Yesterday, we shared the spreading-like-wildfire news of Apple reportedly banning “Saga” #12 for explicit content. This is apparently not the case, as explained in a press release from Comixology, which explains it was their judgement call based on Apple’s policies.
The press release goes like this:
To our customers –
In the last 24 hours there has been a lot of chatter about Apple banning Saga #12 from our Comics App on the Apple App Store due to depictions of gay sex. This is simply not true, and we’d like to clarify.
As a partner of Apple, we have an obligation to respect its policies for apps and the books offered in apps. Based on our understanding of those policies, we believed that Saga #12 could not be made available in our app, and so we did not release it today.
We did not interpret the content in question as involving any particular sexual orientation, and frankly that would have been a completely irrelevant consideration under any circumstance.
Given this, it should be clear that Apple did not reject Saga #12.
After hearing from Apple this morning, we can say that our interpretation of its policies was mistaken. You’ll be glad to know that Saga #12 will be available on our App Store app soon.
We apologize to Saga creator Brian K. Vaughan and Image Comics for any confusion this may have caused.
All the best,
David Steinberger
CEO and co-founder
comiXology
As such, Brian K Vaughan has responded as well:
I wanted to apologize to everyone for this entire SAGA #12 kerfuffle. Yesterday, I was mistakenly led to believe that this issue was solely with Apple, but it’s now clear that it was only ever Comixology too conservatively interpreting Apple’s rules. I’m truly sorry. I never thought either company was being homophobic, only weirdly inconsistent about what kind of adult material was permissible. I’m grateful that the situation was cleared up so quickly, and I’m delighted I can go back to reading smutty comics on my Retina Display iPad.
–Brian K. Vaughan
So, if you’d like to grab “Saga” #12 from Comixology on your iOS device, you absolutely can. We heartily recommend buying it from the Comixology website and syncing it to your iOS device because that way more money goes to the creators and publishers as 30% is taken out for Apple, but it’s your call. Whatever works best. (Except, really, just buy from the website anyway, you know?)
Either way, the “Saga” #12 fracas made for a) a good debate on digital comics and b) a great excuse for a silly headline from us. I can only hope today’s lives up to yesterday’s, because the overall point is, you can now buy all the digital gay robo sex bukake you could ever want unencumbered.
(Heh. Unencumbered.)
