Marvel Comics has issued the following statement concerning the appearance of the late Princess Diana in X-Statix #13: 'Marvel Comics had planned to release a book using the spirit of Princess Diana as one of its heroines.  While Lady Diana was portrayed in a positive light in the comic book, upon reflection, the company has decided to remove Princess Diana and all references to the Royal Family from the five-part X-Statix series.' 

 

The news of Princess Diana's appearance in the superhero satire had aroused considerable controversy since her image appeared in the Marvel section of the July Previews catalog in advertisements for X-Statix #13, the first comic in a five-part series written by Peter Milligan.  The X-Statix comic series features a group of dysfunctional superheroes, who, according to Marvel spokesman Brian Reinert, 'are more concerned about their bank accounts than saving people from injuries and saving the world.'  Press reports, starting with a small feature in Time Magazine have helped fuel indignation directed at Marvel in part because reporters are unfamiliar with author Milligan's wickedly satirical sense of humor.  Most stories quoted Milligan's observation that the Princess 'was tailor-made' for the series because she was 'someone famous for being famous.' Milligan, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, went on to say, 'At a glance Diana may not resemble the flying, teleporting, lethally oscillating characters that populate my comic, but the same power she exerts from beyond the grave certainly makes her a valid subject to explore -- And of course she looks great in Spandex.'

 

Needless to say the royal family was not amused, although comic readers probably would have been.  Reuters quoted a Buckingham Palace spokesman, who referred to the Marvel comic as 'utterly appalling -- a cheap attempt to cash in on Diana's fame and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death.'