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Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #12

Hi, Friends of Liberty!

Welcome to the 12 installment of our behind the scenes sneak peeks of CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards.

Past posts have centered on depictions of fan-fave characters created by well known artists like Matt Wagner, Stan Sakai, James Kochalka, Jeff Smith, Erik Larsen, and Todd McFarlane.

Today, I’m going to show you some of the more off-beat cards I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in the increasingly large treasure trove of one-of-a-kind artist sketch cards that are amassing in the Cryptozoic Entertainment Loot Vault.

CBLDF Heads to the ALA Annual Conference with Exclusive Babymouse Print

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is excited to announce its plans for the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference, taking place this weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana! You’ll find CBLDF at booth 1749 in the Graphic Novel Pavilion throughout the weekend!

As part of our ongoing educational programming and outreach into the Library community, the CBLDF has planned a number of exciting programs throughout the weekend.

On Friday night, during the Exhibits Opening Reception from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., we will be kicking off the conference weekend in the Graphic Novel Pavilion with an incredible Live Art event, co-sponsored by First Second Books and hosted by First Second Editorial Director and Cartoonist Marc Seigel. Artists will include Dave Roman (Astronaut Elementary), Raina Telgemeier (The Babysitters Club), Jim Ottaviani (Feynman), Ben Hatke (Zita the Spacegirl), and Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle). These talented and popular cartoonists will be drawing onstage, and the artwork created will be available for bidding in a silent auction throughout the event, with all proceeds supporting the CBLDF.

Over the course of the weekend, we will be accepting donations at our booth in exchange for several exciting premiums, including a brand new Babymouse print by creators Jennifer and Matthew Holm. On Saturday afternoon, starting at 1:00 p.m., Jennifer L. Holm will be signing these one-of-a-kind prints at our booth, and they will be offered as an incentive to join the CBLDF at our $25 membership level. We will also have a number of other signed prints, signed books, and t-shirts, all available as donation incentives, and benefiting our ongoing First Amendment legal work.

Another exciting CBLDF program will be ongoing testimonial interviews throughout the conference. We invite all participants who have encountered challenges to Free Speech to tell their story and have it documented in our video archives. We also invite participants to discuss their involvement with Graphic Novels and Comics, as this singular art form has risen in popularity over the past several years.

These testimonials will be used as part of an educational video series, and the participation of librarians is key to making this project informative and genuine. With actual testimonials from working librarians, who are fighting for free expression in towns and cities across the country, we can create a resource that will show the good work being done in our nation’s libraries, and present a living document of First Amendment advocacy for years to come.

The CBLDF is incredibly proud to be involved with this year’s American Library Association Annual Conference. Librarians have always been on the front lines in the fight for Free Speech, and we look forward to continuing that important fight together!

Find CBLDF at at booth 1749 in the Graphic Novel Pavilion during the ALA Annual Conference, taking place this weekend at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana!

Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #11

Hello Friends of Liberty!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights of the comic book community. That means all of us: creators, publishers, distributors, retailers, librarians, and fans. It’s CBLDF’s mission to spring into action whenever and wherever we are needed to protect freedom of speech.

We are living in transitional times. In the past, much of the suppression of free speech focused on comic book shops. As the 21st century unfolds, some overzealous people forget how the constitution guarantees our rights to express ourselves without the censorship or impediment of government.

New Tennessee Law Threatens Freedom of Expression

There’s a new law in Tennessee that threatens freedom of expression and the right to privacy. Last week, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law HB 300, which makes criminals out of those who post images online that cause “emotional distress,” even when the emotionally distressed individual is not the intended recipient.

The language of the bill is extremely vague and open to interpretation; a prosecutor need only convince a jury that an image, phrase, or link was posted with the express purpose of causing distress in order for HB 300 to be invoked. Anyone who sees an image online can become a victim under the auspices of the law as written.

Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #10

Hey there, Friends if Liberty!

Here I am again with the tenth episode of behind the scenes at CBLDF Liberty Trading cards.

You know the story by now, don’t you? CBLDF and Cryptozoic Entertainment’s have teamed up to produce a 72 card set showing the incredible history of comic book censorship through words and pictures. The illustrations for the base cards are stacking up and I’ll be showing some more of those next week.

Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #9

Hello again!

Today’s super-duper sneaky-peak is of a quartet of one-of-a-kind artist sketch cards of characters from Jeff Smith’s masterwork, Bone. 2011 marks Bone’s 20th anniversary of publication as a comic book. There will be all sorts of celebrations surrounding this important date as the year rolls on.

Supreme Court May Soon Make Decision About Violent Video Games

It’s a case that calls to mind the 1950s-era attacks on comic books and the censorship of the Comics Code. Does the First Amendment allow limits on the violent content in popular entertainment — in this case video games — sold to minors? Brown v. EMA (formerly Schwarzenegger v. EMA) may soon answer that question, with a final decision from the Supreme Court expected soon.

Transmetropolitan: All Around the World Makes Its Way Around The World

Last week, a bevy of CBLDF volunteers descended on the Pirates Press warehouse to pack up and ship Transmetropolitan: All Around the World, the hotly anticipated art book celebrating Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s dystopian masterpiece. Those of you who’ve already gotten your copies know just how gorgeous the book is!

CBLDF would like to thank the volunteers who helped us with shipping: Project Manager Susan Augér, Bryan Burnett, Greg Burnett, Sonia Harris, Alexis Nomm, Ted C. Roland, Seamus Tuohy, and Terry Taplin. Additional thanks go to the entire crew at Pirates Press, including Sam Harris, who designed the book and coordinated shipping, and project manager Chunk Kelly.

Finally, CBLDF thanks Ellis, Robertson, Augér, and all of the contributors for assembling a knockout volume!

If you haven’t received your copy, it should arrive soon! For those of you who still need to order a copy, a limited number are available in the CBLDF store.

CBLDF, Booksellers, Artists, ACLU Seek to Bar Utah Law Restricting Speech on Internet

Yesterday, a coalition including CBLDF, booksellers, media companies, artists, and the ACLU of Utah asked the federal district court in Salt Lake City to permanently bar enforcement of a Utah statute that restricts constitutionally-protected speech on the Internet. Although passed in 2005, the statute has not been in effect because Utah consented to a temporary injunction barring its enforcement.

Utah’s law seeks to regulate all Internet speech that some might consider “harmful to minors,” including works of visual art, photography, graphic novels, and information about sexual health and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.