Disturbing 'Batgirl' cover pulled after Social Media Outrage!

Batgirl is menaced by the Joker in a comic book cover that was pulled after criticism on social media

It's a variant cover (optional cover) meant to grab the attention of collectors, but won't be the main cover seen in most stores. This one - a variant cover for the upcoming "Batgirl" #41- definitely caught the attention of a different kind. It portrays the Joker threatening a frightened Batgirl with a gun, with the heroine in tears and a "Joker makeup" on her mouth. This has been pulled by DC Comics after the Twitter hashtag #changethecover caught on when the cover was revealed.

The cover recalls a 1988 Batman standalone classic story  The Killing Joke  written by Alan Moore on   Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon's (daughter of Commissioner Gordon)  encounter with the Joker. The Joker brutally attacked Barbara, kidnapped her, and it was heavily implied that she was sexually assaulted.She remained in a wheelchair for decades, until DC recalled Barbara's fate in 2011, allowing her to walk again and be Batgirl.

Batman: the Killing Joke comic book from 1988, written by Alan Moore. Photograph: DC Comics

DC Comics  (owned by Time Warner, which owns CNN) put out a   statement late on Monday, saying that artist Rafael Albuquerque's cover was going to be pulled.

Spider-Woman (left) and Milo Manara's controversial cover (right) Photo: Marvel Comics

This was just the latest ruckus involving portrayals of women in comic books, and variant covers in particular. In September, Marvel Comics canceled future variant covers from artist Milo Manara after a "Spider-Woman" No. 1 variant cover caused an uproar for being "over-sexualized."

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Amazing 3D Sidewalk Art! II

Amazing 3D Sidewalk Art!

Bill Clinton Portrait "Hides" Monica in the Background!

Bill Clinton NELSON SHANKS/NATIONAL PORTRAIT  at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.

Renowned portrait artist Nelson Shanks has done some work before with Ronald Reagan and Princess Diana but his painting of the 42nd president at a New York City studio in 2005 is getting a different kind of attention now. While the portrait was done with the artist's usual conservative realistic style, its turning out from his own pronouncements that he took some risks in expressing his interpretation of the Clinton legacy - right on the painting itself! 

The most infamous blue dress in the world, associated with the most sensational Presidential scandal in recent history

Shank by his own admission "hid" some unflattering symbolism in the painting -- a barely noticeable shadow in the painting's background on the fireplace mantle, supposedly cast by a blue dress- which was his way of evoking Monica Lewinsky, the intern with whom Clinton had a scandalous fling while in office. According to the painter,  the dress-shaped shadow is in fact an allusion to the "literal shadow" that the Monica Lewinsky scandal cast on Clinton's legacy,

Artist Nelson Shanks works on a portrait of former president Bill Clinton in his Andalusia, Pa., studio in 2005. The portrait was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. (Photo: Eileen Blass, USA TODAY)

"Let's face it, that's a metaphor," the artist tells in an interview with Philadelphia Daily News, adding, "....a major shadow across [Clinton's] presidency.There's some humor attached to it," Shanks admits. "But I hope it's deeper than that. I hope it's reflective of history and an anecdote that history should respect and know about at the same time." 

Bill Clinton looking up at his portrait during its unveiling at the Smithsonian Castle Building in Washington. Photograph: Haraz N Ghanbari/AP

No one (including the Clintons) have asked us to remove the portrait from the gallery," a spokeswoman for the N.P.G. tells PEOPLE. 

Tags: Bill Clinton NELSON SHANKS/NATIONAL PORTRAIT at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., Bill Clinton , Clinton , Washington D.C., Washington , National Portrait Gallery , NELSON SHANKS/NATIONAL PORTRAIT , NELSON SHANKS, Ronald Reagan , Reagan , Princess Diana , Diana , 42nd president , president , New York City , New York , Monica Lewinsky, Monica, Lewinsky, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia , PEOPLE, Smithsonian Castle Building , Smithsonian Castle , Smithsonian