CBLDF and Comic-Con International Launch Education Alliance During Will Eisner Week!

SpiritEvent_FinalwebOn Wednesday, March 4, John Cassaday, Michael Cho, Charles Kochman, and Paul Pope consider the dynamic life, legacy and influence of Will Eisner at Society of Illustrators in New York City on the panel, The Spirit of Innovation: The Enduring Influence of Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Commemorating the 75th anniversary of The Spirit during Will Eisner Week, this panel is a collaboration between the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Comic-Con International. The event starts at 7 PM at the Society of Illustrators, located at 128 East 63rd Street at Lexington Ave, in New York City. Admission is $10 for CBLDF, Comic-Con International 2014 attendees (bring your badge), and Society of Illustrators Members; $15 for non-members; and $7 for students and seniors with valid ID.

In 1940, Will Eisner wasn’t the only 23-year-old innovating the early comics medium, but he was arguably the most audacious. With war on the horizon, he left the security and success of his work as creative director of the Eisner & Iger packaging studio to create The Spirit, a newspaper comic book supplement that allowed him a wide berth of creative freedom, the ability to speak to an adult audience, and the opportunity to own his own work. 75 years later, The Spirit remains a vital, influential, and engaging work of comics. Join contemporary practitioners for a lively discussion of Will Eisner’s first masterwork and its effect on modern comics.

This panel is a new endeavor that continues the ongoing education collaboration between Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Comic-Con International, who are co-producing the program. “Events of this sort highlight comics’ vital contribution to culture,” says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. “Honoring the medium’s history while encouraging its future are central educational goals for both organizations. It’s an honor to launch this next phase in our partnership with an event that celebrates the vision and contributions of Will Eisner and those he inspired.”

Tickets for this event are available now from the Society of Illustrators online at here: http://www.societyillustrators.org/Events-and-Programs/Special-Events/2015/Spirit/The-Spirit-of-Innovation–The-Enduring-Influence-of-Will-Eisner-s-The-Spirit-.aspx

About Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization protecting the freedom to read comics! Our work protects readers, creators, librarians, retailers, publishers, & educators who face the threat of censorship. We monitor legislation & challenge laws that would limit the First Amendment. We create resources that promote understanding of comics & the rights our community is guaranteed. Every day we publish news & information about censorship events as they happen. We are partners in the Kids’ Right to Read Project & Banned Books Week. Our expert legal team is available at a moment’s notice to respond to First Amendment emergencies. CBLDF is a lean organization that works hard to protect the rights that our community depends on. For more information, visit www.cbldf.org

About Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International (CCI) is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. In addition to its San Diego convention each summer (the world’s largest comics convention of its kind), CCI organizes WonderCon Anaheim each spring. On the web: Comic-Con.org, Facebook.com/comiccon, Twitter.com/comic_con

About Society of Illustrators
The Society’s mission is to promote the art of illustration, to appreciate its history and evolving nature through exhibitions, lectures and education, and to contribute the service of its members to the welfare of the community at large. Founded in 1901, the Society has had a distinguished yet lively history as an active participant in the ever-changing field of illustration. The vitality of the organization depends on attracting qualified artists and others to join us in this mission. For more information, please visit www.societyillustrators.org