Author: Betsy Gomez

CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 in Stores Today!

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When you head to your local comic book shop for new comics today, don’t forget to include a copy of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 in your pile of loot! All sales of the ANNUAL benefit the First Amendment work of the CBLDF, so you not only get a wonderful anthology — you also get to support one of the most important nonprofit organizations in comics!

Keep reading for more images from the annual and the latest details on the UNITED AGAINST CENSORSHIP signings!

CBLDF urgently needs to raise $100,000 for our important First Amendment work by the end of October! Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

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HeroesCon Sponsors CBLDF’s Fall Comics Grab Bag!

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HeroesCon (www.heroesonline.com) is seeking to raise $10,000 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund by sponsoring its Fall Comics Grab Bag! Debuting this weekend at New York Comic-Con, the CBLDF Fall Comics Grab Bag includes 10 comics for a $20 donation, with rare and signed comics guaranteed in every bag!

HeroesCon has contributed a vast array of rare comics from the silver, bronze, and modern age to support the Fund. Comics guaranteed to be included in the Fall Comics Grab Bag include Avengers #57 (1st Appearance of the Vision), X-Men #46, X-Men #48, Batman #185, Luke Cage #1, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield #3, Sub-Mariner #5, and dozens more. Signed comics were contributed directly from their artists, including Amanda Conner, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Jill Thompson, Gail Simone, and many more! Keep reading…

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Kick Off NYCC with CBLDF, IDW, and Dark Horse!

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WHO: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, IDW Publishing, and Dark Horse Publishing

WHAT: CBLDF NYCC Kick-Off Party!

WHEN: Thursday, October 13
7:00 p.m.: VIP Hour
Join quest VIPs Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman), Chris Roberson (I, Zombie), Andy MacDonald (Terminator), Fred Van Lente (Amazing Spider-Man), and more! CBLDF members who joined at the Defender level ($250) or higher are invited to join us for VIP hour!

8:00 p.m.: Open party!
Start your convention weekend with talented creators from across the comics world and fellow CBLDF members! While supplies last, there will be a gift bag at the door featuring Liberty Trading Cards, CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011, and more! Free to members, $10 suggested donation for non-members.

WHERE: Hudson Terrace, 621 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10026; (212)-315-9400; www.hudsonterracenyc.com

WHY: Start NYCC right by defending Free Speech with CBLDF!

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Unite Against Censorship with CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011, Out This Week!

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CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 is out on Wednesday, and retailers around the country are sponsoring signings with some of the creators who contributed to the best issue of the ANNUAL yet! Here are the events taking place during UNITED AGAINST CENSORSHIP:

Forbidden Planet NYC
October 12, 6:30 p.m.
840 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-1576, www.fpnyc.com
with Thomas Chu, Kevin Sacco, Brandon Montclare, Michael Bramley, J. Gonzo, and more

Laughing Ogre Comics
October 12, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
4258 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 267-6473, www.laughingogrecomics.com
with Dara Naraghi

Another Dimension
October 12, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
424 B – 10th Street NW; Calgary, AB T2N 1V9, Canada
(403) 283-7078
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Dimension-Comics/180997045270673
with Riley Rossmo

Infinite Monkey Comics & Games
October 13, 7:00 p.m.
65 East College Street, Suite 1, Oberlin, OH 44074
(440) 775-4263, www.infinitemonkeyonline.com
with Kazim Ali

Even if you can’t attend one of these amazing signings, you can be part of the fun by picking up a copy of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 from your favorite local comic shop! The sales of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 benefit CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work, including our Canada Customs Case.

CBLDF will also have signings at booth #1158 during New York Comic-Con, October 13-16! We’ll post details later this week, but rest assured we’ll have a spectacular assortment of signed exclusives!

CBLDF urgently needs to raise $100,000 for our important First Amendment work by the end of October! Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

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Voicing an Opinion: Manga Bookshelf’s Melinda Beasi Talks Canada Customs Case

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When I was in junior high, my English class was assigned to read George Orwell’s 1984. It was a pretty engaging read, but despite our teacher’s best efforts, it was difficult for most of us to take its deeper messages seriously. Big Brother and the Thought Police were terrifying for sure, but no more so than the likes of Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. They were fantasy villains from our point of view, impossibly removed from our real lives, where we were forced into daily battle with the true horrors of Midwest adolescence — teenage classism, 80s fashion, and our own deep self-loathing.

Now, as a 40-something in the 21st century, Orwell’s warnings are both utterly preposterous and terrifyingly real. It seems outrageous to imagine that in an age when civil liberty is so loudly trumpeted and treasured that a person could be arrested, imprisoned, and legally stigmatized for life because of his or her thoughts. Yet cases such as that of Brandon X prove this to be not only possible — but even likely — if those thoughts are being expressed and shared with others in the form of comics. more…

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Charles Brownstein Talks Comics Code Authority Seal

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Last week, CBLDF announced it had acquired the rights to the Comics Code Authority Seal, marking the end of the censorship the seal once represented. After the announcement, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein spoke with Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama about the acquisition.

Several reports mistakenly indicated that CBLDF purchased the rights to the seal, a misconception Brownstein cleared up when Rogers asked him about the acquisition:

“As the Comic Magazine Association of America, was winding down they approached us to inquire whether we would be interested in receiving the Seal of Approval,” Brownstein told Newsarama. “Through a brief, and fairly straightforward process, they assigned us the rights to the Seal for use as part of our fundraising and education program. It was a donation from the industry’s dying self-censorship body to assist its mature First Amendment defense body.”

Keep reading…

Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

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The Walking Dead Vol. 1 Days Gone Bye SC Signed by Kirkman

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An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.

Meet The Walking Dead today!

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The BIG GUY and RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT, signed 2-Comic Set!

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The classic series from writer Frank Miller and master illustrator Geoff Darrow, in one easy set! Two oversized issues, from the CBLDF vault! Signed by longtime supporter Frank Miller! For fans of Giant Robots, Kaiju, japanese pop culture, mind-bending sci-fi action, and gorgeous art, The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot is a modern classic, and this set delivers the original periodicals, in all their oversized glory! Available now!

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