Artist leaves Orson Scott Card's Superman comic

The brouhaha surrounding Orson Scott Card's involvement with a new Superman comic project has already caused one major change.

Due to the media attention surrounding the science-fiction writer and his story in the forthcoming Adventures of Superman, artist Chris Sprouse — who was to illustrate a tale by Card and Aaron Johnston — has departed from the book, according to DC Comics.

Scheduled to launch April 29, Adventures of Superman is a digital anthology of 10-page Superman short stories featuring the works of various creators that will be collected in print issues beginning in May.

DC's announcement of the creative teams last month caused a furor, however, with the involvement of Card, the acclaimed Ender's Game author who has been criticized for his anti-gay stance and opinions on same-sex marriage.