Film adaptations of graphic novels such as Zack Snyder’s 300 and the upcoming Watchmen mean that graphic novels are growing ever more popular. They’re not just in dingy comic book shops anymore but on the shelves in Waterstones and Borders. So is it right that they are now under threat by government anti-pornography legislation?
There are two bills in parliament at the moment that, if successful, could make the possession of “extreme pornographic images” an offence.
An “extreme image” is defined in The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act as one that is “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character”. So far, so good, right? That all sounds normal enough, but there¹s a sting in the tail for unsuspecting readers of the graphic novel: “and a reasonable person looking at the image would think that any such person or animal was real.” There¹s a similar set of rules for child pornography.
William Blackstock
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