Diamond Pulls Controversial Captain America Poll Following Backlash

Diamond Comics has pulled a Captain America poll question following objections to the wording of the original question.

Diamond Comics Distributors has pulled a controversial comic book discussion poll question about Captain America and politics that it shared on its Free Comic Book Day Facebook page after critics argued that it was an unreasonably loaded question.

Diamond runs the website FreeComicBookDay.com and it has a Facebook page for Free Comic Book Day, as well, and it used that page to promote its weekly Previews World Weekly live show on YouTube. It routinely brings up discussion topics and asks fans to respond and it will then share the best answers on the live show during the week. Initially, the question was about the recent United States of Captain America #1 and people objected to how the question was phrased.

RELATED: Captain America Controversy Arises Following Loaded-Question Poll

Originally, it read, “Hey, comic book fans! There has been an ongoing debate about Captain America lately. So we wanted to ask your take? [Highlighted in yellow] Are you tired of seeing stories where Steve Rogers loses faith in the US? [End of highlights] Or do you think it’s more than appropriate? Let us know in the comments. We’ll pick the best answers and highlight them on Wednesday’s episode of #PWWLive”

It is referencing the recent United States of Captain America #1 by Christopher Cantwell, Dale Eaglsham and Matt Milla where Steve Rogers reflects on what it means to be loyal to the “American Dream.” The issue had recently been read out of context and criticized in the Washington Times and then on Fox News as Captain America “hating America” and being “woke” and Diamond’s wording certainly seems to play precisely into that approach, as well. However, the company has reversed course and pulled the question.

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A Diamond spokesperson told CBR, “PREVIEWSworld and Free Comic Book Day posted a question to Facebook that was intended to engage fans in conversation about the new Captain America comic for Wednesday’s PREVIEWSworld Live show. It was never intended to be a political statement or controversial. Once we realized that the way the question was worded could be misconstrued, we took it down. We sincerely apologize for the poorly worded post. It is always our goal at PREVIEWSworld to engage with fans on social media in a light hearted way to discuss and celebrate the comics and characters we all love.”

The poll question was replaced by one asking fans about the Season 1 finale of Loki.

KEEP READING: Fox Drums Up Controversy Over Captain America

Source: Diamond Comics Distributors

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Brian Cronin (14871 Articles Published)

CBR Senior Writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over a dozen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you’d like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!

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