Irish Mothers Outraged by All-Star Batman

[Gothamite]

Well, not exactly.


In Great Britain and in Ireland, US Batman stories are reprinted in a three-issue format known as 'Batman Legends'. I get it every month, because it's basically three-issues for the price of one and it's far cheaper and less stressful than trying to buy the original US editions.

Anyway, for whatever marketing reasons, they're marketed at children and are usually placed at the bottom of the magazine rack beside Barney and Postman Pat or whatever.

Last issue featured the first two issues of 'The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul' (and that was the issue that inspired the cover) and the other issue featured...was Joker's first All-Star appearance. We all know what happened.

On 'Liveline' a radio show over here, a mother was outraged by this. Check it out:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/

Scroll down and click on Friday's programme.

 

[DARKKNIGHT]

I won't work for me. What did the Joker do?

 

[Ninja4peace]

Probably shouldn't laugh...but this is quite funny.
Especially when they're like you expect batman to be Bash, Whack, Kerspazz

It's the topless woman with the swastika nipples

 

[Gothamite]

Crap, that probably means it won't work outside Ireland.

Anyway, within the first three pages of All-Star #7 (or whatever issue it is) Joker has casual sex with a lawyer (who alludes that she thinks he might have put something in her drink) and then chokes her to death, stating that it is important to crush the larynx so no one can hear her.

What's weird is that this is one of the best All-Star issues, because it finally gets one of the characters right.

 

[Ninja4peace]

I'm listening to it. I think it should work

 

[Gothamite]

Probably shouldn't laugh...but this is quite funny.
Especially when they're like you expect batman to be Bash, Whack, Kerspazz

It's the topless woman with the swastika nipples

Oh yeah, I actually did find it hilarious and SO satisfying. I always love when people who expect Batman to be Adam West read The Killing Joke or Dark Knight Returns and are completely shocked.

A bit like the time I went to see Bad Santa with my friends and a horde of angry mothers stomped out of the theater with their kids, midway through the second sex scene.

 

[Gothamite]

I'm listening to it. I think it should work

Could be that you're in the UK, though. Mightn't work outside Europe. I don't know, everyone try it.

 

[Ninja4peace]

Apparently it had a nintendo advert for 12+ on the back.

No one's said that it's frank miller yet. - OK they have, and they've said how sin city is not for kids, and frank miller has written Batman that's not for kids they just haven't worked out that this is what it is.

 

[Ninja4peace]

A comic book guy comes on. And the host says "did you hear the description?" the collector says "yeah, someone was raped and that blah blah blah.."

 

[ourchair]

Oh yeah, I actually did find it hilarious and SO satisfying. I always love when people who expect Batman to be Adam West read The Killing Joke or Dark Knight Returns and are completely shocked.

A bit like the time I went to see Bad Santa with my friends and a horde of angry mothers stomped out of the theater with their kids, midway through the second sex scene.

This reminds me a bit of the time when my Dad thought Child's Play was a family film.

 

[moonmaster]

Listening to it right now.

It's kind of funny. I like that they were practically interrogating the first guy who tried to defend it. Poor bastard.

Basically, the problem is DC being stupid for publishing All-Star along with regular Batman books. (And selling them in regular stores.)

 

[Gemini]

Just give her a pint of Guinness, that'll shut her up

 

[Planet-man]

It still won't work for me.

This would be funny under a lot of circumstances, such as overprotective mothers being outraged at something like Burton's Batman movie or even just regular "dark" Batman comics.... but they're totally right here, that kind of stuff is incredibly inappropriate for pre-teens.

What it comes down to, though is...

Basically, the problem is DC being stupid for publishing All-Star along with regular Batman books. (And selling them in regular stores.)

Yep. It could be the masterpiece that is Morrison/McKean's Arkham Asylum, it would still be awful if this happened.

It's funny when people are stunned at dark-Batman coming off of Adam West, but it's sad when they'll probably forbid their kids from reading one of the greatest characters out there and actually be justified in thinking that way.

 

[compound]

Not working for me, either.

But, for me, this is the fundamental issue here:

Anyway, for whatever marketing reasons, they're marketed at children and are usually placed at the bottom of the magazine rack beside Barney and Postman Pat or whatever.

DC's international distributors should *really* know better than to package ASB&RtBW that way.

If they *know* the bumper/omnibus editions will end up in mass market retailers, alongside "kid friendly" titles no less, they should exercise discretion in choosing which issues to repackage in that format.

I have no doubt the old folks are probably overreacting to the content itself, but the fact remains that DC is at fault for making it so accessible to an "inappropriate" audience. It's just plain misleading, as far as I can tell.

Believe me, i'm *definitely* in favor of (a) broadening comic releases outside of "direct market" channels, and (b) issuing affordable "bumper" editions, but really, would it be so hard to stock the "adult oriented/mature readers" Bat titles next to, I dunno, Kerrang and NME, or Guns N' Ammo and Soldier of Fortune, or anything OTHER than the stuff being marketed to the primary school set?

 

[ourchair]

DC's international distributors should *really* know better than to package ASB&RtBW that way.

If they *know* the bumper/omnibus editions will end up in mass market retailers, alongside "kid friendly" titles no less, they should exercise discretion in choosing which issues to repackage in that format.

Distributors don't read or look up their stuff unfortunately.

I agree though about your point on how lazy it is not to stock these comics properly next to magazines that target a similar audience or age group, but it's just that they don't bother, and just assume that Batman material -- ANY kind of Batman material -- goes in the kid's sections.

 

[moonmaster]

It still won't work for me.

This would be funny under a lot of circumstances, such as overprotective mothers being outraged at something like Burton's Batman movie or even just regular "dark" Batman comics.... but they're totally right here, that kind of stuff is incredibly inappropriate for pre-teens.

Actually, they had a woman from a rape crisis center saying that it's inappropriate for teenagers and possibly even adults and that the issue should be banned.

What it comes down to, though is...

Yep. It could be the masterpiece that is Morrison/McKean's Arkham Asylum, it would still be awful if this happened.

Yeah, this reminded me of Morrison's notes on the script in the trade. He talks about the original way the Joker was supposed to appear, in a corset and Madonna cone bra with a mohawk.

"Millions of daytime television viewers were shown this page on BBC's 'Pebble Mill at One' when Dave and I appear with Adam West (who wasn't in the studio - they had a red flashing "Hot Line" phone so that he could join in from Los Angles) in 1989. It provoked the reaction from the presenter of 'Ooh, he looks a bit creepy...'. No ****, sister."

 

[Gothamite]

Not working for me, either.

But, for me, this is the fundamental issue here:

DC's international distributors should *really* know better than to package ASB&RtBW that way.

If they *know* the bumper/omnibus editions will end up in mass market retailers, alongside "kid friendly" titles no less, they should exercise discretion in choosing which issues to repackage in that format.

I have no doubt the old folks are probably overreacting to the content itself, but the fact remains that DC is at fault for making it so accessible to an "inappropriate" audience. It's just plain misleading, as far as I can tell.

Believe me, i'm *definitely* in favor of (a) broadening comic releases outside of "direct market" channels, and (b) issuing affordable "bumper" editions, but really, would it be so hard to stock the "adult oriented/mature readers" Bat titles next to, I dunno, Kerrang and NME, or Guns N' Ammo and Soldier of Fortune, or anything OTHER than the stuff being marketed to the primary school set?

Absolutely, it's entirely the publisher (Titan Magazines)' fault. I think the stores involved may have had some part to play as well, though.

2000AD has been placed on the bottom shelf with all the kiddy stuff since it was created in the '70s and I don't recall any hulabaloo about that one. I've seen far worse in 2000AD than a girl getting beaten.

This whole mess is a combination of stupid things: Titan Magazines' lazy *** marketing team, Frank Miller's hack writing and general cluelessness as to the nature of a Batman comic.

 

[Zombipanda]

Maybe they should spend more time being worried that their children are pale drunks and less time being worried about what Batman's doing.

That's right Irish mothers. Bring it.

I'm declaring war on Irish motherhood.

 

[Gothamite]

Maybe they should spend more time being worried that their children are pale drunks and less time being worried about what Batman's doing.

That's right Irish mothers. Bring it.

I'm not even going to lie.

I was out last night until 1.30 in the morning drinking Guinness at a traditional Irish music competition. Last night was a Sunday and I have school today.

 

[Zombipanda]

Frank Miller's hack writing and general cluelessness as to the nature of a Batman comic.

incorrect

I'm not even going to lie.

I was out last night until 1.30 in the morning drinking Guinness at a traditional Irish music competition. Last night was a Sunday and I have school today.

Attaboy!