Month: April 2012

Graphic Novel THE COLOR OF EARTH Is Second Most Frequently Challenged Book of 2011

This week, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom released their list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011. The second-most challenged book on that list was The Color of Earth, a critically-acclaimed Korean manwha, or comic book, series. In spite of numerous positive reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, the School Library Journal, and other outlets that praise the book as “richly literate and imaginative” (Booklist) and “a work of great humanity” (Publishers Weekly), the coming-of-age tale is challenged due to nudity, sexual content, and suitability for age group.

CBLDF is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week, which will occur this September 30 – October 6. Banned Books Week is dedicated to “celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.” CBLDF is currently creating tools for retailers and librarians to raise awareness of important challenged and banned comics and graphic novels during this year’s 30th Anniversary Banned Books Week Celebration. To get a headstart on the festivities, please check out the CBLDF Rewards Zone, where we have items such as our I Read Banned Comics t-shirt available to help raise money for this important program.

Click through for more on the story…

THREADLESS Hosts C2E2 Fashion Show Welcome Party to Benefit CBLDF!

This Friday, April 13th, CBLDF Corporate Member THREADLESS is hosting a Fashion Show Welcome Party to ring in C2E2 and benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Free to CBLDF members with a suggested $20 donation for non-members at the door, this open bar event will boast a first look at several exciting new THREADLESS items, a raffle, comics stars, and much more! Don’t miss out on this must attend event!

Click through for more details!

Intrepid Alaska Third Grader Overcomes Classroom Comics Ban

Chris Wilson with The Graphic Classroom, a website dedicated to “promoting the use of high-quality comic literature in the elementary, middle school, and high school classroom,” shared a story over the weekend about a third grader in Alaska who used his science fair project to overcome his teacher’s ban on comics in the classroom.

Click through for more about third-grader Sam and the science fair project that opened a teacher’s mind to comics…

Anime Detour Hosts A Warm Welcome for Ryan Matheson & CBLDF!


Last weekend Anime Detour welcomed 5,000 fans of anime and manga to one of the Midwest’s longest running and most well organized conventions, and for the first time, CBLDF was there! We were graciously welcomed by the convention organizers, who provided a spot for an information table, and a programming spot on Saturday morning where Ryan Matheson spoke in person about his ordeal for the first time alongside con guests of honor Greg Ayres, Richard and Shannon Townsend and Kim Pridemore from Studio O-n-Y, and Frenchy Lunning, editor of Mechademia and an important expert contributor to CBLDF casework. CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein recounts the weekend after the jump!

Thank You Seattle! The CBLDF at Emerald City Comic-Con

Emerald City Comic Con took place last weekend, and it was three days of infectious enthusiasm, excited mobs, and great comics of all varieties. The CBLDF was on hand, excited to talk to all the fans and creators that populate the Pacific Northwest. ECCC was a terrific show; well-organized, well-attended, and well-programmed.

Click through for Deputy Director Alex Cox’s re-cap of a great convention, one that earned a much-needed $6,536, to help fund our continued education work and will assist in paying down the legal fees for Ryan “Brandon X” Matheson.

In the Wake of Protest and Public Scrutiny, Arizona Legislature Pulls Back Electronic Speech Censorship Bill

ABC 15, an Arizona affiliate is reporting that a sweeping electronic media censorship bill passed by the state’s legislature last week and headed to Governor Jan Brewer’s desk for signature has been pulled back in the wake of public outcry. Last week, CBLDF called attention to the bill and its constitutional deficiencies, helping to spark a wave of media coverage that turned the tide against the bill.

Lawmakers intended the law to protect people from online stalkers and bullies, but the law was so broadly worded that it would apply to the internet as a whole, not one-to-one communications, and the legislation does a poor job of defining the material that would run afoul of the law. As a result, anyone posting constitutionally-protected material could face charges if an individual deemed the material was intended to “annoy,” “offend,” “harass,” or “terrify.”

Read more about Arizona House Bill 2549 after the jump…

Comics Stars Mingle at GONE TO AMERIKAY Launch Party

Last weekend, comics fans and creators gathered at the Harbor Lights Restaurant in New York City for the launch of Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran’s new graphic novel Gone to Amerikay.

The star-studded party raised donations for CBLDF and several comics creators were in attendance, including McCullock, Doran, Paul Levitz, John Cassaday, Stuart Moore, and Jose Villarrubia, just to name a few. The Beat‘s Heidi McDonald and Torsten Adair also joined the party. Attendees had the chance to view original artwork, enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeurves, and picked up signed copies of the book.

Click through for a gallery of photos from the party…

EFF Protests Video Game Labeling Law

CBLDF and other free speech advocates won an important victory last year when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. EMA, striking down a California law that restricted the sale of video games to minors based on specious evidence that violence in video games causes violence in children. The law would have made violent speech a new category of unprotected speech, alongside obscenity.

A law proposed by Representatives Joe Baca and Frank Wolf has raised free speech concerns again. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised the issue.

More after the jump…

NCAC and ABFFE Seeking Kids’ Right to Read Coordinator

The National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression — both frequent CBLDF collaborators in the fight for First Amendment rights — are looking for a New York-based coordinator to manage their Kids Right to Read Project. The full job posting has all of the details, after the jump…

Tucson School Board Tightens Security

Imagine going through a security check more involved than anything you face before taking a flight, even if you’re a small child. You must be entering a high-security building, like the White House, right? You may also be entering a school board meeting in Tucson, Arizona.

The Tuscon Unified School District beefed up security at their school board meetings in response to the outrage fostered when the Tucson school district decided to end the Mexican American Studies program and removed several books by Mexican and Native authors from classrooms. Even small children are not exempt from being wanded and searched by security. When a Latino father took a photo of his 9-year-old son being searched before a meeting, his photo went viral and was embraced as emblematic of the anti-Latino and anti-immigrant attitude many feel is endemic in Arizona.

More after the jump…