Wideo Wednesday: Well, Poop, Neil

I decided, early this morning, that the ‘nook’ I would dust today would be the top one of the shelves to the right of my desk. It holds many graphic novels and collected comics volumes, including all of the Neil Gaiman Absolute boxed volumes of The Sandman. The dust was very thick behind the books; perhaps I’ve not completely disturbed them since July 2020, when I was cataloging my library. It brought to the forefront of my mind the recent disturbing accusations against Gaiman; just this week particularly disgusting allegations have emerged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZEN2rcQp7o

Critics are pointing to certain disturbing passages in his work as possible indications or proof of his depraved nature. I’m not sure (can anyone be sure) if this was his personal character always bleeding out, or if his imaginative considerations and work caused the development (some would say ‘corruption’) of his character. Chicken or the egg?

And what of the veritable hero worship many fans (no doubt seeking something to believe in) have lavished on him? Tolkien has said that ‘even the nose of a very modest idol cannot remain entirely untickled by the sweet smell of incense.’ But even Tolkien could not have imagined the extent and fervor of the cult of personality that has formed around Gaiman. Could any man – especially unsupported by any solid faith in a higher power – resist the temptations and authority such slavish adoration places before them?

It places me into something of a quandary. I have at least forty books by and about Neil Gaiman in my library; most of them are quite good and I’ve enjoyed them (on one level or another), and I do not think they advocate anything downright vicious (if sometimes disgusting). I’m not the kind of person to judge the work by the character of the author, but by what it actually says; I think most authors try to put the better part of themselves into their work, anyway. But I might reread them with caution; and only recommend them to others with a caveat.

In short, I’ve always been a little sus about Neil in person, especially in the sinuosity in his efforts to avoid telling his fanbase anything they didn’t want to hear. Perhaps, in retrospect, this might explain part of his refusal to take a firm stance.