Do you think there is a way to ethically watch Sandman and Good Omens? What about Dead Boy Detectives?
Andddd this was why I originally turned off anons. I knew this was coming eventually, but I guess I'll respond just this once so everyone knows where I stand.
I don't love that I feel the need to disclose this, but I have personally experienced grooming and sexual assault in the past. So this post is coming from someone who has Been There and understands the importance of supporting victims. I also love all of the efforts NG-related fandoms have been putting into raising money for sexual assault charities. It's wonderful to see people rallying behind the survivors and supporting them so vocally.
- DEAD BOY DETECTIVES: NOT A GAIMAN WORK
I do not think that there is a world where Dead Boy Detectives would be unethical to stream. It has virtually nothing to do with Neil Gaiman, by his own admission, and is the brain-child of Steve Yockey.
Besides the first chapter where Charles and Edwin were introduced (with no development), he didn't even write the comics! Several artists did, including Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham - whose run the show is based on and who the sprites are named after.
Yockey was the sole person to pitch DBDA to Warner Brothers. Gaiman did not do that.
Streaming Dead Boy Detectives primarily supports its writers, cast, and crew - Gaiman, who only wrote 2 scenes, is getting essentially nothing in terms of royalties.
Someone on Twitter did a really good job of unpacking why Dead Boy Detectives shouldn't be lumped in with Gaiman stuff - I'll link it here.
But this leads me to the next section.
- HANDLING GOOD OMENS AND SANDMAN
I think that there are a lot of valid reactions to the way people handle the consumption of Gaiman's shows after what he has done.
Some people are going to be unable to stomach anything he has written, and that is okay. Others whose lives have been massively impacted by his work aren't going to be able to let go since - and I know people like to deny this, but it's true - the art you love more than love itself is going to have a serious material impact on your personality.
Both of these approaches are alright! The only incorrect approach is to harass those who disagree with your personal choices.
It also is, in my opinion, Bad to give Gaiman money. Purchasing his books and buying Good Omens official merch puts cash in his pocket.
Streaming the shows, though, is a little more nuanced to me.
I'm going to use Good Omens as an example here. I personally will not be continuing with Good Omens. It gives me a Yucky Feeling. I may one day change my mind and stream a pirated version, but I don't think so.
However, I don't think Sheen and Tenant's fans are wrong to stream it in support of the actors who have brought their favourite characters to life.
But this leads me into my next point, and the point that will probably get me Canceled.
- THE IMPACT OF SHOWS ON PEOPLE
The way that people handle their favourite shows post-allegations is going to depend on the impact that the show had on their life.
I like Good Omens. It's a fun show. I enjoyed it while watching it, and think (see: thought) positively of it. But it had no real deep impact on my life - it's not part of me. When I look at Good Omens now, I see Gaiman's work above the finished product. It puts a sour taste in my mouth.
But in a hypothetical world, if Dead Boy Detectives were a Gaiman production? I have the self-awareness to know that I probably would still stream it to support the cast and crew. I am attached enough to it that I think I would divorce it entirely from Gaiman (if he were the creator, which he is not.) My point is that other people who are still streaming Sandman and GO probably don't look at it and see Gaiman. They see something that they have absorbed into themselves.
The part that's going to get me canceled is that if George cameos in Sandman, I will stream that one (1) episode to support George Rexstrew (Edwin Payne's actor). This is because Edwin has had a material impact on my life (hilariously, because I am a sexual violence survivor who did not get justice, and Edwin did not get justice for his murder and fights for that.) I feel that Edwin is part of me and my life, because Edwin (and George's work as Edwin) has made me feel less alone.
A lot of people feel that way about Crowley and Aziraphale.
I think that asking people to ditch a show, characters, and performers that have had a deep impact on their lives is unfair to them. Like, yes, Neil Gaiman is a bag of shit! Anyone who defends him is also a bag of shit! But I don't think that it's fair to stop people from supporting works that have had big material impacts on their own lives.
My personal ideal outcome here would be:
Wrap up Good Omens with the 90-minute movie and nothing else.
Wrap up Sandman with season 2, and do not renew.
Revive Dead Boy Detectives WITH THE CAVEAT that Gaiman gets his name removed from it, even if he currently isn't making much money off it. Take the Sandman characters and references from DBDA and let it become its own standalone thing.
Cancel all future Gaiman productions and never hire him to work on television or anything else again.
Let Gaiman's career die entirely and let him fade into obscurity.
Arrest Gaiman, which will never happen but it should.
Stop giving Neil Gaiman money through books or merch.
Make their own decisions about whether or not to officially stream the shows in support of the actors and crew members who have worked hard on it.
Not harass anyone for either their decision to stream the show, not stream the show, or stream a pirated version of the show.
Engage as much as they want with fandom and fanworks, as they are divorced from the source material's creator.
Vocally speak up against Neil Gaiman. Amplify the voices of the survivors, and don't let fear for the future of your show get in the way of that. At the end of the day, real women were put through the most traumatic and horrifying experience of their lives, and that's what matters most.
