Though some fans feel strongly for the Batman and Wonder Woman (Wonderbats to those familiar with the ship) pairing, others aren't too fond of the ship and it seems like some have been voicing their concerns about writer and artist Liam Sharpe's comic book series, The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman.
The team-up miniseries which was announced back in November last year was said to continue where Sharpe's run with Greg Ruck on Wonder Woman left off. Sharpe revealed that while Wonder Woman and Steve Treveor's relationship would remain the same, he'd put in a bit of commentary on the Batman and Wonder Woman ship.
Though this excited fans who support the WonderBats pairing, others expressed outrage over Sharpe's plans, saying it disrespected the Superman and Wonder Woman pairing and that it suggested "male objectification."
Taking to Facebook, Sharpe responded to the backlash, trying to explain his decisions in his plans for the miniseries.
There's a lot of people hating on me for writing and drawing a series that teams Batman with Wonder Woman. Some of the hate is from people who ship Wonder Woman and Superman. Some is from people who wrongly think I'm splitting up Diana and Steve – I'm not. I wouldn't. Some is from people who think Diana shouldn't be with any man at all, because it's a male objectification trope. I was called out for mentioning that there would be a nod to the Batman Wonder Woman shippers, which drove some people nuts. I was told I support cheating on your partner for suggesting it's possible to have many relationships before you meet the one you truly love and marry. That things happen, and people drift apart, and people make mistakes. That there is room to explore many such relationships in melodramas. Apparently this is not true for some."
The writer and artist went on to explain how fan's negativity has affected his work and his made him decide to avoid social media for a while.
These things are the kind of moment that drive you away from interacting online. It's increasingly hard to be there for fans in a positive way because of this. And it's too easy to say ignore the trolls. By doing that we have all allowed this kind of behavior to flourish.
I've been off social media, except for the odd art post, for weeks – and it has been bliss. And I've produced the best work I've ever done. I popped back on to give my new series a bit of a boost and show some new art – I was excited! – and I just got jumped on and battered. Twitter, in particular, is quickly vanishing into my rear view mirror. It's just not worth it. I spend seven days a week, often 12 hours a day, trying to make beautiful, entertaining stories with characters I love and respect. That's what we all do. Stories should move people, and sometimes sadden, and even sometimes anger, otherwise it would be very dull indeed in storyland!
All these characters reset. They all return to whatever version we each love most. Times change, our idea of what is right changes, and so does our sense of ethical responsibility. We grow. We will, of course, also make some mistakes and break a few eggs along the way. That should be permissible too. How else do we learn if we don't take risks? What great things were ever achieved without boldness, fearlessness or taking a chance?
And yes – it does get to you. When you work hard and care it's impossible not to be dispirited. It takes the joy out of it, starts you second guessing, and doubting. Doubting is the enemy of creativity. So again, I stand by my decision to (mostly) stay away from social media, except to post a picture now and again. But as I found out, even that can be enough to start a storm."
Sharp's reaction seems pretty understandable. It's very hard to please any fanbase – everyone will always react differently to the risks that a writer or an artist takes in any franchise. The internet has given fans an avenue to vent without caution, and sometimes fans can be very vocal. It's such a shame what internet culture has become.
Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #1 hits shelves on February 21, 2018.
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