A reprint of a classic Batman comic has set off a heated debate among fans, and the cause is not the Caped Crusader or his enemies. It is a small firework advert tucked away on the last page, which includes an offensive racial slur that readers say they never expected to see in a brand new book.
A faithful copy of the past
Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, and for close to a century he has guarded Gotham City from the likes of the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler. Nobody can go back and read those first adventures as they came out, but DC Comics has tried to offer the next best thing.
The publisher has been releasing facsimile editions of some of its most important issues. Unlike ordinary reprints, these recreate the original comic exactly, right down to the adverts scattered between the story pages.
One of the latest is Batman #11, first published in 1942. It marks the first time the Joker appeared on the cover of a comic, and it holds four tales of Batman and Robin.
The advert that caught a reader’s eye
A Reddit user spotted something unwelcome on the final page. A bright advert invited young readers to buy 720 fireworks for $3.59. The package was said to include Flashlight Crackers, Roman Candles and Sky Bombs, among other items.
However, one of the products on the list was named after a racial slur used against black people. The user posted a short clip showing it and wrote that they were surprised to find the word in the book. They asked whether it was an editorial oversight or a case of strict preservation.
They also pointed out that this issue did not carry the disclaimer many of these facsimiles include, the one saying cultural sensitivity was different back then.
Fans split over what to do
Other Reddit users were far from united. Some argued that a facsimile is meant to be a one-to-one copy, and that nobody at DC was being malicious. One said it was clearly not acceptable that the word was ever used, but they would rather it stay in a historical reprint because it lets people engage with both the good and the bad of history.
Another commenter said that removing such material would amount to whitewashing history.
Others disagreed strongly. One person noted that the cover price had been updated and a barcode added, so in their view there was no reason the word could not have been changed or removed as well. They said DC should recall the books.
A further comment suggested a simpler explanation: that nobody involved probably thought about the advert at all.
Where things stand
DC Comics has been contacted for comment, and so far there is no word on whether it plans to respond to the criticism or change future printings. For now, the little fireworks advert has sparked a much bigger conversation about how publishers should handle the uncomfortable parts of history when they bring old comics back to shelves.
Image credit: western daily press
Source: The Mirror US
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