Thanks to our generous community of supporters, CBLDF raised over $82,000 for our important work to protect comics and the First Amendment during our Be Counted fundraising campaign. We’re grateful to the many donors, professionals, organizations, and volunteers who made this possible. These contributions will help the CBLDF perform our important legal work.
CBLDF’s Executive Director wrote this personal message to thank all of the people who made a difference in this important campaign.
In this month’s Diamond Previews, Retailers and Comic Shop Owners will find the most important item they will order this year — their CBLDF Retailer Membership! Retail Members are a vital component to the ongoing work of the CBLDF, and this Thursday is the deadline to sign up your store on the Previews order form and support the Fund en masse!
With the help of the retail community, over the past year the CBLDF has supported the rights of comic stores by fighting unconstitutional laws that would have affected the sale and display of comics in Utah, Massachusetts, Alaska, and California. The CBLDF’s efforts were even cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. EMA, where the CBLDF’s brief outlining our industry’s struggle with censorship in the 1950s and beyond was included as part of the court’s decision to strike down a California law that would have given states the right to regulate violence. The CBLDF continues to keep watch and fight against laws that affect the Direct Market’s ability to do business.
Retailers that join this month will receive a number of incentive items, including variant covers of Action Comics #1, Ultimate Spider-man #160, and Liberty Annual 2011, signed by Frank Quitely, and an assortment of CBLDF branded items, such as signage, window clings, and a print set including “Conan” signed by Darick Robertson, “In Reilig Oran” signed by Neil Gaiman and Tony Harris, “Echo” signed by Terry Moore, and “The Boys” signed by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. These items and more are available as a “Thank You” to our retail members.
Right now the CBLDF needs help to defend a case that could affect the rights of individuals and stores everywhere. Right now a comics reader is facing a year in prison and registering as a sex offender because a Canada Customs agent unjustly accused of him of possessing child pornography because of horror and fantasy manga on his laptop. This case is important because it raises important precedent questions about the artistic merit of comics, and the right to sell adult comics to adult readers.
For twenty-five years, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has protected the rights of stores, and the rights of their customers. If you are a retailer, please help the CBLDF continue to stand up for the rights of our industry. Sign up for Retailer Membership on this month’s order form, and help us protect the First Amendment rights you depend on to do business!
Last weekend, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund raised over $12,500 at New York Comic Con!
The CBLDF booth hosted a number of creators throughout the weekend, including Francis Portela (Legion of Super-heroes) and Fernando Blanco (Marvel Zombies), Sara Varon, signing her new graphic novel Bake Sale from First Second Books, CBLDF President and Beanworld cartoonist Larry Marder, and a special appearance from Mark Twain himself (Michael Kupperman), signing his new autobiography from Fantagraphics.
CBLDF urgently needs to raise $100,000 for our important First Amendment work by the end of October! Be Counted and support CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work by bidding on original artwork, making a donation, or becoming a member of the CBLDF!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund enters the fourth week of its Be Counted membership drive at New York Comic Con, where we’re bringing you some of our best incentives to join the Fund yet!
Kicking off with a Member Appreciation Party on Thursday night, a members only raffle that will award one lucky fan with Stuart Immonen’s original pencils for the Fear Itself #1 cover, an all new grab bag sponsored by HeroesCon, a massive manga giveaway at CBLDF’s Anime Artists Alley Table, three programs, and a wide array of incredible opportunities for time with top pros at the show!
If you’re attending NYCC, please visit CBLDF’s booth #1128 and Be Counted as a member. Check out our highlights below!
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 will be in stores on October 12, and you may have noticed a spate of exclusive previews online recently.
Bleeding Cool ran an exclusive of the JH Williams III pages from the issue and Rich Johnston spoke with CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein, who described why the CBLDF continues to be relevant and the importance of the Canada Customs Case…
Read on for more exclusive sneak peeks of CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011!
Writing exclusively for the CBLDF, Yuricon founder Erica Friedman discusses the CBLDF’s important efforts against Canada Customs.
There is a gap here, in between actions and words, in between discussion of freedom of expression and actual freedom of expression. It is not a small gap – it is a tiger pit. It is a gap that is, right this very second, affecting all of us in the manga community. The gap lies in between our stated right to express ourselves freely and recents actions of authority to strip that right from us.
This issue not a rhetorical one to me. I am about to leave the country to attend a comic event called Girls Love Fest. It is focused entirely on comics with lesbian themes. This is the genre that I have worked on promoting for more than a decade – and for the first time in my life, I am not sure that I can purchase these comics and bring them home with me. Because I cannot be sure that a reasonable person would understand that the comic of two cute girls holding hands, saying they like each other and kissing is not offensive. I cannot presume that the people hired to “protect” us are reasonable at all. Why should they be? These people have been given imprimatur to be unreasonable and suspicious. I want to support these artists, and share their work…but I may not be able to. I certainly have to look at each book more critically and think “what would TSA make of this?”
John Hogan with Graphic Novel Reporter recently took time to speak to CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein about CBLDF and how it’s mission has evolved over the last 25 years.
In addition to getting the latest details on CBLDF’s Canada Customs Case, Hogan asked about the specific challenges comics face. Brownstein succinctly described how the focus of CBLDF’s efforts has changed from protecting small retailers to protecting collectors themselves:
The challenges are always changing. When the CBLDF started, our work was most urgently needed to protect small comic book stores from prosecutions by local authorities because of mature readers comics they sold to adults. In the ’90s, our work shifted to help artists who were being prosecuted by authorities. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the pendulum shifted back to helping retailers, and at the same time fighting against laws that targeted the internet and that would have made it impossible for retailers to display “harmful to minors” material—work protected for adults, but nebulously illegal for minors because of nudity and sexual content. Now we are seeing an increasing surge of prosecutorial efforts directed at readers for the comics they own and on their digital devices.
Throughout Comic-Con International, July 20-24, you’ll find amazing signed premiums and CBLDF exclusives at Booth 1920. But the action doesn’t stop there — CBLDF has an incredible series of panels throughout the weekend!
From learning at the feet of comics masters, such as Jaime Hernandez, Matt Wagner, David Peterson, and more, to getting the latest information about CBLDF’s Canada Customs Case, to our annual benefit auction, CBLDF offers plenty of opportunities to learn about the Fund and see some of our biggest supporters in action!
Read on to find out more about CBLDF’s Comic-Con International panels!
With the recent spate of legal victories that CBLDF has celebrated, Brigid Alverson with CBR’s Robot 6 blog took a moment to touch base with CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein about the Canada Customs Case:
It’s been a momentous week for the CBLDF. Last Friday we announced our decision to build a coalition to aid an American traveler facing prison time in Canada and registering as a sex offender for traveling with comics on his laptop. On Monday we received news that the U.S. Supreme Court had struck down a California law that would have made violence a new category of unprotected speech by banning the sale and display of violent video games, and that Justice Scalia cited our amicus brief as part of his majority decision. And just today news arrived that we successfully helped knock out an Alaska law that would have placed severe restrictions on internet speech. more
Last week, CBLDF announced that we are forming a coalition to defend a new case involving an American citizen facing charges in Canada that could result in a minimum sentence of one year in prison and registering as a sex offender.
In 2010, an American citizen, computer programmer, and comic book enthusiast in his mid-20s was flying from his home in the United States to Canada to visit a friend. Upon arrival at Canadian Customs, a customs officer conducted a search of the American and his personal belongings, including his laptop, iPad, and iPhone. The customs officer discovered manga on the laptop and deemed it child pornography. Consequently, the American has been charged with both the possession of child pornography as well as its importation into Canada. As a result, if convicted at trial, the American faces a minimum of one year in prison.
Since the announcement, more information about the case emerged in the ensuing media coverage. more
CBLDF needs your help! Please make a monetary contribution here. Find out more on the case here. If you or someone you know is traveling internationally, please read our Advisory on traveling with comics before getting on the plane.