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Comics writer Warren Ellis has spoken publicly for the first time since Image Comics announced plans to re-engage with him to publish new comics work. Ellis had been a regular creator for Image since 1996, but the company publicly broke ties with him in 2021 following public reaction to their previous plans for new Ellis comics in the aftermath of sexual misconduct allegations against him by more than 60 individuals (many of whom organized under the name SoManyOfUs).

At the time, Image Comics said it would not commit to any new Warren Ellis comics until the writer made "amends to the satisfaction of all involved" (and naming SoManyOfUs specifically). In the intervening years, Image has published a collection of older Warren Ellis comics, but now, five years later, Image Comics ramped up the relationship with the announcement of a new OGN and a reprint of another out-of-print comic, despite no appearance of "amends to the satisfaction of all involved," which it had publicly stated.

"A few people have asked me about past events in my life. It’s not my place to pick at it in public or speak for others," Ellis writes in the August 16 edition of his newsletter, Orbital Operations. "I will say that I got to apologise directly to a group of people and offer amends, which I remain very grateful for, and I keep that door open. I learned a lot and still am."

The SoManyOfUs group verified Ellis' reaching out to some of those affected individually, but the communications landed differently for those victims.

"Even as we compiled our stories, Warren Ellis contacted a few of us with sterile, performatively apologetic missives, which acknowledged little of the realities of his conduct," reads a joint statement from SoManyOfUs. "These texts and emails did not express self-reflection, acknowledgement of the harm his actions cause, nor desire to change his behavior."

Ellis says in his August 16 write-up that he continues "trying to do better every day." 

"I fucked up in a number of ways over the years, it doesn’t matter that I never acted with malice in mind, I hurt people, I’m sorry, and I’m trying to do better every day," continues Ellis. "That’s all I have to say for now."

The victims organized as SoManyOfUs had repeatedly declined to be the ones deciding Ellis' "moral progress," and their intent is not to "cancel" him. 

"We decline to be the authority on who is allowed to work in what context," the group said in 2022. "We reaffirm our support for the right of creators to be paid for their work, as well as the right of publishers, creatives, and others to determine who they work with."

In 2021, Image Comics said it had decided not to work with Ellis until he "made amends to the satisfaction of all involved." Now, with Image proceeding on new work with Ellis, it appears as if they feel Ellis has done enough for them to feel confident in working with him in 2026. It's unclear if Image believes Ellis has "made amends to the satisfaction of all involved," or if that boundary has changed.

Popverse has reached out to Ellis, Ellis' management, Image Comics, SoManyOfUs, and several individuals who have come forward as having been emotionally abused by Ellis. Image Comics declined to comment.

In their last public statement to date, the SoManyOfUs group said in 2023 that attempts to attain some sort of mutual agreement of community accountability were unsuccessful and that they broke off communication with him as a group.

"We hope Warren Ellis will directly acknowledge the harm he inflicted. We continue to hope that Ellis will use the privilege of his high-visibility position to effect sweeping positive change by working with creators and the companies that employ them to foster a safer industry," their 2023 statement ends. "We also hope this website continues to help identify and stop harm."

SoManyOfUs has organized a list of resources for those who are going through similar abuse issues.

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you're looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here's everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.