This cancel culture is brutal!
The Sandman Season 2 came out recently, catching me off guard.
Blame Netflix for barely advertising the show. Reviews have been mixed, which is surprising because many Neil Gaiman fans have praised The Sandman for accurately adapting the comic book. This proves that remaining faithful to the source material is not always a good thing.
Comic books and TV shows are separate media. Just because something worked in the comics does not mean it will work on TV. Sometimes, altering the source material is vital for producing a live-action adaptation that mainstream audiences will enjoy.
Keep in mind that most mainstream viewers don’t read comics. Ultimately, none of that matters because no one is watching the show. I thought Netflix was the problem, but even the book groups I frequent, groups that love The Sandman season 1, have given the second season a wide berth, probably because of the same scandal that compelled Netflix to bury the show.
If you are not in the know, multiple women accused Gaiman of sexual assault. The beloved writer is effectively cancelled, and his shows have suffered as a result. Production on Good Omens Season 3 was halted soon after the accusations surfaced, and no one knows whether it will ever see the light of day.
Some of us thought The Sandman would get a pass because season 1 was so well-received, but that does not appear to be the case. That age-old conversation about separating the creator from his art keeps recurring, although the discourse has remained surprisingly civil.
People were not as kind with the J.K. Rowling controversy, not only criticizing the writer but also rebuking and even harassing anyone who dared to play Hogwarts Legacy. They argued that consuming Rowling’s content was not only putting money in her pocket, but it also gave credence to her views, or at the very least, weakened the stance of those who opposed her.
You could argue that times are changing. None online will bat an eye if you praise The Sandman season 2. No one will accuse you of enriching Gaiman by increasing the ratings of his adaptations. Those who introduce this topic will merely point out that Gaiman is an alleged sex offender.
They won’t raise hell over your decision to watch his work, which suggests that audiences have reached some sort of equilibrium. They are learning to respect one another’s views as opposed to turning every subjective opinion into a cause for war.
Then again, Rowling is so much bigger than Gaiman. She changed the lives of hundreds of millions of readers on every continent in the world. More importantly, her views are subjective. You have gamers who played Hogwarts Legacy because they either agree with her perspective or they don’t care about the trans issue, whatsoever.
Ask the so-called common Ugandan to express their opinion on the trans debate, and you will get a blank stare because most don’t know what you are talking about. The Rowling controversy has several shades of gray, whereas the Gaiman scandal is clear-cut.
Multiple women accused him of outright rape. That allegation does not leave room for discussion. You could argue that Gaiman is innocent till proven guilty, but until evidence comes out to definitively exonerate him, your conscious won’t permit some of you to watch The Sandman.
No one has harassed you into boycotting the show. Rather, you have made a deliberate decision to avoid the adaptation. I doubt the air of calm surrounding The Sandman will persist once properties with more subjective controversies arise. The Internet is still a savage place.
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