Opinion: When does censorship go too far?

Khalil Gordon

Griffin Contributor

Batman is easily one of the world’s most prominent pop culture icons. Following his 1939 debut in the 27th issue of Detective Comics, he has been featured in numerous animated, live action and print appearances. For over 79 years, the public enjoyed the exploits of Bruce Wayne’s crime fighting efforts. Readers were recently given a bit more to enjoy, though, when on the pages of Batman: Damned, Issue 1, the caped crusader decided to strip naked in an uncensored panel.

To dissuade concern early on, it is important to note that Batman: Damned is what is referred to as a “black label” comic. Black label comics are written for mature audiences and have “R” ratings, hence DC comics is not intentionally displaying nudity to children.

Additionally, the comics publisher has promised to censor the panel in subsequent publication of the graphic novel. While many are apathetic to the issue, merely viewing it as a comedic publication error and little more than a joke, this raises the question about censorship in modern media. When does an image or piece of work reach the point where it should be censored?

Focusing again on Batman, Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin feature a version of the dynamic duo that shows Batman abusing the 12 year old orphan. The mini series also features Batman and Black Canary engaging in sexual acts surrounded by burning corpses. To cut a long story short, Miller’s work has faced sharp ridicule since its release.

Despite this, the only portion of the comic to be censored was a handful of swear words. I’m sure that by doing this DC was not trying to send the message that child abuse is acceptable but swear words are not, but in censoring one and not the other it sends a clear message of what is socially viewed as acceptable in media and what is not. I’m not trying to discredit the representation of real world events in storytelling in favor of a more family friendly read. I am simply asking how we decide which real-world events are censored and which are not.

It is very obvious that American media has placed a strict taboo on sexual content for years. Regardless of whether the material is heterosexual or homosexual in context (although homosexual content is more heavily censored) both face a hefty amount of censorship. Children especially are introduced to violence in media without concern, but anything sexual is often heavily censored and causes outrage when not.

Returning to the original issue, Bruce Wayne’s genitalia is – no pun intended – a small matter. In a graphic novel written for adults, a publisher should be able to print any content they wish. Batman comics are known as being one of the most disturbing comics in DC publication due to both imagery and plots a lot of which are geared towards teens and young adults.

When an issue is published specifically for adults, it makes sense to take advantage of that situation. Strict censorship rules, spoken and unspoken, heavily restrict creative storytelling and should be revised to suit a more modern time.