Case Study: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Source: Wikipedia

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again is the sequel to The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller’s popular and gritty take on the mythos of Gotham City’s nocturnal superhero. Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, it has Batman and several other DC characters taking on a repressive U.S. government controlled by Lex Luthor.

In July 2010, a patron of the Stark County District Library in Canton, Ohio, challenged the inclusion of the collected edition of The Dark Knight Strikes Again in the library’s collection. There is no media coverage of this challenge to be found online, but the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom helpfully provided a few more details from their database. The unknown patron (OIF removes identifying details from challenge information released to the public) complained that the book contained sexism and offensive language and was “unsuited to age group.” Despite the challenge, the library retained the book and now holds two copies, which are shelved in the Teen section.

No stranger to censorship (including from his publisher) and allegations of being a bad influence on young people, Miller is a longtime supporter of the CBLDF. His art and books are frequently included in our donation premiums and auctions, and he recorded this message in support of our work: