After significant backlash to the announcement that writer Warren Ellis has returned to writing for Image Comics, Ellis has taken to his newsletter to respond publicly to the multiple allegations of grooming and sexual coercion that took him out of the spotlight back in 2020.
“A few people have asked me about past events in my life,” Ellis said via his newsletter (and hat tip to Liz Shannon Miller for the heads up). “It’s not my place to pick at it in public or speak for others. I will say that I got to apologise directly to a group of people and offer amends, which I remain very grateful for, and I keep that door open. I learned a lot and still am. I fucked up in a number of ways over the years, it doesn’t matter that I never acted with malice in mind, I hurt people, I’m sorry, and I’m trying to do better every day. That’s all I have to say for now.”
To back it up and give a little more context here, in 2020 Ellis was accused of 60 different people of grooming and coercion, with publishers — including Image Comics — cutting ties with the writer until he took steps to make amends. In 2021, an organization of these 60 people called So Many Of Us offered to work with him, though as of 2023 he had reportedly not taken any of the steps laid out by the organization.
In 2025, without any public-facing reconciliation or announced progress by So Many Of Us, Image published a facsimile of Fell, Ellis’s comic with artist Ben Templesmith. Then this year, Image announced the collection of one of Ellis’s Wildstorm titles, followed by his first original comics work in half a decade, Ghost Drive Station with artist Lordess Foudre.
In lieu of any comment from Image — we reached out in 2025, got “no comment,” and both Image and reps for Ellis did not respond to requests for comment about Ghost Drive Station — multiple posts began to call for an outright boycott of Image Comics until they offered some sort of response and/or cut ties with Ellis, again. So Many Of Us has also not been updated, or offered a formal response as of this writing.
However, Katie West, a member of So Many of Us and currently an editor of Image Comics, posted her own lengthy response on August 12, detailing the complicated emotions around Ellis’s return as well as the proposed boycott. You can read her post in full below (which, for clarity, was posted four days before Ellis’s statement, above).
I have spent the day re-reading the entirety of SoManyOfUs.com, including every testimonial. I’ve also re-read dozens of documents and communications from the transformative justice action SMOU-TJ and Warren Ellis started. I wanted to remember the hope I held at that time. I also wanted to see if I could approach this moment with gratitude instead of anger.
To believe in transformative justice is to believe people capable of change. But, as our mediator said during the process, “transformation is heartbreak.” It is crushing and painful, but it is also our right as human beings. I haven’t spoken to Warren Ellis in over 6 years. I don’t know who he is now. I don’t know how he’s changed, but I’m sure he has. I know Warren read all of SoManyOfUs.com and I can’t imagine an outcome where doing so doesn’t change you. But, as Kai Cheng Thom says, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” I was often sad that Warren, when confronted with the consequences of his actions, didn’t react in the way I expected him to. But I am grateful it led to me untangling 15 years of complicated feelings and hurtful actions.
I’m grateful that I believe we can change and hold ourselves accountable in this world. But, quoting our mediator again, “being called to accountability feels like being reminded that your shit stinks. and coming clean is hard to do.” It can feel impossible to look in the mirror and confront the worst version of ourselves. Without having the necessary support systems in place to make it possible, I don’t blame or fault anyone for not being able to do it.
We all tried our best. When our attempt at a community accountability action failed, I was disappointed, but grateful that we tried. And grateful to know that Warren had tried, too.
I currently work as an editor in comics, with books I work on being published by Image. I love comics. I love the comics community and how we all keep making them despite it being so hard, with no financial security, and no safety nets. I see groups within the community doing so much good and fighting hard to make the industry more sustainable and safer for everyone involved.
But there is no set process for anyone in the comics community to account for our actions and change our behaviour after harm or abuse has happened. This has led many people to be forced out of the industry – victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. My heart hurts for all the people who were bullied, ostracized, shunned, or threatened out of this community, particularly those I spoke to back in June and July of 2020, impacted by Warren’s actions. I hope one day this changes.
I’m grateful to everyone who was wondered if Warren has “made amends to the satisfaction of all involved.” It shows me solidarity and care are widespread within comics. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied, but I also would say I am no longer personally invested in Warren’s transformation.
I am personally invested in the books I work on that come out with Image, and I really hope you don’t take any disappointment you feel in Image’s actions out on the creators whose work they publish. Seeing people boycotting Image comics feels a cruel joke when that directly affects my livelihood and that of the people who respect and support me. But I get it – this seems like a financial decision from Image, so respond in a financial fashion. I hope we can all keep ourselves open to change in the future.
My resolve to expand my capacity to hope for change – after a night of anger and crying and shouting – is renewed. Thanks for hearing me out and for reading all of this.
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