DC Comics is trying to pull back or destroy tens of thousands of copies of a new Batman comic book after a printing error put a barrage of especially obscene words on the pages.
The issue, "All-Star Batman & Robin" No. 10, was drawn by fan-favorite Jim Lee and written by none other than Frank Miller, the creator of "300" and "Sin City" who will be making his solo Hollywood directorial debut with a masked-man movie called "The Spirit" that opens on Christmas Day. Hero Complex reached Miller by phone as he was getting ready for a trip to Germany to promote the film, and he was shocked to hear about the four-letter crisis. "This is the first I've heard of it," Miller said. "I have no idea how this awful thing happened. It's just one of those terrible and glorious things that happen time to time in publishing."
Miller, of course, prides himself on being provocative -- he gleefully baited critics who called the film adaptation of "300" a fascist work, and his work on "Sin City" and "Hard Boiled" brought new levels of sexualized mayhem to comics -- so he let out a cynical chuckle over the fact that he has the first truly R-rated "Batman" comic book in the 69-year publishing history of the iconic DC character (traditionally, you don't see curse words in mainstream comics). That doesn't mean he wanted it to happen. "I didn't, of course. It's a mistake. And my first reaction is simple: I want at least three copies."
Get in line, Frank: The issue was already heating up on EBay on Thursday afternoon, with bids of $60 and higher for a comic book that hit stands this week with a cover price of $2.99. DC Comics has asked retailers to remove all copies of the comic from shelves, but, of course, that has only heightened interest with an audience that loves to hunt for rarities. DC, a New York-based division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, released a brief statement: "A printing gaffe has caused a problem with 'All-Star Batman.' As soon as the problem was discovered, we quickly asked retailers to pull the issue. We apologize to our retailers and fans for any offense or inconvenience."
What sort of "gaffe" leads to an F-bomb being dropped into a comic book?
Well, first off, it needs to be understood that "All-Star Batman & Robin" is not a comic book aimed at the youngest readers of the Caped Crusader.
