'Banned' Batman story being released almost twenty years later

[cyberghostface]

A while back DC had an event in 2001 called "This issue: Batman dies" across the Bat-titles which basically amounted to villains fantasizing about killing the Dark Knight. The issue of Gotham Knights was told from the perspective of Victor Zsasz but the issue was pulled at the last minute because it was too gory. The artist posted some of the pages on his Facebook here which I am sharing below but the whole issue was never released... until now.

The DC solicitations for December 2019 show that the 'Arkham: Victor Zsasz' trade will be presenting the complete planned story that DC didn't want you to see. Looking back on it the controversy is kind of funny because I can think of a few moments from the big two that are more graphic than anything we see here. Heck even 'Carnage: Mind Bomb' came out in 1996 and that was considerably more horrific than this.

NSFW for gore





















In case you are wondering what is going on, I asked the artist on Facebook a few years ago and he told me (highlight below for spoilers):

Batman hit Zsasz with a blood thinner. So Zsasz is losing a lot of blood when he cuts himself and he's hallucinating. The 'woman' he killed is just a mannequin. Presumably at the end of the issue he 'kills' Batman but it's in his mind.

Comments

[alicemacher]

Yeah, I'm with you, cyberghostface. This is gore, but it's stylized gore, not horror B-movie splatter gore. I'd publish it.

[lego_joker]

They're actually putting together a trade for Zsasz? I don't know whether to applaud or shake my head.

It'd probably collect all of "The Last Arkham" and the origin story Grant wrote about five years after... "Spiritual Currency" from NML might or might not make it... I'm personally most looking forward to "... And Red All Over" because any recognition of Robin!Steph at this point is Good...

Apart from that there's that Streets of Gotham arc by Dini and the Girlfrenzy issue with Babsgirl... any other stories where Zsasz holds down the fort by himself?

[lego_joker]

Wait, nvm, followed the link and it looks like "... And Red All Over" won't be in there after all. Boo-urns.

[ebailey140]

Guess this means we can expect Black Canary, Huntress, and Black Mask trades before long. Maybe even Montoya and Cassandra Cain?

[zachbeacon]

Yeah, I get that you want to do a "Best of" for Two-Face or Mad Hatter or whatever but Zsasz is a character you do AFTER you've already done Calendar Man, Killer Moth, and Kite Man ("HELL, YEAH")

Plus there's all the stuff that people want the DC either cancelled outright* or fails to continue**.

*Unless my Amazon preorders of Sandman Mystery Theater Book 3 and 4 actually DO show up in January of 2035. That delay seems a bit long, though. Heck, I wouldn't have gone for that printing if they'd just bothered collecting the complete run THE FIRST TIME they put out trades. See also: Books of Magic and Green Lantern (Kyle).

**Still waiting on that second Justice League International Omnibus. Also remember when DC was reprinting the 90s runs of Robin and Birds of Prey but just suddenly stopped? At least we got most of the Dixon Nightwing run (not counting the one Year One arc that DOESN'T constantly get reprinted).

How about DC puts out some of those instead? Or "the Best of Killer Moth"; that could be fun.

[janegray]

Maybe they pulled this not because it was too gory but because it was pointless.

Then again, about 90% of Zsas stuff is. Worst Batman villain.

[donnblake]

The version on Gotham has some fun moments, but also has fairly little in common with his comics progentior.

[kamino_neko]

I love most of the Gotham characters, but Zsasz is by far the best.

[zachbeacon]

That is such a weird way to spell "Penguin".

[cyberghostface]

He was pretty fun in Gotham. They actually made him the comic relief if you can believe it.

https://youtu.be/2QFnAhaz1OM

[beeyo]

Please drop a link of him in Barry, as I am unable to at the moment

[tcampbell1000]

My first thought was "2001? Well, maybe that's why..." but no, the pub dates were February 2001, which means the actual issues probably came out no later than late spring/early summer.

[bradygirl_12]

My first thought was "2001? Well, maybe that's why..." but no, the pub dates were February 2001, which means the actual issues probably came out no later than late spring/early summer.

Yeah, that was my first thought, too.

[tripodeca113]

Maybe I've been desensitised to violence, but I don't see why this was worth being banned.
I'm not saying it's good, but I've seen worse.

[ebailey140]

My favorite bits from that event were the Catwoman cover ("This issue: Batman doesn't die!"), and the Harley Quinn one ("This issue: Wayne Manor dies! Well, sort of."). The latter would also introduce Harley breaking the fourth wall. Wayne Manor sort of dies because Barda goes a little overboard protecting the entrance to the Batcave.