Brazil’s biggest newspaper has printed an illustration from a Marvel comic of two men kissing on its front page to attack an attempt at censorship by the evangelical mayor of Rio de Janeiro.

Marcelo Crivella attempted to ban copies of the graphic novel Avengers: The Children’s Crusade from appearing at a book fair on the grounds that it included content unsuitable for children.

Critics said his move was reminiscent of the censorship imposed during Brazil’s 21-year military dictatorship, which ended in 1985 and is often praised by the country’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. On Sunday the president of Brazil’s supreme court overruled a court decision that had endorsed Crivella’s move.

Folha de S.Paulo’s mission was to “throw light on censorship threats”, its editor, Sérgio Dávila, told the Guardian.

“It is an attack on freedom of expression,” said Mariana Zahar, the vice-president of the National Union of Book Publishers, which organised the book fair. “We will fight this to the end.” Read more via the Guardian