CBLDF Now Hiring: Office Manager

With more than 25 years of defending free speech for the comics community, CBLDF has firmly established itself as the premiere non-profit organization in the field. Now you can join the fight against censorship by becoming part of the CBLDF team! CBLDF is currently looking for an Office Manager:

OFFICE MANAGER
(Full-Time, Salaried)

Works with the Deputy Director in the further development of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, with an emphasis on managing the day-to-day financial and practical operations of the organization.

The Operations Manager’s responsibilities include:
• Bookkeeping and day-to-day financial management of the organization, including but not limited to: entry of all income; bank deposits; bill entry and payment; supervision of document retention; and preparation of materials for treasurer and accountants.
• Responsible for processing all invoices, payables, receivables, expenses, and general reporting.
• Management of all workplace compliance, and preparation and responsibility for insurance, utilities, and supply vendors, with the oversight of the Deputy Director.
• Management of shipping and processing premiums and donor acknowledgments. This includes oversight of physical inventories of fundraising premiums.
• Management of bulk mailings, mailing lists, and membership data.
• Recruitment, training, and supervision of volunteers and interns for office and off-site tasks.
• Managing logistics, staff preparation, material handling, vendor services, and shipping for off-site events and conventions.

Qualifications
• Extensive practical Quickbooks training and experience.
• Experience in human resources and insurance compliance useful.
• Education, training, and experience with bookkeeping sufficient to fulfill job description.

Additional qualifications:
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel.
• Strong financial, analytical and organizational skills.
• Experience with inventory management.
• Ability to work under pressure and balance numerous priorities simultaneously.
• Experience with project/organizational management and strategic planning.
• Experience with recruitment, supervision and training of interns and volunteers.

Please send cover letters, resumes, and inquiries to alex.cox@cbldf.org or submit a cover letter and resume by mail:

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
ATTN: Alex Cox
255 West 36th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10018

About CBLDF
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals.

Alex Cox Named CBLDF Deputy Director

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is pleased to announce that Alex Cox has been named to the position of Deputy Director.  In this new capacity, his responsibilities will expand to include full oversight of the CBLDF home office and fundraising program.  Cox joined the CBLDF in the fall of 2010 as Development Manager.

Since joining the CBLDF last year Cox has improved the organization’s membership program and convention presences.  Under Cox’s watch, membership in both the retailer and individual capacities has shown dramatic increases.  Cox has also overseen the creation of a more robust volunteer program in the New York home office.  Prior to CBLDF, Cox was a 15-year veteran of comics retail, including owning and managing the nationally recognized comic book store ROCKETSHIP.

Speaking about the promotion, Cox said, “I’m extremely grateful to be in a position to help the comics community fight back against anyone that would threaten free expression in this art form that we all love.  As a comic fan and student of the art form for close to 30 years, I never thought that I would see anything like the panic caused by SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT in my lifetime. But with the current case in Canada, the creeping specter of censorship and persecution is rearing its head again, making the CBLDF even more important. I’m proud to be a part of it and I look forward to working with our members, retailers, and the creative community in the years to come.”

“Alex has been a great addition to the CBLDF, and we’re excited to be able to develop a space for him to grow even further within the organization” says Charles Brownstein, CBLDF’s Executive Director.  “Alex has made great strides in developing our fundraising program in a very difficult time, and his leadership in the office has helped us bring in even more talented volunteers to help us fulfill our work.  He’s an extremely valuable member of our team, and we’re glad to see him take on this new role.”

CBLDF Looking for Writers to Contribute to Website

In our ongoing mission to protect the creators, retailers, publishers, and collectors of comic books and to promote the awareness of First Amendment issues, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is looking for additional contributors to its website.

Whether you’re a journalist or a supporter of CBLDF who has excellent writing skills, we need your help to expand the coverage of First Amendment issues in the comics community. Your work will be shared on www.cbldf.org, Facebook, Twitter, and in print publications.

We are looking for writers to cover various topics related to the First Amendment and comics, including (but not limited to) the following:

• censorship of manga
• First Amendment legal issues related to comics
• comics censorship in libraries
• comics censorship in schools
• direct market censorship concerns

A contributor to www.cbldf.org should have excellent writing and communication skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and self-direction. If specializing in a specific topic, contributors should have extensive knowledge and understanding of the field. Journalism or blogging experience is a plus.

Contributors will be asked to identify and/or generate relevant content for www.cbldf.org on a weekly or semiweekly basis. In doing so, they will need to obtain editorial approval and respond to editorial guidance.

Positions are voluntary. Articles will be seen by visitors to www.cbldf.org and cross-posted on CBLDF’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, ensuring that several thousand people will see articles. Contributors will be able to work from anywhere, set their own schedules, build writing and blogging experience, and boost their resumes. In doing so, contributors will support the important First Amendment work of CBLDF.

To apply, please send your resume and a writing sample to betsy.gomez@cbldf.org.

ABOUT THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics artform and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals.

MTV GEEK Supports CBLDF With Original Art Auction

During New York-Comic-Con, MTV Geek held a private party for staff and contributors. In attendance were some of the biggest names in comics, many of whom created live art to benefit CBLDF. Now you have the chance to own some of that art!

Creators who joined MTV Geek at the party included Jim Lee (Justice League), Todd McFarlane (Spawn), Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman), Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time), Brad Neely (China, IL), Richard Starkings (Elephantmen), Paul Pope (Batman: Year 100), Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse), Steve Ellis (High Moon), and more. While enjoying music from DJ Aub Driver (Dark Horse Comics), several joined the massive live art session. The art created during the party is now being auctioned to benefit CBLDF. You can bid on the art here.

“Many thanks go to Bradley Hatfield, Chris Moeser, and Tom Akel with MTV Geek for organizing the event and lending their support to CBLDF,” said CBLDF Development Manager Alex Cox. “MTV Geek has been a terrific supporter of the Fund since they launched, and with this event they brought in some amazing talent. The art produced will help us raise much-needed funds to defend Brandon X in Canada.” (Learn more about the Brandon X case here.)

Don’t miss your chance to win gorgeous original art by some of the biggest names in comics! Follow MTV Geek (@MTVGeek) and the CBLDF (@cbldf) on Twitter for spotlight auctions over the next several days!

The gallery below shows just a few of the pieces in the auction. You can view the rest here.

REMINDER: Registration For Webinar on Comics & Manga Censorship Closes Today!

Throughout November, the American Library Association presents “Intellectual Freedom Across the Globe,” a series of online learning opportunities focused on intellectual freedom issues. CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be participating on November 9, during a webinar on comics and manga censorship around the globe, and you can join in!

More details in the official press release:

Access to comic books, graphic novels, and manga is an increasingly hot topic in the library, creative, and free speech communities.  For libraries and other distributors, there are issues of why and how to collect and make available these materials, and how to handle challenges (including legal and policy challenges).  Creators need to know what support is out there if their materials are under attack, and how these attacks manifest themselves.  Free speech advocates are interested in how their support of basic principles of access to information applies to these materials.

To kick off our “Intellectual Freedom across the Globe” webinar series, OIF and IFLA FAIFE are pleased to present “Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga, and Libraries,” a one-hour look at how censorship affects comics around the world.  This webinar will discuss the history of comic book censorship, and highlight some of the current issues facing libraries and content creators around the globe, including a spotlight on Tokyo’s recent law affecting manga.  There will also be an overview of policies and best practices related to comic books, graphic novels, and manga in libraries.

Date: Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Time: 9:00 a.m. Central Standard Time, 1500 GMT

Cost: $30 USD – ALA members/members of IFLA institutional members; $35 USD – General attendees

Note:  There will be a small number of free spaces for participants who otherwise could not afford to participate. To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Jonathan Kelley at jokelley@ala.org.  Archived recordings of all “Intellectual Freedom across the Globe” webinars will be available for sale one month after the live events.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/onlinelearning/issues/classes/comics_and_libraries.cfm.  For information about the webinar series, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/oifprograms/webinars/index.cfm.

Charles Brownstein is the Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization defending the First Amendment rights of comics and graphic novels since 1986.  Since joining the organization in 2002, Brownstein has overseen the CBLDF’s successful management of several First Amendment cases, including a notable win in Georgia v. Gordon Lee.  Most recently, the organization’s work has been cited by U.S. Supreme Court in the majority decision in Brown v. EMA. Brownstein also writes extensively about comics; his publications include the award winning books Eisner/Miller and The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen.

Yasuyo Inoue is Professor on Librarianship and School Librarianship courses at Economics and Business department of Dokkyo University, Japan.  She is currently a member of IFLA’s Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, and has been a member of the Japan Library Association’s Committee on Intellectual Freedom since 1990.  She has written on such topics as “Manga as a study aid at school libraries” and children and young adult services in Japanese libraries.

Angela Maycock is Assistant Director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association. She provides guidance and support to librarians, teachers and others on the application of ALA’s intellectual freedom policies and the First Amendment in specific situations involving materials challenges and confidentiality in the library.  She also undertakes projects to educate librarians and the general public about intellectual freedom issues.

Be a “Redshirt” with IDW’s Star Trek Comics Contest, Benefitting CBLDF

CBLDF stands ready to defend retailers against censorship. Are you ready to do the same? Test your mettle with IDW Publishing’s “Be a Redshirt” contest, benefitting CBLDF!

More details in the official press release from IDW:

Are you a comics fan who loves your local comics store? Are you willing to “die” to protect your retailer? Prove it, with the Star Trek “Be A Redshirt” contest! Starting today, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), IDW Publishing and CBS Consumer Products are giving Star Trek fans a chance to “Be a Redshirt” on the cover of an upcoming Star Trek comic.

Originating in the classic Star Trek episodes and expanding to pop culture at large, a “redshirt” is a character that dies soon after being introduced. With the “Be a Redshirt” contest, the winning fan will have the honor of “dying” while heroically saving their retailer. The grand prizewinner will be featured as a “redshirt” on an upcoming cover of IDW’s new STAR TREK ongoing series, placing themselves between their local retailer and a phaser blast. The “Be a Redshirt” contest is open to any comics reader who thinks their local retailer is the best in the business.

“As redshirts are famous for always catching the phaser in Star Trek episodes, and as comic fans can be so loyal in defending their local retailer, it’s the perfect contest,” said Dirk Wood, IDW’s Director of Retailer Marketing, “And partnering with the CBLDF is perfect, because no one knows more about defending retailers than they do.”

To enter the “Be A Redshirt” contest, fans must e-mail their explanation in 300 words or less about why their retailer is the best to IDW at contests@IDWPublishing.com with the subject: Save My Retailer. The winning fan and their retailer will be depicted on a limited-edition variant cover of Star Trek. This special cover will be limited to only 300 copies: 100 each to the winning fan and their retailer, plus 100 to CBLDF to help them continue the important and challenging work of defending retailers everywhere. The winning fan will also receive the original art, by the Sharp Brothers.

Launched in September, IDW’s new Star Trek ongoing series explores the new Star Trek universe, following the events of the game-changing, blockbuster 2009 film. Joining forces with Star Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, IDW and CBS explore the vast implications of the alternate timeline created by the film in this new, monthly, ongoing comics series that reimagines classic Star Trek episodes.

Under the creative direction of Orci, fan-favorite Star Trek writer Mike Johnson and artists Stephen Molnar and Joe Corroney bring this alternate universe to life and begin the countdown to the highly anticipated Star Trek sequel. Following alternate-reality versions of “Where No One Has Gone Before” and “Galileo 7,” Star Trek #5 kicks off a two-part re-imagining of “Operation: Annihilate.” This gripping episode brings Captain Kirk comes face to face with ghosts from his past when a rescue mission reunites him with the last person he expects to see.

In addition to print, Star Trek comics are also available digitally through a variety of free apps, including, through the Apple’s iTunes: the Star Trek Comics app, the Comics by comiXology app and the IDW Comics app.

STAR TREK #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) is now available in comic stores and on iTunes. Diamond order code JUL11 0308.

STAR TREK #2 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) is now available in comic stores and on iTunes. Diamond order code AUG11 0309.

STAR TREK #3 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in November. Diamond order code SEP11 0289.

STAR TREK #4 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in December. Diamond order code OCT11 0359.

STAR TREK #5 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores and on iTunes in January. Diamond order code NOV11 0319.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films.  Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise.  For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com

(c) 2011 Paramount pictures Corporation.  TM & (c) 2011 CBS Studios Inc.  STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

Apple, the Apple logo, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Content purchased from the iTunes Store is for personal lawful use only. Don’t steal music.

Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart Announce ‘Helmetgirls: Origins’ Guest Artists and CBLDF Benefit

At NYCC today, Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart announced the guest artists for the Helmetgirls: Origins, a series based on d’Errico’s popular artwork. Because of the success of the Kickstarter campaign for d’Errico’s Tanpopo, d’Errico and Dysart are going to run a similar campaign for Helmetgirls. They are also going to contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Helmetgirls to CBLDF!

More details in the official press release:

At this year’s New York Comic Con, graphic novelist and fine artist Camilla d’Errico (Tanpopo, Sky Pirates), along with acclaimed writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier, B.P.R.D.), are announcing the guest artist line-up for their upcoming book Helmetgirls: Origins, based on d’Errico’s popular series of paintings and art prints.

Confirmed artists for the original graphic novel, set to be released in the spring of 2012, are as follows:

Ashely Wood (Tank Girl, Metal Gear Solid)
Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Wormwood)
David Mack (Daredevil, Kabuki)
Terada Katsuya (The Monkey King, Blood: The Last Vampire)
Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Marijuanaman)
Alberto Ponticelli (Sam & Twitch, Heavy Metal)
Ray Fawkes (Mnemovore, The Apocalipstix)
Kaare Andrews (Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man)
Cameron Stewart (Batman & Robin, Seaguy)
Renae de Liz (The Last Unicorn, Rogue Angel)
Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy’s)
Danni Shinya Luo (X-23)
Bobby Chui
Travis Louis
Brandi Milne
Barbara Canepa (Skydoll)

Although more guest artists may be announced in the future, the inclusion of the industry’s top talents in the brand-new title will solidify Helmetgirls: Origins as a must-have comic for 2012. Details of the story are still under-wraps; however, Dysart’s script does center around a crumbling future society and the children who must overcome their desolate environment to survive.

Currently, BOOM! Studios is in the process of hosting a Kickstarter campaign for d’Errico’s independently published series Tanpopo in order to collect the first three volumes into a special, limited edition hardcover book that is to be release in March of 2012. (For more information about the Kickstarter campaign, please visit: http://kck.st/n5C0FS)

At the time of this press release, the Kickstarter campaign is over 70% funded, and because of this tremendous success, d’Errico and Dysart will be crowd-sourcing the funding Helmetgirls: Origins as well, allowing dedicated fans to receive a special, limited edition of the book before it will be release into the public market.

Demand for Helmetgirls: Origins will certainly be high, and to help support other creators and publishers in the comic book industry, d’Errico and Dysart have agreed to contribute a certain percentage of the book’s proceeds to the First Amendment organization the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). The CBLDF has been on the front lines of free speech issues for years, and both creators are committed to helping the non-profit continue its work fighting censorship.

The platform for the crowd-sourced funding, as well as more details as to how it will help benefit the important work of the CBLDF, will be announced next year, during the lead up to Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con.

Join The CBLDF Today!

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! Join now!

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 superstar creator Cliff Chiang! Channeling the classic depiction of Liberty through the influence of WPA art and comic book iconography, Chiang 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:

Legal Action

Last September, the CBLDF contributed the first installment of the $150,000 in legal fees needed to defend Brandon X, an American citizen facing a minimum sentence of one year in Canadian prison and registration as a sex offender because Canada Customs alleges that Japanese horror and fantasy comics on Brandon’s laptop are child pornography. His case is important because it raises important precedent questions about the artistic merit of comics and the rights of readers and artists traveling with comics on their electronic devices. The CBLDF needs your help to pay the lawyers defending this case because we seek to establish a precedent that protects comics in Canada and influences courts in the United States.

Beyond Brandon’s case, the CBLDF needs your help to ensure we are able to continue our other important program services. In 2011 we fought against several unconstitutional laws, including the case of Brown v. EMA, which involved a California law that would have expanded the definition of unprotected speech to include violence. The CBLDF’s amicus brief in that case was cited by the United States Supreme Court in their majority decision.

Your membership dollars will pay for our membership in Media Coalition, which helps us track and fight unconstitutional legislation. You will also ensure we have the resources we need to pay our monthly retainer for routine First Amendment legal work.

Education

The CBLDF continues to assist librarians and retailers when comics and graphic novels are challenged. Often, this happens on a case-by-case basis, during which CBLDF staff gather defense materials for each individual incident. Your membership dollars support our work as a sponsor of the Kids’ Right To Read Project and Banned Books Week. They will also help support a variety of new information resources that we are creating throughout the year.

Here’s what you get for signing up:

MEMBER

At the $25 Member level, donors receive an exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card will feature art by superstar comic artist CLIFF CHIANG.

SUPPORTER

With a $50 Supporter membership, donors receive:

• The exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card features exclusive art by superstar artist CLIFF CHIANG!

• A button set featuring our logo and more!

• A CBLDF window decal you can use to show the world that you support free speech!

ADVOCATE

With a $100 Advocate membership, donors receive:

• The exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card features exclusive art by superstar artist CLIFF CHIANG!

• A button set featuring our logo and more!

• A CBLDF window decal you can use to show the world that you support free speech!

Your choice of one of the following:

• CBLDF Tote Bag, featuring art by the great Sergio Aragonés! This tote bag is durable canvas, measuring 14 by 15 inches, and the perfect way to carry comics and graphic novels while showing your support for a great cause.

• The popular “I READ BANNED COMICS” t-shirt (Please indicate size preference in the memo section of the order form.)

• A CBLDF branded water bottle, featuring the gone-but-not-forgotten Comics Code Authority emblem.

DEFENDER

With a $250 Defender membership, donors receive:

• The exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card features exclusive art by superstar artist CLIFF CHIANG!

• A button set featuring our logo and more!

• A CBLDF window decal you can use to show the world that you support free speech!

Your choice of TWO of the following:

• CBLDF Tote Bag, featuring art by the great Sergio Aragonés! This tote bag is durable canvas, measuring 14 by 15 inches, and the perfect way to carry comics and graphic novels, while showing your support for a great cause.

• The popular “I READ BANNED COMICS” t-shirt (Please indicate size preference in the memo section of the order form.)

• A CBLDF branded water bottle, featuring the gone-but-not-forgotten Comics Code Authority emblem.

PROTECTOR

With a $500 Protector membership, donors receive:

• The exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card features exclusive art by superstar artist CLIFF CHIANG!

• A button set featuring our logo and more!

• A CBLDF window decal you can use to show the world that you support free speech!

ALL THREE of the following:

• CBLDF Tote Bag, featuring art by the great Sergio Aragonés! This tote bag is durable canvas, measuring 14 by 15 inches, and the perfect way to carry comics and graphic novels, while showing your support for a great cause.

• The popular “I READ BANNED COMICS” t-shirt (Please indicate size preference in the memo section of the order form.)

• A CBLDF branded water bottle, featuring the gone-but-not-forgotten Comics Code Authority emblem.

• Your name listed in a special “Thank You” section of the LIBERTY ANNUAL 2012.

• A special limited edition, full-color print of the membership card artwork, numbered and signed by artist Cliff Chiang.

CHAMPION

With a $1000 Champion membership, donors receive:

• The exclusive CBLDF membership card. This sturdy, plastic card fits easily in a wallet and provides special access to CBLDF events across the country. The 2012 card features exclusive art by superstar artist CLIFF CHIANG!

• A button set featuring our logo and more!

• A CBLDF window decal you can use to show the world that you support free speech!

All of the following:

• CBLDF Tote Bag, featuring art by the great Sergio Aragonés! This tote bag is durable canvas, measuring 14 by 15 inches, and the perfect way to carry comics and graphic novels, while showing your support for a great cause.

• The popular “I READ BANNED COMICS” t-shirt (Please indicate size preference in the “memo” section of the order form.)

• A CBLDF branded water bottle, featuring the gone-but-not-forgotten Comics Code Authority emblem.

• Your name listed in a special “Thank You” section of the LIBERTY ANNUAL 2012.

• A special limited edition, full-color print of the membership card artwork, numbered and signed by artist Cliff Chiang.

• Your choice of an autographed hardcover, signed on an exclusive “CBLDF Champion” bookplate, from one of the following creators:

– WATCHMEN, signed by Dave Gibbons
– MAUS, signed by art spiegelman
– PREACHER Deluxe Edition vol. 1, signed by Garth Ennis
– Y THE LAST MAN Deluxe Edition vol. 1, signed by Brian K. Vaughan
– THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, signed by 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!

The Retailer Advocate Member receives:

• CBLDF Window Cling
• 2012 LIBERTY ANNUAL, Signed Frank Quitely Variant
• OPEN/CLOSE sign, featuring GRENDEL by Matt Wagner, and MILK AND CHEESE by Evan Dorkin!
• A CBLDF Donation Can
• Current Member Card

The Retailer “Defender” receives:

The Retailer “Champion” receives:

• CBLDF Window Cling
• 2012 LIBERTY ANNUAL, Signed Frank Quitely Variant
• OPEN/CLOSE sign, featuring GRENDEL by Matt Wagner, and MILK AND CHEESE by Evan Dorkin!
• A CBLDF Donation Can
• CBLDF Branded Mouse Pad
• Print set, featuring CONAN, signed by Darick Robertson, IN RELIG ORAN, signed by Neil Gaiman and Tony Harris, ECHO signed by Terry Moore, and THE BOYS, signed by Garth Ennis.
• Exclusive Signed, Numbered silkscreen Paul Pope print.
• A piece of original comic art, donated by one of our many Artist Members.
• Current Member Card

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.

Creators and Retailers Unite for CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 Signings

CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 hits shelves on October 12. In celebration, retailers around the world are having signings with several of the creators who contributed to the best LIBERTY ANNUAL yet!

CBLDF is delighted to have the support of retailers and creators not only for CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011, but also for UNITED AGAINST CENSORSHIP, a series of in-store signings that will take place the day the book hits store shelves! So far, we’ve lined up the following great events:

Forbidden Planet NYC
October 12, 6:30 p.m.
840 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-1576, www.fpnyc.com
with Thomas Chu, Kevin Sacco, Brandon Montclare, Michael Bramley, J. Gonzo, and more

Laughing Ogre Comics
October 12, time TBD
4258 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 267-6473, www.laughingogrecomics.com
with Dara Naraghi

Another Dimension
October 12, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
424 B – 10th Street NW; Calgary, AB T2N 1V9, Canada
(403) 283-7078
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Another-Dimension-Comics/180997045270673
with Riley Rossmo

Infinite Monkey Comics & Games
October 13, 7:00 p.m.
65 East College Street, Suite 1, Oberlin, OH 44074
(440) 775-4263, www.infinitemonkeyonline.com
with Kazim Ali

We’re still confirming more locations and creators, so be sure to check www.cbldf.org for updates and details! Several of the CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 contributors will also be signing with CBLDF at booth #1158 during New York Comic-Con, October 13-16, 2011!

CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 collects incredible contributions, including original stories by superstars J. Michael Straczynski (Superman: Earth One), Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman), J.H. Williams III (Batwoman), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Judd Winick (Catwoman), Mark Waid (Daredevil) and Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), and Carla Speed McNeil (Finder). Look for all-new tales featuring Grendel by Matt Wagner, Cowboy Ninja Viking by AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo, and Elephantmen by Richard Starkings and Shaky Kane. Plus: a massive and first-ever full-color story from independent comics master Craig Thompson (Blankets, Habibi)! Marvel and DC Comics have stepped up to show their support, with all-new pin-ups of Batman by Dustin Nguyen, X-Men by Greg Land, Green Lantern by Ivan Reis, and the Avengers by Greg Horn! It’s all topped off by incredible covers by John Cassaday, Matt Wagner, and two variant covers by Frank Quietly: a full-color, 1 in 25 cover, and a black and white, 1 in 50 cover!

Join the fight against censorship by picking up your copy of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 (AUG110415), a 48-page full color comic book benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, available from Image Comics on October 12, 2011, for $4.99. The sales of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011 benefit CBLDF’s First Amendment legal work.

ABOUT THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics artform and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Virtual Read-out of Banned Books Is Launched

Readers from across the United States and around the world are demonstrating their support for free speech by participating in a virtual read-out of banned and challenged books that will culminate during the 29^th annual Banned Books Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1), the only national celebration of the freedom to read. Individuals, libraries and bookstores are uploading videos to a special channel on YouTube, submitting either a reading of up to two minutes or a description of a local book challenge of up to three minutes.

The virtual read-out is the centerpiece of an expanded Banned Books Week, which focuses attention on the censorship of books in schools and libraries. The American Library Association reported 348 challenges and bans in 2010. The most challenged book was And Tango Makes Three, an award-winning children’s picture book, based on an actual incident, that tells the story of two male penguins who hatch an abandoned egg and parent the chick. The book has been on the list of most frequently challenged books for five years. Other titles frequently challenged last year include Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and books in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. ALA publishes a Top Ten Banned Books list annually.

The authors of challenged books are also participating in the read-out. Videos of frequently censored authors Judy Blume and Lauren Myracle have recently been posted. Other highly acclaimed and frequently challenged authors, including Chris Crutcher, Paolo Bacigalupi, Sarah Dessen, William Joyce, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, have also recorded videos that will be posted in coming days. Check the Banned Books Week YouTube Channel daily for new videos, http://www.youtube.com/bannedbooksweek.

To support an expanded Banned Books Week, the sponsors have launched a redesigned website, www.bannedbooksweek.org. In addition to providing information about the virtual read-out, it includes an interactive map that shows the location of book challenges in recent years as well as a listing of featured events and a state-by-state listing of libraries, bookstores and other groups that are participating in Banned Books Week.

One Banned Books Week event is an eBay auction of more 70 pieces by leading artists in the children’s book industry, including Peter Brown, Susan Jeffers, Wendell Minor, Adam Rex and Paul O. Zelinsky. Proceeds from the auction will help support efforts to defend the First Amendment rights of young readers, including the Kids Right to Read Project, which is co-sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). Items can be located on ABFFE’s eBay page.

To provide additional organizational support for Banned Books Week, the current sponsors–the ALA, ABFFE, the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and the National Association of College Stores (NACS)–recruited several new sponsors this year: NCAC, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and PEN American Center (PEN). Project Censored has joined the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress as an endorser of Banned Books Week.

Publishers have increased their support as well. A number of AAP member publishers, including Hachette, Penguin, Random House, Scholastic, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster are providing guidance for the observance through an AAP Banned Books Week Publisher Task Force.

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! Join now!Read the full post

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• Cross The Border-Go Directly to Jail

  

  What if the comics you took on a plane landed you in jail? That’s the danger facing one American, who could spend a minimum of a year in a foreign prison for doing just that. Turns out that anyone leaving or entering the country can be stopped, searched or detained by customs agents because of comic art in print or on laptops, tablets or cell phones – even without suspicion of criminal activity. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is leading a coalition to defend this case, and has resources to protect travelers traveling internationally. Learn more here, and please make a donation to support this case.

• Newest Rewards

  • Absolute Death, signed by Neil Gaiman

    

    Signed by Neil Gaiman, CBLDF Board Member and recipient of the Defender of Liberty Award! From the pages of The Sandman comes the young, pale, perky, fan-favorite character Death in a new Absolute Edition collecting her solo adventures! Featuring the miniseries Death: The High COst of Living #1-3, in which Death befriends a teenager and helps a 250-year-old homeless woman find her missing heart, and Death: The Time of Your Life together with “The Sound of Her Wings” and “Façade” from The Sandman #8 and #20, the P. Craig Russell-illustrated “Death and Venice” from The Sandman: Endless Nights, and the never-before reprinted stories “A Winter’s Tale” and “The Wheel.” This deluxe volume also features an introduction by The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer as well as extensive galleries of Death portraits and retail products, sketches by artist Chris Bachalo, and the complete original script by Gaiman for The Sandman #8. Proceeds from this deluxe signed edition benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!

    Get your copy today!

  • CBLDF Grab Bag!

    

    Donated by HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND in Charlotte, North Carolina (http://www.heroesonline.com/), these grab bags contain a vast array of rare comics from the silver, bronze, and modern age to support the CBLDF. Comics included somewhere in these Grab Bags include Avengers #57 (1st Appearance of the Vision), X-Men #46, X-Men #48, Batman #185, Luke Cage #1, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield #3, Sub-Mariner #5, and dozens more. Signed comics were contributed directly from their artists, including Amanda Conner, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Jill Thompson, Gail Simone, and many more!

    Grab one today!

  • BAKE SALE, signed by Sara Varon

    

    Cupcake’s life is pretty good. He’s got his bakery and his band and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He’s sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home. Sara Varon returns with an ageless tale as dreamy and evocative as her break-out hit graphic novel Robot Dreams. At once deeply metaphorical and hilariously literal, Bake Sale is a story for anyone who’s ever looked for an easy answer to life’s intractable difficulties. It’s also a cookbook: Varon includes seven delicious recipes, from classic cupcakes to sugared flower petals to marzipan. These exclusive copies of Bake Sale have been signed by cartoonist Sara Varon to benefit the legal work of the CBLDF. They premiered at Small Press Expo 2011, as an exclusive event with the cooperation of First Second Books.

    Get your copy today!

  • The Graveyard Book Hardcover, Signed by Neil Gaiman

    Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place — he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren’t really one thing or the other. This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman’s legion of adult fans. Signed by the author!

    Donate for your copy today!

  • Criminal Deluxe Edition, signed by Ed Brubaker

    This oversized deluxe hardback edition features Criminal books 1 thru 3: Coward, Lawless, and The Dead and the Dying. This is a fantastically designed and printed book showcasing the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning crime comics from the creators of Sleeper and Incognito. It also features many extras, including a Criminal short story and the never-before-printed five page “movie trailer in comics form” that Brubaker and Phillips created to announce the series online. A true collector’s edition spectacular from two of the hottest creators in comics, and a must-have for any fan!

    Get your copy today!

• Recent Auctions

  • Great Books, Great Authors Up for Auction Now!
  • Neil Gaiman NEW POEM with art by Tony Harris- SIGNED