DC Comics just censored a bloody cover featuring Batman. There have always been rules in the comic industry about what's acceptable or not. Censorship isn't a new thing, it's been around since the dawn of art. Over the years, every art form has been censored in one way or another. Normally, creators are overruled by executives with greater control, who are the ones deeming if something is acceptable to release.

The Comics Code Authority is infamous for being the overarching censorship body that monitored every comic book being published since 1954. Towards the latter part of the twentieth century, the CCA became heavily questioned and by the early 2000s, publishers like Marvel Comics had abandoned it. Ten years later, DC Comics finally abandoned the code. Publishers chose to create their own rating systems for their comics. Despite DC Comics withdrawing from the CCA, there is still ongoing censorship as every book has to go through its own approval system.

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DC Comics' approval system has become especially questionable recently as creators have come out talking about the creative choices that have been censored by DC. A recent egregious example was when Birds of Prey writer Gail Simone revealed that during her New 52 Batgirl run, DC blocked Simone from giving Batgirl a Batcave, despite non-Bat family characters like Green Arrow having similar hideouts. Now, comic artist Clay Mann, via Twitter, has released a censored and uncensored cover for Batman/Catwoman #7. Check out the uncensored version of the cover below:

Batman Catwoman 7 uncensored

And here is the version approved by DC Comics:

Batman Catwoman 7 censored

The blocked cover features Batman's hands and face drenched in pure red. The approved cover is without the pure red face but has way more blood over the surrounding characters. It's clear that there is a fine line between what is deemed publishable or not, as evidenced here. The colors on the second cover are actually way more brutal given how widespread the blood is. It's more than likely that DC perceived the cover to be less marketable as the contrast between the blue of the beaten-up officers and Batman's red face emphasizes the red color. It has stronger connotations of violence than the new approved cover. Although this isn't the most egregious example of censorship, it's good to see creators being transparent about their dissatisfaction with censorship like this.

Censorship is extremely topical at the moment as many of DC and Marvel Comics' most renowned creators jump ship to explore creator-owned comics. The writer that led the way to the new trend was James Tynion IV, who just left his exclusive contract with DC Comics to write books for Substack. Many creators believe that the newsletter-subscription model at Substack presents an opportunity for them to make new books that they have complete control over. If Batman/Catwoman #7 was published via Substack, it's possible the original cover would have been published without question. It's an interesting situation that will have red flags popping up over at mainstream publishing houses like DC Comics.

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Source: Clay Mann via Twitter