Fight Censorship! Celebrate Liberty!
Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund today!
Joining the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund puts you on the front line of the fight against censorship! Your membership dollars provide the tools to fight back when comic book readers, retailers, and artists are muzzled, censored, or attacked! When you become a CBLDF member, you are proclaiming that comics are important and that you are a protector of their First Amendment rights!
When you join the CBLDF, we’ll thank you with the best incentives and benefits in the free speech community, starting off with a stunning membership card by legendary cartoonist JAIME HERNANDEZ! Channeling the classic depiction of Liberty through the influence of WPA art and comic book iconography, Hernandez has created a powerful membership card that you’ll be proud to keep in your wallet. This card is your ticket to special events across the country and shows the world that you support free speech!
We have membership plans for donors in every budget, each with its own premiums and benefits, and all of them are tax-deductible. Of course, the number one benefit of membership is peace of mind. You’ll know that there’s someone at the other end of the phone when a retailer gets busted or an artist is brought up on charges for exercising their First Amendment rights. Become a member of the CBLDF, and help preserve comics as a vital medium for the next century!
Here’s How Your Donation Will Be Used:
Expert Legal Defense – When a First Amendment emergency becomes a criminal case, CBLDF springs
to action! Thanks to our efforts in 2012, Canadian authorities dropped all criminal charges in the case of Ryan
Matheson, an American citizen who was charged with importing child pornography for having innocuous
manga images on his laptop. Ryan’s case cost $75,000, of which CBLDF has paid $30,000. Member support in 2013
will help us fulfill the goal of paying off the rest of Ryan’s legal debt.
Preventative Legal Aid – CBLDF is most successful when you don’t hear about our work. That’s because
our powerful legal team works to defuse First Amendment emergencies at the first sign of trouble. In
2012 we resolved several cases before they had to go to court because our expert legal team is available
at a moment’s notice to respond. We do this work thanks to your support.
Proactive Library Support – When librarians come under attack for shelving comics and graphic novels,
CBLDF comes to the rescue. We write letters of support and work directly with librarians who come
under attack to help them maintain access to comics in their community. We are also sponsors of
Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the Freedom to Read and a partner in the Kids’ Right to
Read Project, all thanks to membership contributions!
Commitment to Education –CBLDF informs tens of thousands of people about the freedom to read
comics every year by providing dozens of lectures and exhibitions, publishing timely advisories and
historical censorship resources, and publishing a daily news blog and weekly newsletter.
Here’s what you get for signing up:
$100 – The standard level for Membership includes the CBLDF Membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. This year’s card features art by legendary comic artist JAIME HERNANDEZ.
This year, Members will recieve an EXCLUSIVE, MEMBER-ONLY, 2013 Long-Sleeve T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, and featuring the art of Jaime Hernandez!
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE … A Button Set featuring our Member Button, and more! A Sticker Set which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers!
$25 – At the Basic Member level, donors receive the CBLDF membership card.
$50 – CBLDF “Supporters” receive the Membership Card, and the Button Set featuring our Member Button, and more! A Sticker Set which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers!
$250 - Members joining at this level receive the exclusive CBLDF Membership card, the Button Set, Sticker Set, and also the The Comics Code Authority Water Bottle!
You get your choice of a CBLDF Logo Embroidered Executive Polo Shirt or the new “Free Speech Fighter” Hooded Sweatshirt!
Also the EXCLUSIVE, MEMBER-ONLY, 2013 Long-Sleeve T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, and featuring the art of Jaime Hernandez!
This level features the very cool Limited Edition Signed and Numbered Letterpress Print, featuring the 2013 Membership Card Illustration by Jaime Hernandez. Signed by the artist!
$500 – Members joining at this level receive the CBLDF Membership card, the Button Set, the Sticker Set, the Comics Code Authority Water Bottle, CBLDF Logo Embroidered Executive Polo Shirt AND the new “Free Speech Fighter” Hooded Sweatshirt!
Also the EXCLUSIVE, MEMBER-ONLY, 2013 Long-Sleeve T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, and the Limited Edition Signed and Numbered Letterpress Print, featuring the 2013 Membership Card Illustration by Jaime Hernandez. Signed by the artist!
$1000 – Champion Members receive the CBLDF Membership card, the Button Set, the Sticker Set, the Comics Code Authority Water Bottle, CBLDF Logo Embroidered Executive Polo Shirt AND the new “Free Speech Fighter” Hooded Sweatshirt!
Also the EXCLUSIVE, MEMBER-ONLY, 2013 Long-Sleeve T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, and the Limited Edition Signed and Numbered Letterpress Print, featuring the 2013 Membership Card Illustration by Jaime Hernandez. Signed by the artist!
ALL THIS, and a “CBLDF CHAMPION” 8 x 11 Recognition Certificate, with a handwritten note of thanks from superstar author BRIAN K. VAUGHAN or legendary author NEIL GAIMAN!
RETAIL MEMBERSHIP
Retailers are on the front lines of the fight against censorship! Independent comic book, manga, and book retailers are a vital part of today’s comic book culture, and, unfortunately, are also the first to be attacked when censorship rears its ugly head.
Since the CBLDF was founded in 1986, retailers have been among the strongest supporters, and they perform a valuable service by providing comics to their local communities and educating consumers. As the front line, they’re also among the first to support their brethren when they come under attack, and many are doing so as Retailer Members of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Sign up your store to be a member! Join the Fund today and receive special rewards that tell your customers you’re fighting the good fight. You’ll get exclusive comics, signed prints, and more as a thank you for your support!
All stores joining receive:
- CBLDF Window Cling
- “FREE SPEECH IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR” 24 by 30 poster by comic superstar CLIFF CHIANG.
- A CBLDF Donation Can
- Current Member Card
The Levels for Membership are as follows:
$100: The Retailer “Advocate”
$250: The Retailer “Defender”
$500: The Retailer “Protector”
$1,000: The Retailer “Champion”
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
If you’re a leader in the graphic novel industry, then you should be a corporate member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. CBLDF’s corporate members recognize that the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our business, and their efforts support the CBLDF’s important work to protect those rights for the comic book, manga, and graphic novel industries. Corporate members are listed on the CBLDF website, in all of our publications, and on event signage. They also have first access to partnership opportunities throughout the year. To learn more about the benefits of Corporate Membership, please contact Executive Director Charles Brownstein at Charles.Brownstein@cbldf.org.
CBLDF is classified as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service, and
donations are tax-deductible in the year they are given. Please consult with your tax advisor to
determine the full extent to which your donation is deductible.