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Comics

Dark Horse Finally Fires Scott Allie After Years of Sexual Abuse Allegations

This one is long overdue.
Image of Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea Steiner
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Published: Jun 27, 2020 04:46 pm

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CW: Sexual abuse and assault

After years of sexual abuse allegations and controversy, Dark Horse Comics has finally fired editor Scott Allie. While Allie has been accused of misconduct for quite some time, it took a damning Twitter thread from writer Shawna Gore, which detailed over a decade of abuse from Allie during their time working at Dark Horse.

Gore described her treatment as “chronic, escalating, unchecked abuse that was not related to his alcohol use. This was, and is, illegal behavior that he needs to be held accountable for.”

Allie was previously accused of sexual harassment in 2015, in an article in Graphic Policy written by Janelle Asselin. Asselin wrote of the protection that men receive within the comics industry from their fellow men, as they do in literally every other industry saying,

“If you stop ignoring that behavior and make the mistake of speaking up, well, you’re not part of the team anymore. You’re a problem. You might remain on staff, but you’ll be frozen out while the person you reported continues on their merry way, eventually making the environment completely unbearable for you and for others. This sends the message over and over again that people who are one of the gang, no matter how badly they behave, are valued above people who refuse to ignore harassment and assault.”

In response, Allie issued an apology. And while Allie’s abuse was an open secret within the comics industry, he continued to be hired for new jobs. In 2017, Allie was hired to provide “oversight” on Where We Live, a comics anthology whose proceeds were donated to the survivors of the Las Vegas mass shooting. Eventually Allie stepped down as Editor-in-Chief, but continued to work on a freelance basis.

In light of Gore’s thread, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola declared that he would never work with Allie again:

Dark Horse followed with a statement saying “Effective immediately, Dark Horse Comics will not be working with Scott Allie now or in the future, … His removal from every Dark Horse project will be followed by sincere and active change. … Dark Horse Comics will dedicate itself to ensuring that this will not ever happen again within our company … We can and will do better.”

Dark Horse’s statement is wildly different in tone to President Mike Richardson’s flippant comments to The Beat in 2015, where he said of allegations, “In this particular case, action was taken immediately, though we did not, and cannot, perform a public flogging, as some might wish.”

Now, Richardson has announced plans for a zero tolerance policy on harassment and abuse, as well as mandatory training for his staff.

Many creators and artists took to social media to call out Allie and to share their support for Gore:

(via io9, image: screengrab/PREVIEWSworld)

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Author
Image of Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.
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