Image Comics cancels Warren Ellis’ new series over allegations of ‘abuse,’ ‘manipulation,’ and ‘grooming’

"This week's FELL announcement was neither planned, nor vetted, and was in fact, premature. While finishing Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith's FELL is something we've been looking forward to for years, Image Comics will not be working with Warren on anything further until he has made amends to the satisfaction of all involved," the company said in a statement. "It is our sincere hope that the conversations that are beginning now will result in positive changes for everyone. Please visit SoManyOfUs.com."

According to the SoManyOfUs.com website, 60 individuals came forward last year to detail their "experiences" with Warren.

"The scope of our interactions with Warren Ellis varies extensively in degree and duration. With some of us, it was a brief period of private messaging conducted solely online; with others, he cultivated a relationship lasting many years, involving multiple episodes of intimate physical contact," the authors wrote at the time. "Though people are still coming forward, what’s already been disclosed covers a wide range of experiences, some seemingly harmless, some devastating. Taken in aggregate, they show a clear pattern of abuse."

"We were consciously manipulated with positive and negative reinforcement, gaslighting, and other techniques of control which leave lasting psychological damage," the website stated. "Warren Ellis’ chronic duplicity and manipulation (particularly of young and vulnerable individuals) often rendered informed consent impossible."

The authors issued an update to their website on Wednesday, indicating the goal of the post was for "people to rethink past actions and to consider how—and why—they may have facilitated harmful behaviors and environments. We called for openness, accountability, and growth, extending an offer of working with Ellis on some form of transformative justice."

"... we expressly did not want to 'cancel' author Warren Ellis," the authors wrote.

Ellis issued his own statement about the saga, indicating he reached out to the SoManyOfUs.com authors in hopes of starting a "dialogue" so that he is "no longer part of the problem or in any way still perpetuating the past."

According to Ellis, he was "careless and unthinking" when it came to "personal relationship." He indicated that he has been in therapy over the last year and is working to make changes.

"...I've been silent because I had a lot of work to do and still do, and have repairs still to make, and wish to proceed mindfully without causing further harm," he wrote. "I have, of course, been silent and isolated for too long, and should have addressed things sooner and proceeded with more speed. I apologise."

"All of this should especially have been addressed before word of a new project came out via my collaborator. That was my mistake and the book was prematurely announced without Image's input or knowledge. I should have brought up to him beforehand that I still had work to do to address my past," Ellis explained. "I should have worked with Image to make sure they were ready and comfortable to commit publicly to the project when I still had work to do to address my past. This is another example of my lousy judgment. I now add both him, and Image, to the list of apologies I owe."

Ellis indicated he would work with "collaborators who have expressed their comfort in doing so" and he has halted all public appearances for the time being.