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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