Mark Millar Faces Coordinated Cancel Campaign From Former Colorist And Bleeding Cool After Appearing On Conservative YouTube Shows

Mark Millar, the bestselling creator behind hits like "Kick-Ass" and "Civil War," has become the latest target of a coordinated cancel campaign orchestrated by his former colorist Matt Hollingsworth and amplified by industry gossip site Bleeding Cool. This attack appears directly tied to Millar's recent appearances on popular YouTube channels Critical Drinker, Nerdrotic, and Clownfish TV to promote his new comic "Psychic Sam."

The controversy began when Dark Horse Comics posted a promotional tweet for Millar's "Chrononauts Library Edition," prompting Hollingsworth to immediately call for a boycott. "No thanks. Don't buy this. I receive no money," Hollingsworth posted on Bluesky, despite having been paid his contracted rate for the original work years ago.

This transparent attempt to damage Millar's sales gained traction among the platform's extremist user base, with comments like "F*** Mark Millar" and "Yeah no f*** Millar" flooding the responses. One user declared "No ta, he's not welcome. Thankfully the comic world is starting to wake up to what a repulsive PoS he is," while another called him a "goat licking guy."

The timing of this campaign is hardly coincidental. Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston published an article highlighting Millar's appearances on what he dismissively called "the Comicsgate YouTube guest circuit," attempting to signal to progressive activists that Millar had committed the unforgivable sin of speaking to creators and commentators with conservative viewpoints.

Johnston's article made particular note of Millar's comment about avoiding "other" social media platforms that "seemed to become the Phantom Zone for all the craziest mofos who left Twitter" – an obvious reference to BlueSky, where much of the harassment campaign against Millar is now taking place.

What makes this attack absurd is that Hollingsworth's complaint centers on not receiving royalties from reprints – a standard industry practice that applies to virtually every colorist who has ever worked for Marvel, DC, or any major publisher. Colorists are typically paid page rates for their work, not ongoing royalties, yet Hollingsworth is attempting to frame this normal business arrangement as some form of exploitation.

The real motivation behind this campaign becomes clear when examining how Hollingsworth talks about how he doesn’t want to be associated with the book. Millar's crime wasn't failing to pay creators – it was appearing on YouTube channels that progressive activists have deemed politically unacceptable. Critical Drinker, Nerdrotic, and Clownfish TV represent some of the most popular voices in geek culture commentary, with millions of subscribers who appreciate their focus on entertainment quality over political messaging.

By attempting to make these creators and their audiences radioactive, progressive activists are trying to excommunicate half the world from participating in comic book culture. This approach has been devastating for the industry, contributing to declining sales and the alienation of core audiences who simply want to enjoy comics without constant political lecturing.

The irony is that Millar, a Scottish creator who has consistently produced successful, entertaining comics throughout his career, is being attacked by the very people who claim to support creator rights. His willingness to speak to diverse audiences and promote his work across different platforms should be celebrated, not punished.

This coordinated attack also reveals the toxic nature of Bluesky as a platform, where users feel empowered to launch vicious personal attacks against creators simply for appearing on the "wrong" YouTube channels. The platform has become exactly what Millar described – a gathering place for extremists who left Twitter when it became less hospitable to their harassment campaigns.

For an industry already struggling with declining readership and cultural relevance, this kind of ideological purity testing represents an existential threat. When creators can be targeted for boycotts simply for speaking to popular commentators, the message is clear: conform to progressive orthodoxy or face professional destruction.

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NEXT: Mark Millar And John Romita Jr. Make Waves With "Psychic Sam" Graphic Novel On Kickstarter