Conventions

Conventions are one of the major ways the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund raises donation money, plus it lets us meet the fans and pros who support our cause. Below are some reports on cons we've attended recently. Please visit the CBLDF at any upcoming conventions we have listed, and be on the lookout for art auctions, raffles, and other special fund raisers that benefit the CBLDF.

October 22, 2004 -- FIDDLER'S GREEN SOUVENIR BOOK
Here's the skinny on the Fiddler's Green souvenir book! Full Story

October 19, 2004 -- FIDDLER'S GREEN ADVANCE MEMBERSHIP DEADLINE AND AT-THE-DOOR RATES
The advance rate for attending memberships at Fiddler's Green is $100/person for registrations received via mail by *25 October 2004*.

October 19, 2004 -- FIDDLER'S GREEN HOTEL DEADLINE EXTENDED
The Fiddler's Green special group rate for rooms at The Millennium Hotel has been extended. Reservations must be received via mail by *October 29, 2004* to enjoy our special group rate ($115 per night plus tax for standard rooms for 1-4 occupants).

October 01, 2004 -- The Graphic Side of Literature at Minnesota FallCon
CBLDF is one of the charities featured at the 16th annual MCBA FallCon Comic Book Convention coming Oct. 9 in St. Paul, Minn.

August 12, 2004 -- Fiddler's Green Announces Jill Thompson as Guest
Fiddler's Green is delighted to announce that Jill Thompson will be a guest at Fiddler’s Green, A Sandman Convention. Jill will be joining Neil Gaiman, Karen Berger, Todd Klein, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Charles Vess at this convention to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

July 20, 2004 -- Dinner With a Fiddler's Green Guest of Honor!
Guests of Honor of Fiddler's Green, a Sandman convention, have agreed to participate in a special opportunity for folks who register early--everyone who is registered as a Fiddler's Green attending member by August 14 will have the chance to go to Friday-night dinner with a Guest of Honor! Guests include Neil Gaiman, Karen Berger, Charles Vess, Caitlin Kiernan, Todd Klein, and more. The chances are even greater for Comic Book Legal Defense Fund members (since Fiddler's Green is happening to support the CBLDF), so if you aren't already a CBLDF member, consider joining now!

July 20, 2004 -- Fiddler's Green: A Sandman Convention to Benefit the CBLDF
Fiddler's Green will be a Sandman-focused convention at the Millennium Hotel, Minneapolis, 12-14 November 2004. All proceeds, after the con is over and the bills are paid, will be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Guests of Honor include Neil Gaiman, Karen Berger, Todd Klein, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Charles Vess (other guests to be announced). Membership is limited to 500 paid attending members, plus convention guests and staff. Read More

May 20, 2004 -- CBLDF Touches Down At Wizard World Philly
This weekend the Wizard World Tour comes to Philadelphia and the CBLDF will be there with special events, cool new items, and breaking news from the front lines of free speech! First up is Friday’s WizardWorld Sketch Duel featuring Skottie Young (Venom), Amanda Conner (The Pro), Tim Seeley (GI Joe), and surprise guests jamming away on cool original art that can be yours for the bidding. The Sketch Duel is at 2:00 on Friday afternoon. Read More

September 19, 2003 -- More Fund Auction: Rocks Like A Hurricane

While the winds are blowing furiously outside in Baltimore, exhibitors and guests are arriving in droves for this weekend's Baltimore Comicon. The Weather Channel expects the storm to blow itself out of the area by show's opening on Saturday, but for the Fund that's when things will heat up. Click here to get the the scoop on signings and highlights of lots in the CBLDF Auction.

August 06, 2003 -- What's Happening At Wizard World
The community of comics professionals is rallying around the CBLDF at this weekend’s Wizard World convention in Chicago. From contributing to our auction, to signing at our booth, to doing one-on-one lunches with Fund supporters, several top comics pros are giving from the heart to give the Fund a steady financial baseline to put into the war chest for the next major case. Read on to see who helping so that you can help the Fund at this crucial moment.

July 30, 2003 -- CBLDF Comic-Con 2003 Recap!
It was also a record year for the CBLDF at Comic-Con. “Thanks to the generous donations from all of our members and supporters the Fund was able to raise $33,000 at this year’s Comic-Con, an all time high for the Fund at this show,” Fund Director Charles Brownstein said. Read all about it here!

May 29, 2003 -- Win Big at Wizard World East!
This weekend the CBLDF will be at Wizard World East where we’ll be raising money for the First Amendment by giving away artwork by Jim Lee, Michael Turner, Darick Robertson, and even a trip to Wizard World Chicago! Read on...

April 04, 2003 -- The Fund Goes to SPACE
Yep, there's really a comic show called SPACE, and right now it's having its fourth year. Held each April in Columbus, Ohio, SPACE has established itself as a notable venue for small press and creator owned comics. Full Story

March 26, 2003 -- MegaCon Report
MegaCon offered the best kind of surreality a convention can: fun guests, great costumes, good deals, and one of the strangest social brews one is likely to find in any setting. In the same weekend that a record breaking 16,000+ comics fans descended on Orlando, FL’s Orange County Convention Center, a cheerleading convention, boat show, and home electronics expo were also going on, which led to one of the most entertaining scenes we’ve witnessed at any of the conventions in the past year. Full Story

March 26, 2003 -- West Coast Road Report
Read the Fund's journal from early February's West Coast Conventions

March 26, 2003 -- Planet Comicon
This weekend the Fund will be appearing at Planet Comicon in Overland Park, Kansas, where comics guests include Dick Ayers, Ale Garza, Bruce Jones, George Perez, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Phil Hester, Bill Morrison, Greg Rucka, Jim Valentino, and more! The show starts Saturday, March 29 and closes on Sunday. Be sure to stop by on Saturday afternoon for the Fund’s benefit auction featuring great art and collectibles that benefit our fight for free speech in the comics industry! For more information on Planet Comicon click here

March 26, 2003 -- I-Con 22
Join Fund board member Peter David and authors Harlan Ellison, Walter Simonson, Phil Jimenez, and more at I-Con 22 in Stony Brook, NY. The CBLDF will be on the show floor meeting and signing up new members during the weekend’s convention. I-Con 22 is at Stony Brook University in New York. For directions and more information visit www.iconsf.org

February 07, 2003 -- Onward to the Emerald City!
The CBLDF's West Coast whistlestop is headed to Seattle for Sunday's Emerald City Comicon.

January 31, 2003 -- Westward Bound!
This weekend the convention season starts in San Francisco at APE 2003 on February 1 and 2. APE is the West Coast's biggest and best celebration of independent and underground comix. This year they're hosting Dan Clowes, Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson, Jordan Crane, Chynna Clugston Major, James Kochalka, and hundreds of other great contemporary comics artists.

December 05, 2002 -- MidOhioCon Breaks Records
MidOhioCon proved to be a blast that raised great funds for the CBLDF and ushered in the holiday season for comics fans with a generous abundance of goodwill and cheer. Click the headline to read all about it!

November 25, 2002 -- Rozanski Heads Fund Auction at Mid Ohio Con
In addition to his generous donations in the Jim Lee and Thor auctions, Chuck Rozanski has also signed up to run the Fund’s MidOhioCon auction. Rozanski donated 10 signed and numbered books to be auctioned off along with other rare items donated to the Fund including signed prints by Alex Ross, Harry Roland, Mark Wheatley; signed books by Frank Miller; and more! The CBLDF auction will be held Sunday December 1 at 3 PM at Mid Ohio Con. Be sure to also visit the Fund’s table at the show where Director Charles Brownstein will be meeting members and handing out the latest issue of Busted! MidOhioCon opens on Saturday November 30 and continues until Sunday December 1. For more info visit MidOhioCon

November 14, 2002 -- Support the Fund At Boston's Great American Comics Expo
Support the CBLDF at Boston's Great American Comic Book Expo

This weekend the Fund will be in Boston meeting its members and offering great items that will support the Fund's legal battles. Stop by and meet CBLDF Director Charles Brownstein to find out about the Fund's current work and pick up great work signed by Frank Miller, Jeff Smith, Will Eisner, and more!

While at the show, be sure to meet the show's top guests including John Cassaday, Paul Jenkins, Adam Kubert, Christopher Golden, Humberto Ramos, and more!

For more information click here

October 30, 2002 -- Baltimore Comicon Raises $6,500 for Fund
A star-studded line up of comics professionals, progresive retailers, and staunch supporters donated $6,500 to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at last weekend’s Baltimore Comicon.

October 24, 2002 -- Baltimore Comicon: Top Pros, Cool Contests, and Great Comics
Join your favorite creators in supporting the CBLDF at this weekend's Baltimore Comicon, a star-studded celebration of the comic book artform.

October 09, 2002 -- Support the CBLDF At the Pittsburgh Horror and Comics Show!
Pittsburgh gets a little spooky this weekend at the Pittsburgh Horror and Comics show where you can satisfy your comics and horror urges just in time for Halloween.

May 18, 2002 -- Off to Meet the Wizard!
This weekend the CBLDF will be attending the inaugural WizardWorld East, which promises to be one of the most exciting conventions this year! This weekend we'll be unveiling FOUR cool new items, and bringing you the member's raffle, silent auctions, signings, and a few other surprises.

April 25, 2002 -- Pittsburgh Comicon
Pittsburgh Comicon is well known as one of the best community minded shows in comics. This weekend should prove no exception when four generations of comics creators and an exhibit hall full of publishers and dealers gather for this three day celebration of comics culture.

April 19, 2002 -- On the Road with the CBLDF: Atlanta ComiCon
On the way to Atlanta, there was something to remind me of comics everywhere I turned. At Bradley International Airport...

April 04, 2002 -- Mega-O-Mania! --MegaCon 2002
Florida’s streets were soaked with rain when MegaCon opened on Friday, February 22, but that didn’t stop hundreds of enthusiastic fans from coming through the show over the course of the weekend.

February 09, 2002 -- Monkey Shines: APE 2002
On the weekend of February 9, Comic-Con International welcomed a record attendance of 3,000 people to APE. Held at Fort Mason on the San Francisco Bay, APE hosted over 200 of comics' finest alternative and literary cartoonists beneath the first sunny skies in the event's history.

October 13, 2001 -- CBLDF heads to Boston
Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in welcoming The Great American Expo, October 19-21, to the J. B. Hynes...

September 11, 2001 -- EXPO 2001 Cancelled
"The EXPO is extremely saddened to announce that due to the recent disasters in New York City and Washington DC, this year's show has been cancelled. With the status of the airports still uncertain, coupled with a general unease on travelling, the Expo felt that it would be in everyone's best interests and safety to not go forward. Exhibitors will be receiving additional information shortly. We apologize for any and all inconvenience this may cause." Visit the EXPO 2001 Web site for more.

July 19, 2001 -- Comic Book Legal Defense Fun at Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International, held every year at the San Diego Convention Center, is the largest gathering of the comics community in the United States. Creators, fans, publishers, and pros come from far and wide to be a part of this massive celebration of pop culture. And, thanks to the generosity of Comic-Con’s organizers, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has always been an important part of the festivities.

April 25, 2001 -- Next Stop: Pittsburgh Comicon!
Pittsburgh Comicon, held April 27-29 in Monroeville, PA, marks an even stronger relationship between the show and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

March 03, 2001 -- Best APE Ever! -- APE 2001 sets Attendance Records
Alternative Press Expo 2001, held February 17-18 in San Francisco, is being widely heralded as the best APE ever. ...

March 01, 2001 -- Won’t You Help to Sing These Songs of Freedom?
Bob Marley won't be in Orlando for MegaCon, but Mark Waid and his golden throat will be.