Despite international news reports, DC Comics has not pulled a Rafael Grampa cover to his upcoming Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child comic book, written by Frank Miller. All they have done is deleted a tweet using the image to promote the upcoming comic.

There were reactions on Chinese social media after the cover image was used with the lettering "The future is young" with Carrie Kelly as Batwoman throwing a Molotov cocktail. Batwoman's black costume and mask and the colour of gold have been used by Hong Komg activists. However, according to the Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times, internet users interpreted this as support for the protests in Hong Kong over reducing autonomy in the country. And although DC Comics pulled the image from their social media, Grampá posted it, then described the controversy as surreal.

DC Comics isn't commenting, but Bleeding Cool has confirmed that the cover in question has not yet been removed and can be reordered by comic book retailers, in case they may suddenly get a rush of demand for it…

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS THE GOLDEN CHILD #1 RAFAEL GRAMPA VAR ED

Frank Miller returns to the Dark Knight Universe!

It's been three years since the events of Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Lara has spent the time learning to be more human, and Carrie Kelley has been growing into her new role as Batwoman. But a terrifying evil has returned to Gotham City, and Lara and Carrie must team up to stop this growing threat-and they have a secret weapon. Young Jonathan Kent, "the golden child," has a power inside of him unlike anything the world has ever seen, and it's about to be unleashed… Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is Frank Miller's triumphant return to the world of the Dark Knight and joining him is the superstar artist Rafael Grampá, the mastermind behind the groundbreaking Mesmo Delivery. Following work in advertising and film, this incredible collaboration marks Grampá's first comics work in six years, bringing his extraordinary detail and storytelling to the Dark Knight saga, resulting in a Dark Knight story like nothing you've ever seen before.In Shops: Dec 11, 2019

SRP: $5.99