Artist Chris Sprouse will not draw the Adventures of Superman story written by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, USA Today reported Tuesday. DC’s plan for Card’s participation in the project was aggressively criticized by LGBT groups (see “Gay Organizations Protest DC’s Hiring of Orson Scott Card”) over Card’s activism in opposition to gay marriage, and DC distanced itself from Card’s views (see “DC Responds to Card Criticism”).

Sprouse released a statement explaining his actions. “It took a lot of thought to come to this conclusion, but I’ve decided to step back as the artist on this story,” he said. “The media surrounding this story reached the point where it took away from the actual work, and that’s something I wasn’t comfortable with. My relationship with DC Comics remains as strong as ever and I look forward to my next project with them.”

DC said of his action, “We fully support, understand, and respect Chris’s decision to step back from his Adventures of Superman assignment. Chris is a hugely talented artist, and we’re excited to work with him on his next DC Comics project. In the meantime, we will re-solicit the story at a later date when a new artist is hired.”