Road Report: Baltimore Comic-Con


Posted Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

This past weekend, CBLDF staffers Charles Brownstein, Alex Cox, and Dave Grilli attended Baltimore Comic-Con at the Baltimore Convention Center. CBLDF had an array of exclusive items making their East Coast debut, including our new John Cassaday and Matt Wagner T-shirts and our two new Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scents, La Mano del Destino and El Nuevo Puritano.

Baltimore Comic-Con is always a great show, and the CBLDF booth was surrounded by great creators, including Stan Sakai, Charles Vess, Terry Moore, and Jeff Smith. Hundreds of attendees dropped by our booth to learn about our current case work and check out our new donation premiums.

Every dollar donated at Baltimore Comic-Con goes directly to fund our current case, in which an American faces jail time for crossing the Canadian border with comics on his electronic devices. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth — we look forward to seeing you again next year! Next stop: SPX in Bethesda, MD!

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund are pleased to announce that the Crown has withdrawn all criminal charges in R. v. Matheson, the case previously described as the “Brandon X case,” which involved a comic book reader who faced criminal charges in Canada relating to comic books on his computer. The defendant, Ryan Matheson, a 27-year-old comic book reader, amateur artist, and computer programmer has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

The total legal costs of this case exceeded $75,000. After taking the case last summer, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund contributed $20,000 to the defense, and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund contributed $11,000. The CBLDF also participated in shaping the defense, including recruiting expert testimony for the trial. The organization is currently seeking funds to help pay off the $45,000 debt Matheson incurred as a result of his case, and to create new tools to prevent future cases. To make a contribution to these important efforts, please visit www.cbldf.org. Learn more about the shocking details of this case and how you can support the CBLDF's efforts to fight back!Read the full post