TRIGGER WARNING: The following article about The Walking Dead discusses violence and sexual assault.

While the visual nature of comic books and graphic novels has provided comic book artists with opportunities to tell incredible stories through stunning artwork, the eye-catching nature of comics has them to be subjected to intense scrutiny by those who object to the content of their artwork and storylines. While most of the opposition to the imagery of certain comic books has come from sources outside of the comic book industry,  there have been times when comic book artists have objected to the content of each other's artwork or even that of the artwork that they've produced themselves.

While working on the critically acclaimed The Walking Dead by Image Comics, series artist Charlie Adlard initially refused to draw The Walking Dead #28 (by Robert Kirkman, Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn), objecting to the Governor's brutal rape of Michonne Hawthorne, a woman of color. Although Adlard ultimately changed his mind, his short-lived creative conflict with Kirkman raises important questions regarding the ongoing debate over how comic book creators should portray violence and sexuality.

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After capturing Michonne, Rick Grimes, and Glenn Rhee while they were investigating a helicopter crash that occurred near the makeshift settlement they've formed with other survivors within an abandoned prison, the Governor personally interrogates them within his office, hoping to learn the location of their settlement so his community can forcibly claim it's resources for themselves. After one of his bodyguards cut off a defiant Rick's hand, Michonne retaliated by biting off a large chunk of the Governor's ear, causing the Governor to have Michonne taken to "the room". There, Michonne was tied to the wall in a spread eagle position and violently raped by the Governor, who told her that he planned to rape her at least once every day until she figured out a way to kill herself.

The reservations that Adlard initially held about the content of The Walking Dead #28 echo many of the complaints that have been made about the graphic nature of certain comic books. Since the beginning of the industry, comic books have been challenged by individuals and organizations who object to the imagery contained within certain comics. However, while events like the publication of Dr. Fredric Wertham's The Seduction of the Innocent and a Tennessee school district's recent banning of Art Spiegleman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus were motivated by a disingenuous desire to protect children, many scholars and critics have raised legitimate concerns over the ways that comic book creators have handled sensitive and mature subjects like violence against women.

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Over the years, many comic book creators have used the medium to explore mature stories that present challenging themes and ideas, and the visual nature of comics have allowed them to bring these ideas to life in ways that traditional literature never could. Although there are limits to the topics that stories told through any medium can explore, many stories that focus on challenging themes simply wouldn't work unless the sensitive elements associated with those themes are included. When he learned of Adlard's objections to the content of The Walking Dead #28, Kirkman responded by arguing that Michonne's rape was meant to be disturbing and that he believed it was important to not downplay the brutality that defined the post-apocalyptic world that depicted in the series. While it is possible to explore challenging themes without including violent and sexual images, including them can help comic creators present and explore issues that are prevalent in the real world.

Although the content of The Walking Dead #28 is graphic, it does demonstrate how comics can be used to confront and explore challenging ideas. While it's ultimately up to the reader to decide for themselves whether or not the imagery of a comic is appropriate to the story the creators are trying to tell, calls for the complete exclusion of this sort of imagery from comics deeply undervalue the medium's ability to address complex themes and ideas in ways that no other form of storytelling can.

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