DC Censors Batman’s Penis While Allowing Dr. Manhattan to Let It All Hang Out
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Last week, we told you that Damned #1 featured a shot of Batman’s penis. Though, if you bought that issue digitally, you may have noticed the Bat-peen was edited out. But apparently there’s a double standard when it comes to DC dicks. In the newest issue of Doomsday Clock, Dr. Manhattan’s penis is on full display — in front of the Dark Knight himself, even.
When the news came out that Batman’s penis was visible — albeit in shadow — in Damned #1, DC shrank like a man in a cold swimming pool. Shortly after the story went viral, DC Comics announced it would censor Little Bruce in the digital edition and future printings of the issue. According to DC, the Bat-wang wasn’t “additive to the story.”
On the other hand, Screen Rant points out, that in the Watchmen spinoff comic Doomsday Clock, which incorporates the Watchmen characters with the rest of the DC Universe (because apparently that’s a thing people wanted?), Dr. Manhattan’s penis is on display, as it is throughout the original Watchmen.
One of the strangest things about the double standard is that Damned is published by DC Black Label, the “mature” imprint. On the other hand, Doomsday Clock is published by the normal DC Comics line.
To be fair, however, Dr. Manhattan’s penis actually is “additive to the story.” In the original Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan was tricked into believing that his body had become highly radioactive, giving cancer to those he cared about. He eventually moved to Mars to avoid hurting people and, as he slowly grew away from the rest of humanity and human culture, he eventually stopped seeing the need to wear clothes.
According to Screen Rant, the decision to remove Batman’s penis from Damned was likely because of digital storefronts, and being unable to determine that it was, indeed, adults buying the comic. In a physical store, adult comics can be kept in a special section and the clerk can refuse to sell to someone.
But that doesn’t explain the decision to edit future print editions of the comic, nor why Dr. Manhattan’s penis is fair game while Batman’s isn’t. And, besides, isn’t it time we, as a country, grew up? Half of the population has penises. They’re not rare, and if a kid sees a dick in a comic, it’s not going to scar them for life.
