Comics / Comics News

Apple Bans Saga #12

By Zak Edwards
April 9, 2013 - 19:55

The image in question, appropriately censored.

For those of you who don't know: Apple has decided not to allow this week's issue of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' incredible series Saga for "two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex," according to a press release on Staples' website.  Apple is no stranger to enforcing some quite silly restrictions on content through its apps; for example, I get to write things like f*ck because that saves the poor children I am not thinking about.  But Apple is thinking about the children who would accidentally see this imagery in the latest issue of Saga, despite selling issues of comics that depict gruesome violence or, well, Saga's own notorious space giant testicles.  I'm less concerned at the moment with Apple's purposeful limitations of expression through censorship, not just because the politics of censorship is a territory I need more space to fully discuss, but also because very rarely are we given such an open chance to express ourselves through dollar votes.

In the press release, Vaughan lists places where people with iPads and other Apple products can pay for and enjoy the comic can go since Vaughan is "not changing sh*t" in the issue.  If you happen to be one of  these people, I would encourage you to consider the options and, more importantly, keep going to that store or outlet and never to Apple again.  Why not?  By using sites like comixology, and consistently doing so, Apple has to reconsider their rules on censorship.  Hit them in the single place they care about, their wallet, and perhaps these puritanical assumptions about what Apple deems appropriate (especially in how unevenly they apply these bans) will be reconsidered.

Then, and only then, can I tell you what the f*ck is up.

Update, the AV Club has reported that the mix-up yesterday was due to a misunderstanding of Apple's policies regarding sexual content on apps.  To quote them: "There's a valuable lesson to be gleaned from all this: Always double-check a business's bukkake policy, so you don't make a decision that will blow up in your face."  I think that sums everything up pretty well, personally.

*Sent from my MacBook Air*

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12