Marvel Comics War Machine Creator Bob Layton Banned From Facebook and Instagram
With X becoming a platform of free speech, it looks like Meta’s Facebook and Instagram continue to push censorship to new lows, with War Machine creator Bob Layton getting banned from both platforms inexplicably.
Bob Layton is best known for his work on the Iron Man comic, co-creating War Machine and Jim Roades, as well as his work on Valiant Comics with X-O Manowar, but he has now become a social media outcast with Facebook and Instagram banning the Marvel Comics artist for inexplicable reasons.
According to Bleeding Cool, he said, "On November 22nd, as I was doing my usual daily postings, I was summarily, and without warning, suspended from Facebook and Instagram, with Meta claiming a lack of account integrity. Every time I attempted to contact them, I reached a dead end. I sent them all of the documentation they requested, including my passport and current driver's license. After 24 hours, I received the notice in the attached picture. My accounts have been permanently suspended. No appeal was possible. No customer service numbers were available. I was blacklisted without any further information concerning their decision. Every attempt to download their information concerning that suspension was fruitless, as it would send me to a page that said I was ineligible to download. I am broken and defeated by this arbitrary and disastrous decision by Meta. I have been using Facebook and Instagram for nearly 20 years and have amassed close to 40 thousand followers combined. As you know, I have ALWAYS adhered to the strictest legal and moral standards when posting comic art entertainment to my followers on both platforms. Meta's decision to permanently disable those accounts has greatly impacted my ability to make a living, not the mention the humiliation and loss of public confidence in me. Twenty years of photos and memories are lost to me…forever. This has been one of the worst things I've ever experienced in my career. To my fans, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
Bob Layton is not the only creator who’s been banned from Facebook. DC Injustice artist Mike S. Miller was also purged from the platform, which he believes stems from his pro-Trump and pro-Christian postings.
Mike S. Miller spoke with Fandom Pulse, “I had been on Facebook since 2005 or 6, had photos and videos of my family on there going back all that time, watching my children grow up. All I did was change my profile picture to a 'no U-turn' symbol, and all of those memories were instantly deleted. Perma-banned for a symbol everyone sees every day, because of the leftist psychopaths ruling that platform. It's not a bloody swastika. X used to be the joke, I would routinely get stifled on there for free speech, but thank God Elon Musk bought that platform and gave everyone a voice. Free speech is the very foundation of freedom, from which all others are allowed to exist. God may well have used Elon Musk to save this entire planet. Ironic, since he seems determined to leave it for another...”
Miller uses his X account to post regular updates for his fans for his art, politics, and interest in cryptocurrency.
Adam Hughes also complained recently that he had one of his comic art pieces censored by the Facebook platform because it had Nazi imagery in the art, even though it was a period piece directed at the Nazis being villains for DC Comics.
Facebook has indeed become increasingly difficult to use in recent years. The algorithm makes it so that posts are not seen by friends, making it difficult for anyone to connect and see what’s going on.
His website also mentions the ban urging his followers to come to the new Instagram page, saying, “Currently, Bob Layton’s Facebook account is down. He is working on getting it restored. If you need to reach him, you may do so using the form on the Contact page, or you can follow him on his new Instagram account.”
His new Instagram account already has several images to fill the feed as he seems to be moving there going forward to connect with his fans.
As Facebook and Instagram become more censorious and X becomes more free, many wonder how long the aging social network will last.
What do you think of Facebook banning Bob Layton, Iron Man artist and creator of War Machine for Marvel comics? Become a paid member to leave a comment.
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