But really? It’s just a couple words, how about we worry about something that actually matters.

For the record, I know a Comic Shop owner, he continued to sell the book, didn’t mark it up.

Of course the comic shops are right to sell them at a mark-up. If DC didn’t want people to read those words, they shouldn’t have printed them.

It was a printing error.
The printer messed up.
Quite common.
As such, DC didn’t print the words for people to be read.
Also quite common for publishers request misprinted copies not to be sold.
Pretty sure comics is the only place a shop would continue to sell the misprinted copy, and definitely the only one where people would be praising those who did.

I’d be very surprised if the shops doing this aren’t in breach of contract.
I think it would be in the industries best interest if DC sued.
Teach the shops the a very similar lesson to Marvel learned when the shops sued them.
(Of course this won’t stop idiots in the peanut gallery showing how little they actually understand about anything, but that’s hardly new).

The question, as always, is “Where are the editors?”

Probably shocked that after they proofed the issue, the printer messed it up and didn’t tell them, until it was already shipped.

I wonder if DC will be screwed over by the printer on this – pretty sure the printer isn’t going to want to give them credit on a book that is still being sold.

And of course ASBAR is an all-ages book:
a: It’s a Batman comic-book that doesn’t specify otherwise.
b: Many issues show a smiling young boy hanging out with Batman on the cover, having a great time.
c: It’s drawn by an fan-favorite artist whose work has always appealed more to kids than adults.

And “cunt” is more offensive since it’s a word used pretty-much exclusively by misogynists. I paraphrase Oprah Winfrey: “The best indicator that this is not a good guy is if you ever hear him say the c-word. The second you hear that word, leave and don’t look back.” Take that advice, DC.

@Michael:
I think the stores are the heroes b/c I don’t have a copy of the contract in hand, so I don’t know if it’s technically “wrong.” To me, it’s like I bought a video on ebay to sell in my store… I paid, the seller shipped, I got the item, but he didn’t realize there was a personal sex tape at the end of the video.

He can’t just say, “destroy it, I’ve already put another one in the mail to you.” and expect me to just do it.
Sure, it’d be nice, but I’m not obligated.

DC doesn’t own the stores. I say the books belonged to the stores to do with what they like, and I say good for them for not standing in the way of people getting what they want.
(still not having a contract in hand)

And, I’m sorry I don’t know to whom to direct this, but I agree with the sentiment of parental responsibility expressed above. If anyone was upset b/c their child might have gotten one… it’s your own fault. Maybe it’d be nice for the stores to not let my child buy inappropriate material… but it’s still the parent’s responsibility. If a parent had even read the first issue of this series, I imagine it would have already been on the you-are-not-allowed-to-have-this list.

No. Not looking for a fight.
Just saying that without any advanced warning on the cover to some of the language and such (even G**Damns are offensive to some) then it HAS to be EXPECTED by the “civilian” man-on-the-street to be indestinguishable as a regular issue of Batman.

Just sayin’.

X_the_Phantom-Longbox__

[i]All-Star Batman doesn’t carry the Comics Code Authority Seal, as some of their other books do. Hence, it is not intended to be “all ages.” If you know anything about comics, you must be well aware that every “mature” adult content comic does not include “SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS” on its cover. And they don’t always have giant boobs on the covers, either.[/i]

Sadly, I haven’t read a DC comic in a few years (Starman & Hellblazer were the last two that I had on my list before the “big culling”. I read Starman to the end of the run but dropped – sadly – Hellblazer a couple of years ago), so I completely FORGOT about DC’s still using the CCA seal on it’s comics.

BUT, for DC to NOT have ANY KIND of warning on ASBAR is, for lack of a better word – or to use ASB’s OWN word; retarded.
BATMAN is an ICONIC character, and while he HAS been in comics that are NOT for kiddies, those are USUALLY “Elseworlds” titles and also usually HAVE a disclaimer (at least so I believe).

As for Boobs on the cover… well… the Miller variant covers (like that WonderWoman cover) of ASBAR are pretty raw looking for little Timmy.

[i]Whatever happened to personal responsibility? If I bought my son/nephew/cousin/wife/girlfriend/neighbor a gift and the gift ended up being WILDLY inappropriate, that’s MY fault for not researching the gift. If my nephew is a huge fan of Captain Jack Sparrow and I buy him wildly inappropriate Johnny Depp movies for a gift, am I not the fool for not looking into the actual content of what I am giving him? Sure I am. Plus I’m a real lazy gift-getting.[/i]

Buying a gift based on a kids’ likes can be a double-edged sword, since, like ASBAR, many properties have other ancillary instances (or in your analogy – artists who work in non-comparable bodies of work) and as such, some research IS needed.

Of course, it might not be a “Gift” , but a spur of the moment “Hey! Comics! I remember these!” type of things. Batman used to be my favorite. That crazy bat-mite was a hoot!

HOWEVER, if you haven’t SEEN a comic book in ages, but recall that YOU liked reading them when you were a kid (in MY case, that would be the 1970′s) and you just blindly bought ASBAR off the rack because it was BATMAN, and HEY! It’s even BETTER than a REGULAR Batman comic, it’s ALL-STAR BATMAN, and presented that as a quick pick-me-up to Timmy who had his appendix removed (or whatever) you’d soon get an earful from his mom about just WHAT THE HECK kind of crap do you THINK you’re exposing her son to?

Personal responsibility is fine and I agree that you SHOULD have an idea about what it is your buying.
But to that end, a DISCLAIMER answers that problem rather handily.

Not everyone even KNOWS to LOOK for that tiny “CCA” stamp of approval.
So how would they even KNOW that it’s NOT there on many covers?

Just my two cents of playing ‘devil’s advocate”.

Personally, I likes me some boobs and cuss words.
The more the merrier.
(especially the boobs)

Just maybe NOT in a comic without a sufficient warning.

And I DO agree. The violence in comics is getting reDICulous.

X_the_Phantom-Longbox__

Anyone insisting it is is just looking for a fight.

And previous poster Dave, if words offend you so, why not try Owly. It has no words.

know my shops sold them and they also informed Diamond and DC that they had… They also stopped selling them when they found out… seems they didn’t receive the letter that was bandied about the interenet.

DC sent an e-mail out to all stores well before the book’s release.

If they did not read the e-mails DC sent out (with a fairly explicit title, I think, too), then that is not a point in their favor.

That they did stop when they finally read the e-mail IS a point in their favor.

Well, since the option was never given to the shops maybe…. but that option was never given to the shops. So, if the shops pay for the books all would be kosher, correct?

The option was never given to the shops?

They were specifically told that they would have the issues replaced on the 28th.

They decided to take their credit and sell the books anyways, despite DC asking them not to and warning them that they’d be punished if they were found to be selling them.

They did it anyways.

It was an interesting read until he switched gears and got juvenile, calling people (and I quote) “Cunts.” is weak, immature, and basically just twists his whole argument around, now making it seem that he is bitter that he didn’t cash in on the ebay sales for his store.

That was the (in my mind, ill-advised) stylistic choice to write the column as if it was an issue of All-Star Batman that I mentioned earlier.