Saga #12 Also Banned From ComiXology's Android App--Not By Google

Following reports that Saga #12, banned yesterday by Apple, readers today tweeted at ComiXology that they were unable to purchase the item in the Android app, either. The online retailer responded suggesting that, like Apple customers, they should buy the item on the ComiXology website and sync it to their app. Asked whether Google had banned the comic from their marketplace, or whether it was something ComiXology had done on all mobile apps following the Apple decision, ComiXology's support account tweeted, "No word on that. But you can buy it on the web and it will sync to your Purchases section." So I followed up with Google. Contacting the support center for Google Play, who power the Android Marketplace, I was told that they couldn't find the item in their computers, either--and that such a change wouldn't be made, as a policy. "We wouldn't remove any kind of in-app item that was provided by the developer of the app," I was told. "We handle our Google Play store; we let the developer handle their in-app content." If it was a question of objectionable content, apparently, Google would take action against the app, not the particular piece of content, so it seemed likely that ComiXology had opted to cover their bases by simply not making the item available through mobile apps across the board. The last reply I got from ComiXology was, "Titles with high levels of mature content have always been web-only. That's all this is." Following its Apple ban for depicting a sex act (something the series has done a number of times before with no issue), many accused Apple of homophobia, as the sex act in question was homosexual this time and had not been in past instances. A number of comics professionals expressed concerns that this might be the case, although digital comics maven Mark Waid rejected it as a rush to judgment on the part of the fans. A number of brick-and-mortar retailers are also reportedly choosing not to sell the issue, although so far it's due to fear of prosecution, not as a judgment on content.