CBLDF at Comic-Con Special Edition

Comic-Con Special Edition arrives in San Diego next week, and CBLDF is excited to be there in person! Stop by Booth #2227 to say hello, to pick up free resources, and to get the latest on CBLDF’s work from coalition director Betsy Gomez, communication director Jordan Smith, and interim director Jeff Trexler.

CBLDF is delighted to be back at Comic-Con with six informative panels throughout the weekend. CBLDF’s panels cover civic engagement, intellectual property, algorithmic censorship, protecting legacies, and the future of defending comics. We’ll also be revealing the preliminary results of the 2021 CBLDF Comics in Education Survey

Comic-Con Special Edition will be an opportunity for you to connect with us directly! Come get the latest news and share your thoughts on how we can best serve the comic arts community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Details Below!


CBLDF: Civic Engagement and Comics, Friday, 11/26/21, 2:00PM – 3:00PM, Room: 29AB
The past few years have represented a sea change in how people engage with their communities, with vital exercises of First Amendment rights in protests and the art that rises around them. As with many artistic endeavors, civic engagement has been an integral part of comics since the format’s origin, addressing issues as diverse as women’s rights, civil rights, LGBTQ+ representation, antiracism, and so much more. In this panel, we explore how comics have been used to address social and political issues in the past and how contemporary creators and educators are using comics to engage the community.

Intellectual Property 101, Friday, 11/26/21, 3:00PM – 4:00PM, Room: 29AB
Understanding the essentials of intellectual property can mean the difference between a rewarding creative experience and endless years in court. Join our panel of experts as they break down what everyone in comics needs to know about fair use, registration, and protecting your IP. 

Protecting Your Legacy: Wills, Gifts, and the Creative Afterlife, Saturday, 11/27/21, 11:00AM – 12:00PM, Room: 29AB
What will happen to your comics after you’re gone? From original art and intellectual property to collectibles and personal archives, CBLDF interim director Jeff Trexler will lead a discussion about the latest strategies for protecting the legacy of a life in comics.

CBLDF: Defending the Future, Saturday, 11/27/21, 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Room: 29AB
In 1986, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded to defend comic book retailers from spurious obscenity charges, and the organization has worked tirelessly since to defend the First Amendment rights of comics and its community of creators, publishers, retailers, educators, librarians, and readers. But the comics community has changed, as have challenges to making, selling, and reading comics. CBLDF interim director Jeff Trexler and CBLDF coalition director Betsy Gomez will lead a conversation about the expanded mission of the Fund, how contemporary attacks on free expression foreshadow a prolonged fight for the rights of the comics community, and how we can all defend our rights!

Just the Facts: CBLDF Comics in Education Survey, Sunday, 11/28/21, 11:00AM – 12:00PM, Room: 29AB
We know kids love comics and they’re great tools for classrooms, but can we prove it? In 2019, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund launched a first-of-its-kind survey to find out who’s teaching with comics, how comics are being used in classrooms, and the obstacles to the use of comics. In this program, we’ll examine the results from the 2021 CBLDF Comics in Education Survey, including the most frequently used comics in education and strategies for how the data from the survey can be used to support and defend the use of comics in school.

CBLDF: Algorithms and the New Digital Censorship, Sunday, 11/28/21, 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Room: 29AB

The future will be automated—and that includes censorship! In our digital age, the reliance on algorithms to find, block, or remove content is on the rise. CBLDF interim director Jeff Trexler and digital editor Jordan Smith will lead a discussion about the algorithms all around us, seen and unseen, and the dangers of allowing automated programs to decide what’s “fit to print” in the comics industry.