DC Comics Deletes ‘Batman’ Image That China Complained Was Supporting Hong Kong Protesters

“DC Comics has yanked a poster for a new Batman title from its social media accounts after the image drew criticism from Chinese commenters who said it appeared to support the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong,” reports Variety: The artwork depicts Batman throwing a Molotov cocktail against a backdrop of hot-pink words spelling out the new comic book’s tagline, “the future is young.” It was posted on DC Comics’ Twitter and Instagram accounts; both platforms are blocked in mainland China… [T]he poster came under fire from Chinese internet users who contended that it contained coded messages in support of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. They said that the Molotov cocktail alluded to young Hong Kong protesters’ more violent tactics, that the “dark knight’s” choice of black attire referred to the black-clad Hong Kong protesters, and that the “golden child” of the book’s title was a veiled reference to the color yellow, which was taken up by previous pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong five years ago… DC Comics has since removed the poster from its social media. A Beijing-based representative of Warner Bros. declined to comment on the move. China is a critical market for Warner Bros., which owns DC Entertainment and DC Comics, its publishing subsidiary…. DC Comics’ Instagram has been flooded with criticism from people who support the Hong Kong protests or are angry that the company appears to have given in to Chinese political pressure. “So now Batman loves money more than justice?” asked one commenter. Another wrote: “Apparently China rules the world now. The future is young? No, the future is censorship.” Ironically, the Daily Wire notes that technically, the figure on the front cover might not even be Batman. “It’s actually Batwoman.”