DC Comics has announced they won't be publishing a controversial variant cover for Batgirl #41. The decision came after artist Rafael Albuquerque requested that the cover be removed.

The image in question was part of a series of 25 Joker-themed variant covers planned for DC's June comic lineup. These covers feature the Clown Prince of Crime butting heads with various DC heroes, generally in humorous ways. The Batgirl #41 cover, however, took a darker approach:

While certainly an effective image as far as portraying Joker as his scariest and most intimidating, the cover drew ire from many fans because of what is seen as a sexual undertone to Joker's treatment of Batgirl. That was exacerbated by the fact that Joker's outfit is a clear callback to the Killing Joke graphic novel, wherein he shot, humiliated and possibly (depending on one's interpretation of the story) sexually assaulted Barbara Gordon.The cover was also criticized for going against the grain of Batgirl's current story direction. The series has taken on a more lighthearted tone under its new creative team (co-writers Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher and artist Babs Tarr), whereas this cover recalls the darker tone of Killing Joke and earlier New 52 stories. Stewart himself has been vocal on Twitter about his disapproval of the image.

My Batgirl variant cover artwork was designed to pay homage to a comic that I really admire, and I know is a favorite of many readers. 'The Killing Joke' is part of Batgirl’s canon and artistically, I couldn't avoid portraying the traumatic relationship between Barbara Gordon and the Joker.



For me, it was just a creepy cover that brought up something from the character’s past that I was able to interpret artistically. But it has become clear, that for others, it touched a very important nerve. I respect these opinions and, despite whether the discussion is right or wrong, no opinion should be discredited.



My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art. For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled. I'm incredibly pleased that DC Comics is listening to my concerns and will not be publishing the cover art in June as previously announced.

Albuquerque released a statement about the move that made it clear it was his choice to pull the cover:DC's own statement noted, "Regardless if fans like Rafael Albuquerque’s homage to Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke graphic novel from 25 years ago, or find it inconsistent with the current tonality of the Batgirl books - threats of violence and harassment are wrong and have no place in comics or society."Stewart later tweeted, "Something to clarify, because DCs statement was a little unclear. @rafaalbuquerque did not get threats. People OBJECTING to the cover did."It remains to be seen if a new Joker variant cover will be commissioned to replace this one.Let us know your thoughts (politely and maturely, mind you) in the comments below.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN