IDW Editor Heather Antos Faces Backlash For John Byrne Boycott Calls Despite Publisher's Relationship With the Creator

IDW has multiple John Byrne works available for purchase.

IDW Licensing Editor Heather Antos has stirred up controversy following a social media attack on legendary comic book creator John Byrne. Antos took to social media to call for Byrne's upcoming X-Men: Elsewhen collection to be boycotted, alleging that Byrne is transphobic and that the book is inappropriately being released during Pride Month. Here's the post:

Many have been quick to point out that Antos' protestations ring a bit hollow considering her employer, IDW, has several products featuring John Byrne available for purchase, including John Byrne's X-Men Artist's Edition (which sells for a whopping $150) and the upcoming Star Trek: The Edges of the Final Frontier--IDW Classic Collections.

Numerous comic book creators have taken to social media to react to Antos, including her longtime critic Richard C. Meyer via his Comics MATTER (Ya Boi Zack) YouTube channel:

Adding to the irony of Antos' boycott calls is the fact that former IDW Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall was instrumental in Byrne coming to the publisher to work on Star Trek, as well as helping to get X-Men: Elsewhen collected and published. Indeed, the initial printing of 25,000 copies of X-Men: Elsewhen from Abrams ComicArts is sold out. So much for a boycott, it would seem. Even Richard Johnston of Bleeding Cool felt compelled to call out Antos, asking her the following on social media:

Antos' insistence that Byrne is a so-called transphobe, the primary reasoning behind her calls for protest, remains unsubstantiated, by the way. Despite comments made by Byrne that Antos perceives as being transphobic, there is no evidence that Byrne is, and the response by fans to X-Men: Elsewhen seems to be a rebuke of her smears. Yet, despite these very public accusations and calls for a boycott by Antos, her employer IDW remains quiet. We've reached out to IDW for comment and will update if we hear anything back.

Source: Heather Antos Bluesky Account