Controversial Batman Damned Comic Surges in Value

News

By RC Staff

11 April 2023

From writer Brian Azzarello and illustrator Lee Bermejo, Batman: Damned is a spinoff series of the classic character first published in 2018. The comic leaned heavily into Batman’s darker themes compared to other superheroes. Perhaps as part of this more mature approach to the story, one of the pages from Damned #1 featured a full-frontal nude shot of Batman, a first for the series. While fairly subtle, the inclusion of Batman’s penis triggered a widespread controversy over the comic. DC quickly censored new versions of the comic, and pulled production of the original print. These uncensored comics suddenly exploded in value, as comic collectors sought out their very own Bat-Dong.

What is Batman: Damned?

Batman has historically been known for its more mature angle compared to other superhero stories. Christopher Nolan’s work on the Dark Knight Trilogy in 2005 is commonly cited as the start of the new wave of dark and gritty superhero films.

Batman: Damned was a 2018, three-comic series that aimed to provide the most mature, gritty depiction of Batman seen yet. A tall order to be sure, as it seemed like every version of Batman was the darkest ever seen.

So, when a pair of comic veterans wanted to take the character even further, what could they possibly do? Murder? Mental illness? Moral ambiguity?

Well yes, all of those, but they went a step further: Batman takes his dick out.

And people really ended up taking it too far. Out of the 48 total pages in Damned #1, you can see Batman’s penis exactly three times. It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t meant to titillate, frankly it’s pretty hard to see his dick in the first place. If you’re that curious you can just Google it, it’s not hard to find.

Anyways, DC didn’t really appreciate all the clamor around their newest spinoff. Much (all) of the discussion around the comic was purely around Batman’s frontside, and was beginning to embarrass DC.

In the end, they elected to pull production of the comic, and replace it with a censored version. DC claimed that the color balance and brightness of the original pages was poorly calibrated, so that Batman’s penis was highlighted instead of barely visible. The new versions kept his groin completely, abysmally black, and no matter how hard you look, there’s nothing to see.

The censored version of Damned #1 replaced the digital version immediately, while future physical printings of the comic would be the censored version exclusively. With that, DC hoped they had killed the controversy.

How much does Batman: Damned #1 cost?

Physical copies of Batman: Damned #1 had a retail price of $6. While a relatively high price for a comic, DC billed it as a “prestige format”, produced from higher quality paper, and a greater emphasis on art.

Digital versions were made available through DC’s paid subscription service, DC Universe Infinite, for all paid plans.

Did Batman: Damned #1 resell?

After DC pulled production of Batman: Damned #1 to replace it with a censored version, print copies of the comic began to resell. The bemused discussion over Batman’s penis had bloated into a full-blown controversy, and DC’s decision to alter the comic received both criticism and praise.

In any case, owners of Batman: Damned #1 began receiving offers on their comics for significantly over retail. Despite the quite significant supply (allegedly 115,000 comics had gone out the door before DC pulled it), copies of Damned #1 could resell for $70-$90 after release.

As the cock-troversy continued to melt down, resell prices reached unreasonable heights. Unsealed, unsigned copies could sell for a hundred plus. Obviously, these kinds of prices were completely unsustainable, but at the moment they at least kind of made sense.

When news broke that DC would be altering the comic, people began to see the original comics as a rare collectible, made valuable by being out of print. If people knew just how many copies had been printed, would the resell prices have gotten as high as they did?

Sales for the comic are all over the place. Recent listings have cleared for hundreds, but typically only for sealed and graded versions. Signed copies obviously sell the best, but even ungraded comics can still resell for $5o or more, not at all bad for an off-the-rack graphic novel.

In any case, Batman: Damned #1 generated significant discussion, but maybe not for the reasons the creators expected. The controversary around it was likely beneficial though, both for resellers, and the retailer. After exploding on social media, the following issues of Batman: Damned sold extraordinarily well, despite featuring absolutely no Bat-penis.

So, next time you’re writing a comic, you know what to do. Although that would probably only work with an established character and significant readerbase. It’s not like it’s hard to find drawings of naked people on the internet.

Anyways, check out our other articles for more of the best items to resell. From Barbie dolls to Bat dongs, we’re on it.