, but that doesn’t mean I support them. I’m not promoting those ideas — it’s simply something that entertains me and sparks my creativity.”
While reaction online seems to be pretty evenly split in terms of Mantella’s apology note, it likely won’t be the end of this: he also explained that the plot about children being changed into vampires will be picked up in Bloodshot #2, which hits stores on September 24. Here’s hoping that script undergoes a more intense review before it lands on shelves.
Cadence Comic Art Hit With Lawsuit By 17 Comic Book Artists:
Way back in February of 2024, a slew of comic book artists abruptly and publicly cut ties with Cadence Comic Art, an art dealer who had previously represented everyone from Zoe Thorogood and Tula Lotay to Mike Norton. While at the time there were no publicly revealed specifics as to why this was happening, via a press release sent to Comic Book Club and confirmed due to state court filings, we have a better idea of what’s happening, thanks to a lawsuit that has been filed against the company in the state of New York.
The suit itself was filed back on August 7, and is docketed as Cloonan et al v. Cadence Comic Art Inc. The full list of plaintiffs includes notable artists who have worked with Marvel, DC, Image, and many more, including: Pia Guerra, Jill Thompson, David Marquez, Becky Cloonan, Joelle Jones, Elena Casagrande, Tyler Crook, Wesley Craig, Leila Leiz, Rafael Albuquerque, Jenny Frison, Valerio Schiti, Allesandro Cappuccio, Mahmud Asrar, Paolo Villanelli, Yildiray Cinar, and Danai Christina Kilaidoni.
Represented by Polina Ivko of the firm Adwar Ivko, the suit alleges that art dealer Paolo Belfiore and Cadence Comic Art, “engaged in systematic fraud and misconduct. The defendants are accused of violating fiduciary and statutory obligations under New York’s Art and Cultural Affairs Law by misappropriating funds, failing to provide accurate account statements, commingling trust funds, and withholding unsold art. Artists seek damages, injunctive relief, and accountability for these breaches.”
As of now, an initial pretrial conference has been set in New York City for November 18, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., and a summons has been issued for Belfiore.
Previously — this being back in February of 2024 — The Beat reported multiple instances of customers complaining about unfulfilled orders on their end, as well as a lack of communication from the company. And Bleeding Cool noted that Manager Andrew Christman resigned from the company on January 29, 2024, though at the time was still working to get the artists their art back.
We’ll have more on this as it develops.
Marvel Launches The Infernal Hulk:
The Hulk is about to go to Hell for his final Friday in The Infernal Hulk, the next chapter of Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein’s epic run on the Marvel character.
Picking up after Hulk’s rematch with Eldest, the firstborn of the Mother of Horrors, in Incredible Hulk #30, per PR from Marvel, “The Eldest’s long-seeded plan comes to fruition as it uses the power of the Strongest There Is to usher in a new AGE OF MONSTERS, unleashing a dark destiny for the entire Marvel Universe and declaring war for its very soul!”
Said Johnson via press release, “I’ve been promising Hulk fans the biggest, boldest status quo change in Hulk’s history, and that time is finally here. The next few issues of Incredible Hulk give fans all the answers they’ve been waiting for about Eldest and the Mother of Horrors, and INFERNAL HULK is the beginning of a terrifying new normal, not just for the Hulk series but for the entire Marvel Universe.”
Infernal Hulk #1 hits stores on November 26, 2025.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And the last one was fun, right? We do have fun here, in the comic book industry.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comicbookclublive.com.
Listen early and ad-free on Patreon.com/comicbookclub.
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.