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Understandably hyper-sensitive in the wake of the Aurora shootings at a DARK KNIGHT RISES screening, Warner Bros. is editing the upcoming Beware the Batman cartoon to remove realistic gun imagery.

Producers of the series were asked by WB Animation executive VP Sam Register to scrutinize depictions of weapons on the program, which isn’t expected to debut on the cable network until next year.

An unspecified number of alterations were made to some designs and situations on the series to minimize the amount of weapon imagery deemed too realistic.

The review process, which isn’t expected to be cheap, will be as detailed as changing the shape of gun barrels from round to square for the purpose of rendering the weapons in a more stylized manner reminiscent of sci-fi fare.


Producer Register volunteered for the toning down.

DC Comics has also been caught in post-crime scrutiny of unintended storylines, postponing release of BATMAN INC #3 for a month because of a scene where a teacher pulls a gun on students.

Batman films and movies are traditionally dark, moody things. Although Batman himself doesn’t use a gun, his enemies usually do. Proving once again that supervising cartoon guns? Fine. Supervising REAL GUNS? Not fine.

31 COMMENTS

  1. I could understand if the cartoon was going to be out in a few weeks, but by the time it comes out in 2013 will people really be paying attention to this? This just seems to be really unnecessary.

  2. I could understand if the cartoon was going to be out in a few weeks, but by the time it comes out in 2013 will people really be paying attention to this? This just seems to be really unnecessary.

  3. You’re probably right Matthew. You would think these changes would have been the norm in cartoons after Columbine.

  4. You’re probably right Matthew. You would think these changes would have been the norm in cartoons after Columbine.

  5. This is pointless. Are they going to re-edit the 1990s Batman The Animated Series to remove all of the gunshot scenes?

  6. Oh, I also find his costume a bit frightening, so could it be happier and more harmless looking? Maybe with cheerful baby bats illustrated on it.

  7. “I agree this is spineless. This is like admitting “Yea, all the violence in the world? That’s all on us. Sorry, our bad.””

    Or it’s like them trying to avoid the undoubted number of frivolous lawsuits that will be brought against them because they didn’t change the gun imagery in their cartoons.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/james-holmes-batman-massacre-lawsuit_n_1699308.html

    You try having multiple multi-million dollar suits against you by the litigious in this country and see how spineless you become.

  8. “You would think these changes would have been the norm in cartoons after Columbine.”

    Riiiiight. Because there’s a clear causal link between cartoon violence and spree killing. Not.

    This was reactionary overkill on DC’s part — but probably prudent, legally speaking, in an world in which geniuses like ‘Johnny’ could possibly wind up on a jury.

    It’s still a pathetic sign of the times, though.

  9. “You try having multiple multi-million dollar suits against you by the litigious in this country and see how spineless you become.”

    In your earlier paragraph you mentioned they are frivolous. I seriously doubt they are going to get a cent from Warner Brothers and even then it’s Chris Nolan’s Batman movies that they are pointing to not any Batman cartoons.

  10. Now what brought about the existence of Batman? He is a hero who almost refuses the use of guns to bring justice. I believe Bruce Wayne has openly expressed gun control in some past issues. Let’s not too carried away by the Colorado incident.

  11. In terms of the fact gun control is a forbidden subject, but censorship is something we will be seeing more of, that is no surprise. There is more a background check required to buy Sudafed than there is for purchasing semi-automatic weapons.

  12. sure they look less realistic, but you still pull a trigger and shoot people with it…. Stop insulting their intelligence, kids are not dumb. this puritanical coddling and editing is raising a hypersensitive and compromising generation of kids.

  13. well something’s got to give. if nothing is going to be done to stop real gun violence, then make believe gun violence will pay the price (but not really). will this gesture stop or even slow the tide of real gun violence (of which any of us can be a victim of, who knows, i might be next, or maybe one of you, or one of our loved ones), no, of course not, and why is this? oh, right, nobody wants to do anything to stop real gun violence. so i guess we can all have our cake and eat it too.

  14. I understand someone being upset and wanting to sue up a storm, but the guy that is suing WB for the violence in the film that he paid to see, well eventually he will realize his mistake.

    Also it seems pretty clear that WB is just looking to show publicly that they are making an effort to curb the violence. As long as this is just PR and does not turn into the comics code 2.0 then I’m really not that concerned. The cartoon will most likely fail or succeed based on the quality of the stories, not what WB did a year ago.

  15. Welcome to the world of political correctness. They edited the Bugs Bunny cartoons long ago because they felt back in the late 80’s that they were to violent.
    Doesn’t matter if you remove the guns in a cartoon. If an individual wants to kill they will kill using a gun, knife, bomb or what ever they want.

  16. will this gesture stop or even slow the tide of real gun violence (of which any of us can be a victim of, who knows, i might be next, or maybe one of you,

    >>

    @ABC:

    Yeah…Or maybe next will be one of the thousands of people who will shortly be killed in Mexico, because Americans just have to keep the drug (they crave) illegal — turning towns and cities in Mexico (and other countries) where they otherwise HAVE STRICT GUNS LAWS, into murderous narco states.

    Illegal drugs are the cause of, what..2/3…90% of all guns violence on this continent, but it seems a group of rich privileged Americans – who have the luxury of living in communities where people only do drugs – but don’t kill each other over drug trafficking (for the moment) – only care about their being able to live (and watch Batman) w/ the illusion of safety

    My thinking is that if we Americans aren’t going to give two shits about how many tens of thousands of desperately poor south American men, women and children we foster being to shot to bloody pieces to feed our habits, or how much of a threat we create from narco gangs taking over governments south of the border, then we at least not be so pious about a few psychos in our midst; Especially the one acting their aggression in a pro-gun state, where voters clearly made they’re pro-gun choice, and will be the ones to live with it.

  17. Horatio, it’s not America’s fault that big chunks of Mexico are violent shit holes. Yes, drug money here does end up in the pockets of criminals in Mexico. But Mexico chooses to create an environment where crime thrives and everything else withers away. Drug money in Baltimore, NYC, etc., certainly isn’t a positive, but it hasn’t resulted in the massive civilization-fail that we see in Mexico.

  18. it’s not America’s fault

    >>

    @Zach

    I didn’t exactly say that it was “our fault” — what I said was that that if my fellow American’s who say they care so much about gun violence, really cared about gun violence, and not just the illusion of security while watching Batman –then they would be looking at all the woman and kids who are being terrorized – or otherwise cut to pieces by bullets fired by those serving America’s drug demand .. both inside the USA and out.

    >>

    Drug money in Baltimore, NYC, etc., certainly isn’t a positive, but it hasn’t resulted in the massive civilization-fail that we see in Mexico.

    >>

    @Zach:

    Some of us seem to have forgotten that 25 yrs ago in NYC there was an incredible wave of gun violence (UNDER THE SAME GUN LAWS WE HAVE NOW) The murder rate was 5-6 times the present one and higher, per-capata, than it is, I believe, in present day Tijuana. At that time we were in the Crack plague – something of the sort that could return any minute.

    Otherwise: Some of us also make a lot of comments while not having to live in (or ever visiting) some neighborhoods in the USA that are major drug distribution points and about as bad as anything in Mexico.

    Again: 90% of all gun violence is driven by drugs – but yeah, that just may not happen to include the PHD psycho/1 in a million killer who some specious folks worry might be firing at them.

    Otherwise(2): …and of course we can’t even consider re-thinking our drug laws, because if we did something there, America would see the “massive civilization-fail” that we see in say England or Canada + liberals and conservatives would loose a great “hot issue” for keeping themselves employed.

  19. @Zach: Don’t forget that a considerable amount of those guns being used in Mexico are from the US care of the ATF.

    So yeah, some of it is our fault!

  20. Let’s try to imagine a world where drugs are legalized and controlled like alcohol or cigarettes. Guess who would go out of business very quickly?

  21. Let’s try to imagine a world where drugs are legalized and controlled like alcohol or cigarettes. Guess who would go out of business very quickly?

    >>

    Uh..75% of the Jails?

    40-50% police?

    25% Gun stores?

    Alas: Too late to put out the Drug Cartels — they’ve discovered kidnapping.

  22. On a similar note, when Marvel was proposing the first incarnation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, they were told they could have GUNS or NAZIS but not both, which is how Hydra became the guys running around in WW II.

    Anyway, I’m perfectly fine with less realistic guns in Beware the Batman. I’m pretty sure smart writers can find a way to tell interesting Batman stories that don’t involve realistic guns every episode.

  23. Wow, I’m obviously the minority here. My first thought was, “Yeah, take a look at it and who cares if you stylize the weapons? It’s the story that matters, not how realistic the weapons look.”

    As for the blathering stupidity above about Mexico and Gun Control etc. Move it elsewhere.

  24. “Understandably hypersensitive”.

    Yeah. But also verging on “Predictably oversensitive”.

    And the scene in Batman Inc had nothing to do with what happened in Colorado. If anything, yeah, “guns in a Batman story” has more meaning now. In other words, the presence of guns threatens ninnies’ ability to just mindlessly indulge in escapist entertainment.

    Which is as it should be.

    But instead we all just have to remove guns from art so that the art will have even less social relevance?

  25. As for the blathering stupidity above about Mexico and Gun Control etc. Move it elsewhere.

    >>

    @Mike Mitchell Online:

    Sure .. just as soon as you make any solid points about what EXACTLY has been said that was incoherent, unintelligent, non-factual or otherwise unrelated to the topic at hand ..Otherwise: If your point is simply that things have been said that you don’t like to hear .. then you really have no point… but you are welcome, as far as I’m concerned.

  26. “Supervising REAL GUNS? Not fine.”

    I’m all for crazy people not being allowed to have guns but leave law abiding citizens out of it.

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