It's only been a couple of weeks but fans are still snickering after seeing Bruce Wayne's "batawang" in the first issue of Batman: Damned #1. The controversy over showing the character's genitalia has skyrocketed the sales of the first issue and making copies online expensive, sometimes reaching over US$50. While this shows how successful the launch of Black Label is, DC definitely regrets the movie.
During an interview with Polygon, DC co-publisher said that he was happy about the book's sales but admits that the showing of Batman's penis should have been a production error. While the book sold well based on Bruce's privates, Lee feels that people will be picking up issues #2 and #3 based on the content within the book and not just those few panels.
The publisher's actions after the first issue's release pretty much solidifies Lee's words, with a second printing of the comic canned and the digital release censoring the nudity. Reports have also come in about the second issue getting a slight delay to censor even more of the nudity. While Black Label is meant to be a mature comic line, many feel that the nudity should add to the story and the one in Damned didn't do it.
As someone who reserved Damned #1 over the strengths of its creative team, Lee is spot-on when talking about the comic's quality. It's an absolutely gorgeous comic book thanks to Lee Bermejo's painted art and the writing is solid and gritty, which a lot of us expected from writer Brian Azzarello.
Batman: Damned #1 is probably impossible to find in regular cover price right now. The second issue is slated to come out on December 5.
Read:Batman: Damned #1 Digital Copies Censored, Future Printings Will Remove Nudity