Is the Rolling Stone Cover a Bomb?

Have you hear the controversy swirling around the “selfie” of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its August cover?

The cover text calls him a “monster”, but folks are complaining that this particular image glorifies someone who perpetrated such horrific acts. Not having read the article myself, I turned to this article at USA Today for an update. A preface to an article at RollingStone.com addresses the issue head-on:

Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone’s long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens.

What’s your take? Is the image wholly inappropriate, or perfect for the story Rolling Stone is trying to tell?