Author: Betsy Gomez

Babymouse Supports Free Speech with the CBLDF

by Betsy Gomez • July 11, 2011 • Comments Off

Babymouse, the star of the eponymous and award-winning graphic novel series, supports Free Speech and has plenty to say about it!

Fans of the extremely popular Babymouse series were treated to something special at this year’s ALA annual conference: the premiere of a CBLDF-exclusive Babymouse print, illustrated by series artist Matthew Holm!

As an extra bonus, on Saturday afternoon during the conference — shortly before being awarded another Newbery Honor — Babymouse author Jennifer L. Holm was on hand at the CBLDF booth to sign the prints and express her support for the Fund in person! Fans of every age stopped by to join the Fund and get a signed print, and the excitement was infectious as Jenni interacted with Babymouse readers.

The Holms created the print to generate interest in Free Speech and the First Amendment among younger readers. The Holms have enjoyed huge success with the award-winning Babymouse graphic novel series, and this signed print is an exciting addition to the many donation premiums available from the CBLDF!

The Babymouse print is now available in our online donation center, and it will be in stock in our booth during Comic-Con International in San Diego. CBLDF will also have copies of Babymouse and Squish, signed by both Matthew and Jenni Holm, at Comic-Con.

CBLDF thanks the Holms for creating this wonderful print and their continued support of Free Expression!

More Artists Join the CBLDF/TFAW Third Annual Auction Event!

by Betsy Gomez • July 8, 2011 • Comments Off

CBLDF and TFAW are gearing up for our Third Annual Autograph Card / CBLDF Auction Event at Comic-Con International, and we’re already saving our pennies to bid on some exceptional pieces!

We’ve added more folks to the lineup and the art has started rolling in. Here’s the latest lineup, and don’t miss the gallery that follows!

Artists, we are still looking for donations! Please support Free Speech by donating an original piece of art! If you can help, please contact CBLDF at info@cbldf.org!

Crazy 8 Press Launches with CBLDF Benefit at Shore Leave 33

by Betsy Gomez • July 7, 2011 • Comments Off

This weekend, the founders of Crazy 8 Press — Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Aaron Rosenberg, and Howard Weinstein — take their superhero act on the road to attend Shore Leave 33 and support the CBLDF in the process!

Shore Leave 33, a fan-run science fiction convention, takes place July 8-10, 2011, at the Marriott’s Hunt Valley Inn in Baltimore, Maryland. David, Friedman, Greenberger, Hauman, Rosenberg, and Weinstein are all on hand to celebrate the launch of Crazy 8 Press throughout the weekend. Their celebration includes the writing of an original story on the convention floor, the sale of which will benefit CBLDF’s First Amendment work! more

Please support the CBLDF’s defense of Free Speech by making a donation or becoming a member today!

BABYMOUSE Print, signed by Matthew and Jenni Holm!

by Betsy Gomez • July 6, 2011 • Comments Off

The superstar BABYMOUSE comes out to support Free Speech and the First Amendment! This limited print, featuring the extremely popular kids’ graphic novel character, was created especially for the CBLDF by series artist Matthew Holm, and signed by him and series writer Jenni Holm!

Get your copy now!

Canada Customs Case in the News

by Betsy Gomez • July 6, 2011 • Comments Off

With the recent spate of legal victories that CBLDF has celebrated, Brigid Alverson with CBR’s Robot 6 blog took a moment to touch base with CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein about the Canada Customs Case:

It’s been a momentous week for the CBLDF. Last Friday we announced our decision to build a coalition to aid an American traveler facing prison time in Canada and registering as a sex offender for traveling with comics on his laptop. On Monday we received news that the U.S. Supreme Court had struck down a California law that would have made violence a new category of unprotected speech by banning the sale and display of violent video games, and that Justice Scalia cited our amicus brief as part of his majority decision. And just today news arrived that we successfully helped knock out an Alaska law that would have placed severe restrictions on internet speech. more

Read more →

The Alaska Press Reacts to Recent Invalidation of Senate Bill 222

by Betsy Gomez • July 5, 2011 • Comments Off

Sometimes, even the best intentions produce overly-broad laws that cannot be enforced or that violate the First Amendment rights of innocent parties. Last year, Alaska passed Senate Bill 222 with the intent to protect minors, but the language of the law put an unreasonable burden on internet users, including comic book creators and retailers selling at both brick and mortar stores and online.

CBLDF joined the Media Coalition and a variety of plaintiffs from Alaska in challenging the law. Alaska’s KTUU highlighted the Media Coalition’s efforts to refine the language of the law and bring the law into alignment with the First Amendment before its passage. You can read a summary of these efforts here.

Despite the Media Coalition’s efforts, the Alaska Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 222. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline struck down multiple provisions of the law, citing violation of the First Amendment.

CBLDF Wishes You a Happy Fourth of July

by Betsy Gomez • July 4, 2011 • Comments Off

Happy Fourth of July! As we spend the day celebrating the United States, watching fireworks, and enjoying barbeques, let’s also remember the fight for our freedoms, a fight that required the founding of a brand new nation. Not least of those freedoms: The freedom to say what’s on our minds!

Let’s also remember the people around the world who don’t have the same right the Free Speech, including some of our own citizens when they travel abroad.

Please celebrate the holiday by supporting CBLDF’s defense of Free Speech with a donation today!

The Good Fighters: TFAW’s Andrew McIntire and Elisabeth Forsythe

by Betsy Gomez • July 1, 2011 • Comments Off

To help fund its fight for Free Speech, CBLDF relies on many people, including the retailers who keep us in comic books and graphic novels. Retailers support us by becoming members, leaving a collection can on the counter, and putting on events in their stores to benefit CBLDF.

In the case of Things From Another World’s Senior Director of Retail Operations Andrew McIntire and Marketing Manager Elisabeth Forsythe, helping CBLDF has become a bit of an obsession. Three years ago, they launched an annual campaign to collect original art donations for CBLDF’s auction at Comic-Con International, helping the Fund raise thousands of dollars in the process. Each summer, they dedicate themselves to soliciting and gathering donations from comics creators around the world, making sure CBLDF has an amazing array of original art up for bid. From this art, they make a series of autograph cards that both promote the auction and CBLDF.

McIntire and Forsythe are both diehard comics fans, with a knowledge and love for the medium that few can stand up to. They’re off to a good start with this year’s auction, as you can see here, and we took a moment to talk to them about CBLDF and their perspective on Free Speech as retailers in this edition of The Good Fighters.

Please support the CBLDF’s defense of Free Speech by making a donation or becoming a member today!

CBLDF Looks to Canada Customs Case

by Betsy Gomez • June 29, 2011 • Comments Off

Last week, CBLDF announced that we are forming a coalition to defend a new case involving an American citizen facing charges in Canada that could result in a minimum sentence of one year in prison and registering as a sex offender.

In 2010, an American citizen, computer programmer, and comic book enthusiast in his mid-20s was flying from his home in the United States to Canada to visit a friend. Upon arrival at Canadian Customs, a customs officer conducted a search of the American and his personal belongings, including his laptop, iPad, and iPhone. The customs officer discovered manga on the laptop and deemed it child pornography. Consequently, the American has been charged with both the possession of child pornography as well as its importation into Canada. As a result, if convicted at trial, the American faces a minimum of one year in prison.

Since the announcement, more information about the case emerged in the ensuing media coverage. more

CBLDF needs your help! Please make a monetary contribution here. Find out more on the case here. If you or someone you know is traveling internationally, please read our Advisory on traveling with comics before getting on the plane.

Supreme Court Protects First Amendment Rights for Entertainment & New Media in Brown v. EMA Decision

by Betsy Gomez • June 28, 2011 • Comments Off

“California’s effort to regulate violent video games is the latest episode in a long series of failed attempts to censor violent entertainment for minors.”
—Justice Antonin Scalia in the majority opinion on Brown v. EMA

CBLDF is delighted to be celebrating the resounding victory in Brown v. EMA that came with yesterday’s 7-2 Supreme Court decision, a victory that dismantles the same pseudoscience that fueled the attacks on comic books in the 1950s.

Brown v. EMA (formerly Schwarzenegger v. EMA) pertains to a California law that restricted the sale of violent video games to anyone under age 18, citing that violence is harmful to minors. Previous decisions in the case ruled the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment. California appealed these decisions to the Supreme Court.

CBLDF filed an amicus brief on the case, arguing that the law was unconstitutional and a response akin to the moral panic that fomented around comic books during the 1950s. Justice Scalia’s majority opinion both referenced the CBLDF amicus brief and called to mind past concerns over comic books:

Many in the late 1940s and early 1950s blamed comic books for fostering a “preoccupation with violence and horror” among the young, leading to a rising juvenile crime rate….But efforts to convince Congress to restrict comic books failed.

Please support the CBLDF’s defense of free speech issues like this by making a donation today!

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