Just imagine you’re Batman. You don’t sleep, you work out 16 hours a day, and the rest of the time you wear a restrictive rubber body suit. Think of the constant chafing, the itching. It must be a nightmare. All the poor dude wants in exchange for spending every waking moment of his life dedicated to protecting the people of Gotham City is a few minutes of peace and quiet with his Bat-junk flapping in the breeze. Is that really too much to ask? I say no.

Apparently, though, some prudes out there want Batman to wear, like, clothes and stuff. No sooner did the Dark Knight finally get to let his freak flag fly in the pages of the adults-only comic Batman: Damned #1 this week — exposing his Bat-Mite for all the world to see — has he been retroactively covered up again. While you can, if you so choose, behold Batman in his birthday suit in the print edition of Batman: Damned, the nudity was removed from the digital comic on sale online. And now IGN says that DC will also alter the panels in future printings of the comic to remove Bruce Wayne’s wayne-r:

A source close to the project told IGN that DC chose to alter the art because it wasn't additive to the story. The first print run currently on sale in shops still features the unaltered art, but all future printings of Batman: Damned will reflect the altered artwork, the source also said.

One immediate effect: The first edition of Batman: Damned #1 is now a potential collector’s item, since it’s the only version that will ever exist that has these images. If you were debating picking up a copy I’d hurry up and grab one while you can; I have a feeling sales will be anything but flaccid once fans hear this news.

Gallery - The History of Batman in Movies:

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