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November 8, 1997Neil Gaiman Receives Defender of Liberty AwardNorthampton, MA -- Author Neil Gaiman received this year's Defender of Liberty Award to honor his outstanding contributions to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The award was presented on Independence Day at the Chicago ComiCon.
Gaiman has raised more than $40,000 to benefit the CBLDF since the start of his Guardian Angel reading tour. He has also donated proceeds from sales of his two short-story chapbooks, Snow Glass Apples and On Cats and Dogs. The Defender of Liberty Award recognizes his generous monetary contributions, as well as his exceptional efforts to raise awareness of censorship and First Amendment issues in the comics community. The Defender of Liberty is an annual award established by the CBLDF
Board of Directors. It serves to recognize and honor outstanding efforts
by those in the comics community in support of the CBLDF and its goals.
Previous honorees include Dave Sim, creator of Cerebus, for his
significant monetary and fund raising contributions to the Fund, and Paul
Mavrides for his tireless energy and unceasing efforts in defense of his
own case against the California Board of Equalization. "I wish that we did not need the CBLDF," said Gaiman in a letter thanking the CBLDF for the award. "We, in this case, meaning the aggregate mass of creators, publishers, retailers, and people who just want to be able to read their funny books. If we lived in a perfect world we wouldn't. The First Amendment would be seen to say exactly what it does say, and people would let other people get on with the business of making, reading, enjoying, selling or buying comics without hindrance. In a perfect world, the CBLDF would win all its cases, too, and for that matter it wouldn't need the likes of me to go out and raise money for it. But we don't live in a perfect world. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is more important now than ever before." "I do not plan to take this as my cue to sit down and shut up," continued Gaiman. "I'll keep raising funds for the Defense Fund for a long time to come." Gaiman could not be present at the Chicago ComiCom to accept the award in person. Frank Miller, regaling the crowd with his best Neil impression, accepted the award on his behalf. The award statue itself was designed by sculptor Randy Bowen, who generously donated his time and work to the CBLDF. "I have received a great many awards in my career," wrote Gaiman upon receipt of the award. "I'm prouder of this than I am of any of the others, and it is fitting that this is easily the most beautiful award I have ever been given." In a show of unprecedented charity, Gaiman has also signed and donated all of his old black T-shirts to the CBLDF. "Neil's Dirty Laundry" is offered for sale and auction at comic conventions and trade shows at the CBLDF booth.
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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. For additional information, call 413-268-7776 or e-mail the CBLDF staff. 271 Madison Avenue, Suite 1400 Web design and site maintained by Eric Griffith / Squished Frog Productions. |
