so in my opinion, USPCC should not have tried to censor this deck, i feel that if they wanted to sell it they should, i will say i was not going to get the deck with the last design for it was just to dark for me, yet with how it changed im considering getting it now.
I guess the "door-in-the-face technique" is working on you, as well!
I'm open-minded. Maybe it's a genuine case of USPC refusing an order on the grounds that it might tarnish the company's image. Bear in mind that a lot of the people buying Bicycle decks are from rather conservative parts of the country, where a joker like that would stir some people up enough to boycott their products. (Meanwhile, the more liberal parts of the country either don't care or take Kanped's stance about wanting freedom to publish what they wish.) But on the other hand, the whole thing could have been a big publicity stunt, done either with or without USPC's knowledge and complicity, on the part of BBM.
Personally, I happen to like the second joker. The artwork is more dark and sinister, despite losing a degree of cultural connectedness. And as far as the box art - hey, boxes are nice, but I'm more interested in the cards INSIDE the boxes... The box is less than 2% of what I'm paying for.