Update: Bruce Wayne’s “Bat-Pole” Revealed, Then Concealed, in Batman: Damned

Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s Batman: Damned #1, out today, marks the first official release from DC Comics’ mature-readers DC Black Label imprint, designed to give some of its biggest names the creative freedom to craft timeless tales outside of mainstream continuity. It’s with that non-canon caveat, then, that we confirm for curious readers that Batman: Damned #1 features what may well be the first official appearance of Batman’s “Bat-Pole”—and potentially the first official full-frontal superhero appearance from either DC Comics or its primary rival Marvel Comics.

Warning: slightly NSFW imagery follows

Batman: Damned #1 Interior Art by Lee Bermejo

Bat-Computer, enhance.

Batman: Damned #1 Interior Art by Lee Bermejo

That’s a dick, Robin.

All jokes aside, Bruce Wayne’s nudity in Batman: Damned #1 sends a crystal-clear message that the gloves (and undies) are off for books under the DC Black Label imprint. Profanity is hardly uncharted territory (“Fuck Batman”), but showing the biggest superhero in the world walk around fully nude in an official DC Comics release is potentially unprecedented. There’s no real reason Azzarello and Bermejo needed to depict Bruce in the buff, though given the historical imbalance between clothing choices for male and female heroes, we’re hardly complaining. Plus, check out how much attention to detail Bermejo offered for Bruce’s Bat-behind:

Batman: Damned #1 Interior Art by Lee Bermejo

If you look closely, it appears that the above page also features another look at what rests behind the Bat-codpiece. The nude shots in Batman: Damned are hardly gratuitous—certainly almost every female hero at Marvel or DC has been depicted in much more outrageously sexual poses throughout the years—but we couldn’t let this moment pass without applauding Azzarello and Bermejo for their decision, and noting the potential historic nature of this brief peek at Bat-peen.

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters Interior Art by Mike Grell

Writer/artist Mike Grell included a sly schlong silhouette during his famous (and appropriately named) Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters prestige-format series, and Dr. Manhattan’s periwinkle penis is seen repeatedly throughout Watchmen, but our dedicated research couldn’t turn up any additional full-frontal male nudity from either Marvel Comics or DC Comics, non-superhero imprints like Vertigo and Icon excluded. Both companies have indulged in sex scenes both sensual and absurd, but never before have they shown it all, and we here at Paste can’t wait to see more heroic birthday suits in future DC Black Label releases.

And for the record, no amount of squinting seems to reveal whether lil’ Batman has a cowl of his own—but Bruce has Jewish family on his mother’s side, so…

Important Update:

We turned up our screen brightness. Bruce is circumcised.

Batman: Damned #1 Interior Art by Lee Bermejo

Disappointing Update:

Per fellow comics website CBR, we have learned that DC Comics has altered the digital release of Batman: Damned #1 to obscure Bruce’s bits. While pulling out isn’t 100% effective, it seems that DC has gotten dick-shy after all. Future print editions will also deprive readers of Batman’s bat-a-wang. Publishers, not just criminals, can be a cowardly and superstitious lot.