Rafael Grampá's original artwork from his controversial variant cover for Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is currently being sold off by Heritage Auctions.
Grampá's variant was created using ink and graphite on Bristol board and measures in at 11x16. Whoever wins the auction will also receive an additional print of a piece of Batman artwork by Grampá, which has been autographed by the artist. Bids will be accepted until Sept. 13. At the time of writing, the price currently sits at $7,250 USD ($8,700 with buyer's premium).
Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by Grampá, The Golden Child hit shelves this past December. However, Grampá's variant for the one-shot caused a bit of a stir when DC Comics used it as a promotional image on social media the previous month. The image shows former Robin Carrie Kelly -- who has since taken on the mantle of Batwoman -- throwing a Molotov cocktail, with the caption, "The future is young." DC deleted the image shortly thereafter, reportedly due to complaints from the Chinese government alleging that the imagery used was meant to show support for protesters in Hong Kong.
DC received criticism for seemingly bending to the will of the Chinese government, though Miller and Grampá later explained that the image was actually removed from social media due to inaccurate artistic credits. The image was restored and the variant cover was still available for purchase with the issue. That being said, in the interim between the image being removed and reuploaded, some protesters in Hong Kong actually did adopt the cover as a symbol of their movement. The Hong Kong protests were prompted by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill, which would have allowed fugitives in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China.
Both Grampá and Miller later offered their thoughts on the cover being used by Hong Kong protesters while appearing at the CCXP convention in Brazil. Said Grampá, "People want something to be inspired by, and people are fighting for their freedom. This is what The Golden Child is. We're trying to tell a story about people thinking for themselves." Miller added, "The main thing I want people to take away from [the comic] is for them to put it down and say, 'Boy, that was a good one. It looked beautiful.' That's the goal. There are political entities out there so afraid of expression that they're afraid of a picture. ...They're going to collapse anyway."
The full information regarding Heritage's action can be found below.
Heritage Auction to auction the already classic variant cover from Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child by Rafael Grampá
Bidding will be received until Sept 13th 2020
“The Future is Young”. Rafael GrampáDark Knight Returns: Golden ChildVariant Cover Original Art (DC Comics, 2020). "The Golden Child" is Frank Miller's triumphant return to the world of the Dark Knight, along with superstar artist Rafael Grampá, the mastermind behind the groundbreaking "Mesmo Delivery." This cover shows the older, and former Robin, Carrie Kelley, as the current Batwoman. Carrie was created by Miller in his Dark Knight Returns run, and stands among the few who are credited with saving Batman's life. On November 26, 2019, DC Comics posted the promotional artwork for this series on their social media, where you can see Batwoman throwing a Molotov cocktail, mixed with the phrase "The Future Is Young". But as soon as it was released, the publisher decided to delete the promo, and in a movement of revolt against possible censorship by China, protesters in Hong Kong adopted the art as a symbol of the protests. The controversy took on worldwide proportions and this art created by Grampá became featured in The Guardian, Le Monde,Business Insider, Variety, South China Morning Post, Global News, Rolling Stone, and in hundreds of other vehicles around the planet. Created in ink and graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 11" x 16". Includes a signed Batman print. In Excellent condition. Item was consigned by the artist to Heritage Auction.
Collectors from all over the world are invited to place a bid until September 13th 2020 at: