10 Terrible Comic Book Covers DC Want You To Forget
5. Batgirl #41
Batman: The Killing Joke is one of the Dark Knight's greatest stories ever told. Alan Moore wrote the story, which would shape the nature of Batman books for years. In the book, Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl, was shot and paralyzed by the Joker.
It was a brutal depiction of the depths of insanity and carnage the Crown Prince of Crime would sink to and it changed Batgirl for years. Fast-forward to 2015 and DC nearly published a variant cover for Batgirl #41 that caused a lot of problems.
The illustration by Rafael Albuquerque was certainly done perfectly, but the content is a bit too graphic and frightening to go unnoticed. DC immediately received calls to pull the cover from their lineup, which led to the artist himself requesting it not make it to store shelves:
My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art. For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled. I'm incredibly pleased that DC Comics is listening to my concerns and will not be publishing the cover art in June as previously announced.
DC quickly acquiesced, which was fortunate as the imagery was disturbing to many women who faced assault over the years.