The original cover for Batgirl #41.

Recently the hashtag #ChangetheCover pushed DC Comics to change the upcoming cover of Batgirl #41. The original cover portrayed a terrified Barabra Gordon held at gun point by The Joker, one of the most infamous comic book villains ever created. The cover was meant not only to pay tribute to the historic relationship between Batgirl and Joker, but as well to instill a burning discomfort. Art like this is not meant to be something simply glanced at, but to invoke a powerful emotion. It accomplishes it well, but apparently it did its job too well, as hundreds took to Twitter demanding the art be changed.

There’s an inherent issue with how our world reacts to violence. No one was demanding changes in movies like Die Hard, The Avengers, or any number of classic and modern action films which portray insane amounts of violence towards any number of people. The reason for that is simple: the violence isn’t of any consequence. Not in the context of the film at least. The hero easily takes out thousands of baddies, utters a one liner, and walks calmly away. Even when the bad guy does something violent, you don’t get a crawling feeling under the skin. You feel more like you’re watching a football game. The Joker is a unique character in that he consistently surpasses this. The best reincarnations of The Joker are the ones that make you nauseous, angry, and most importantly, afraid. That’s what the character is there for. And that’s insanely important to have in media.

We constantly hear people complaining about the media and violence. “Does playing video games make kids more violent?” is the question asked by journalists, by scientists, by angry mothers protesting the latest Grand Theft Auto V, by the Australian government subsequently banning it. This question has stretched into all forms of media at one point or another. And the issue usually comes down to the dehumanization of violence. While I don’t think this actually causes violence, I do think it makes us less sensitive to it. When you are raised seeing violence committed so passively, it sinks in less and less what is going on. That’s not to say films that do this are bad, because most still have fair lessons and enjoyment, and their effects aren’t necessarily horrific enough to warrant removing them. But the problem is, no one is protesting these films. No one is demanding they, on an individual basis, be censored.

The only time we see this is when the violence seems eerily real. This cover sends chills down the spine, as it is meant too, and it reminded people even briefly, of the actual terror violence can instill. Even the greatest of heroes have fears, and the Batman universe is a legacy to this fact. Batman is a hero built on loss and fear, as our all his counterparts. And the greatest of his foes are built on taking advantage of those fears. Part of why Batman is so popular is that it is a series that has never been afraid to delve into the darker parts of reality. This isn’t a bad thing. Far from it, it’s a good thing.

A society that wants to advocate AGAINST violence shouldn’t be censoring stuff like this. This isn’t what makes people violent, if anything actually does. This does the opposite. The Joker isn’t anyone’s hero (not anyone in a proper state of mind anyway). The Joker is the villain. There is no question, no sympathy, and no moral quandry. He is the villain, so much so that we feel more emotion for the villains around him who he abuses than we ever do towards him. People enjoy his portrayals because they’re entertaining, intriguing, a look into the mind of someone truly evil. But he isn’t the person anyone relates too. He isn’t something anyone wants to be. And that’s why the cover is effective. It reminds us, however briefly, of the reality of violence. The reality of fear. We are not action heroes. In life, we don’t simply approach destruction with a placid mental state. Violence is not something that simply occurs, it involves real people, with real fear. The face of Barabra Gordon makes us uncomfortable because it reminds us of our humanity. And nothing advocates against violence more than a reminder of the real devastation it can cause. Seeing a resilient and powerful superheroine in mortal fear is a stirring reminscence of that.

DC, I would love for the cover to remain the same. I don’t think anyone should have to censor their work for doing its job. That cover wasn’t meant to make anyone happy. It was supposed to be uncomfortable. And while it may be more for some than others, removing things like that doesn’t remove violence in the world. We need those reminders of our humanity. We need those reminders of the real trauma of evil. Please let it be released. If necessary, put a side cover over that one. But please release the actual art, as a testament. The greatest works ever made have been ones which are not afraid to make people cringe. Once upon a time, people tried to censor the film (and book) A Clockwork Orange, for its portrayals of incredible and traumatizing violence. At the time, they didn’t realize, it was the point. You were supposed to feel horrified by what you were watching, and the lesson of the film was that surpressing those feelings, surpressing reality wasn’t going to make that violence go away. Simply make us unprepared for when we are inevitably forced to face it.

Please, don’t change the cover.