After a parent in the small English town of Harpenden complained that one of her children was able to access adult graphic novels in the local library, new borrowing restrictions for minors have been imposed across the entire Hertfordshire library…
Author: Maren Williams
Game Panics Through the Ages
In the 1940s and ‘50s, comic books were the scapegoat of choice for politicians, parents, and “experts” like Fredric Wertham, who sought something to blame for increasing juvenile delinquency and violence. Of course, that line of argument was cut short…
Fukushima Residents, Government Criticize Manga’s Depiction of Health Effects From Radiation (Maybe)
Over the past few weeks, the popular Japanese cooking manga Oishinbo has come under fire from residents and government officials of Fukushima Prefecture, who say that it inaccurately depicts the effect of radiation exposure on visitors to the nuclear plant…
IRONY ALERT: Would-be Censor Arrested at School Board Meeting, Claims Violation of His First Amendment Rights
At a meeting this past Monday, the school board in Gilford, New Hampshire addressed what was expected to be a routine complaint from parent William Baer about the content of a book that was assigned in his daughter’s high school…
Comics Unmasked Opens at British Library
The monumental British Library comics exhibit that we told you about back in January is open at last! Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK runs through August 19, featuring over 200 works by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mark…
Spiked Doonesbury Strip Runs in Washington Post After 41 Years
Last week, the Washington Post finally ran a Doonesbury strip that its editors vetoed in 1973. At the Post’s own Comic Riffs blog, columnist Michael Cavna examined the Watergate-era context of the strip, the paper’s rather weak justification for its…
TOMORROW NIGHT: Swamp Thing and the Comics Code in Columbus
Attention central Ohio comic nerds! Tomorrow evening in Columbus, there’s a free event you do not want to miss: a talk by creator Stephen R. Bissette on “Swamp Thing and the Birth, Life, and Death of the Comics Code.” Here’s…
The Color Purple and The Bluest Eye Challenged in North Carolina AP Class
Two frequently-challenged novels by African American authors are once again under fire in North Carolina–this time from a parent whose daughter is not even in the class where they were used. Wendell resident Dawn MacGibbon is pushing for Toni Morrison’s…
Idaho Resident Calls Police on Absolutely True Diary Giveaway
For this year’s World Book Night, some free-speech-loving folk in Meridian, Idaho, had the great idea to hand out free copies of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is currently suspended from classroom use in…
Chinese Same-Sex Slash Fic Targeted in Porn Crackdown
China’s cyberpolice do not only target political dissidents; they also have the Sisyphean task of scrubbing the Internet of pornography. In the latest crackdown on “all online texts, pictures, videos and advertisements with pornographic content,” however, the government has ensnared…