Mike Cane has just posted about an issue that I think we all need to pay attention to: one of the drones at the Apple App Store has taken it upon himself to reject a comic book. I’ll let Mike set up the scenario…

Recently I raved about a revolutionary new program called Comic Reader. This program was to be used to premiere a comic book called Murderdrome.

From the title alone, you expect it not to be all bunnies and unicorns and rainbows.

But this is a comic book. A work of drawing and word balloons. It is imaginary. It is fiction.

It was submitted to the Apple App Store and the publishers received notice that it was being rejected for violating terms of the Software Developer Kit which states:

Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.

Well now wait a minute here.

Murderdrome is not an “application,” Comic Reader is. Murderdrome is content that can be read via the Comic Reader application.

Murderdrome is a book.

Apple has just banned a book.

Mike’s right. And you know what? I have a huge problem with the banning of any book…

Mike then goes through multiple examples of what Apple deems acceptable, including selling Reservoir Dogs in their iTunes Movie Store without a rating. Now just between you and me, Reservoir Dogs is arguably one of the most graphically violent movies ever, even if it is a really good one. And you’ve got to love Mike’s dead-on reasoning when he mentions the scene in the movie where Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde) has a cop tied to a chair that he is working over with a straight razor. “Apple offers that with no rating advisory.” “But how many will recall that Itchy & Scratchy did Reservoir Dogs? ” Mike has the YouTube clips to illustrate the scene in question from each, and sure enough, exhibit B is an otherwise G-rated cartoon-within-a-cartoon reenacting that exact grotesquely graphic scene…

it illustrates a dismembering and a beheading!

Oh, you argue, it’s just a cartoon!

So is Murderdrome!

Well said.

Mike goes on to say:

It’s evident that Apple has yet to sort out what its stance is on several issues. Properly rating movies, for one thing. How to handle publications that are wrapped in applications. The left hand of one part of the iTunes Store knowing what the right hand is being asked to approve for the App Store.

These are issues that have to be sorted out right now. Aside from Murderdrome, there is another publisher about to offer comic books on the App Store: iVerse. They have to be wondering what Apple’s standards precisely are. I have to wonder now if Apple’s banning of Murderdrome has a sent chilling shot across their bow.

Every single writer in the world is watching you right now, Apple.

It’s not just the writers, you know; we consumers will be, too!

Infuriouscomics blogged this:

Here at infurious, we would love to work with Apple to ensure a content rating system can be put in place to allow material that is no more offensive than many of the R rated films available to download on iTunes.

I think it is a dangerous thing for anyone to decide what may or may not be read by the masses. I might understand Apple’s stance if they were more consistent in their efforts to “protect” their customers from “obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.)”, but that is obviously not the case.

Read Mike’s brilliant post, and then let us know what you think about Apple banning books…any books.


Link: Apple Forfeits eBooks By Banning A Comic Book!

Link: Infuriouscomics>>Murderdrome - Killer App