Roll up your sleeves! Join the fight!
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!
When you join CBLDF, we’ll thank you with the best incentives and benefits in the free speech community, starting off with a stunning membership card by fan-favorite artist Cully Hamner! Updating the classic Lady Liberty imagery with a subtle power and modern vision, this is a card that you’ll be proud to keep in your wallet. It is also your ticket to special events across the country, and it 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 reader’s freedom to read is attacked, a retailer gets busted, a graphic novel is challenged in libraries, an artist is brought up on charges — all for exercising their First Amendment rights! Become a member of CBLDF, and help preserve comics as a vital medium for this century!
Here’s How Your Donation Will Be Used:
Expert Legal Defense – When a First Amendment emergency becomes a criminal case, CBLDF springs to action! Thanks to our efforts in 2012, Canadian authorities dropped all criminal charges in the case of Ryan Matheson, an American citizen who was wrongly charged with importing child pornography for having innocuous manga images on his laptop. Ryan’s case cost $75,000, which the CBLDF is paying off thanks to the support of members like you.
Preventative Legal Aid – CBLDF is most successful when you don’t hear about our work. That’s because our powerful legal team works to defuse First Amendment emergencies at the first sign of trouble. In 2013, we resolved several cases before they had to go to court because our expert legal team is available at a moment’s notice to respond. We do this work thanks to your support.
Proactive Library Support – When librarians come under attack for shelving comics and graphic novels, CBLDF comes to the rescue. We write letters of support and work directly with librarians who come under attack to help them maintain access to comics in their community. We are also sponsors of Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of the Freedom to Read, and a sponsor of the Kids’ Right to Read Project, all thanks to membership contributions!
Commitment to Education – CBLDF informs tens of thousands of people about the freedom to read comics every year by providing dozens of lectures and exhibitions, publishing timely advisories and historical censorship resources, and publishing a daily news blog and weekly newsletter.
Here’s what you get for joining CBLDF:
The standard level for Membership includes the CBLDF membership card, and an EXCLUSIVE MEMBER-ONLY T-shirt, available ONLY to Members and featuring the art of Cully Hamner!
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE: A Button Set, featuring our member button and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers! And a COMICS CODE AUTHORITY Water Bottle!
At this membership level, donors receive the CBLDF membership card, featuring artwork by Cully Hamner!
CBLDF Supporter Members receive: The CBLDF membership card and the Button Set, featuring our member button, and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers!
As a DEFENDER Member, you will 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. This year’s card features art by legendary comic artist Cully Hamner.
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE … A Button Set, featuring our member button and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers! Of course, there’s also the EXCLUSIVE MEMBER-ONLY 2014 T-shirt, available ONLY to Members.
This level features the very cool, high-quality Canvas Tote Bag and branded CBLDF Travel Mug!
As a PROTECTOR Member, you will 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. This year’s card features art by legendary comic artist Cully Hamner!
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE: A Button Set, featuring our member button and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers! Of course, there’s also the EXCLUSIVE MEMBER-ONLY 2014 T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, the CBLDF Canvas Tote, and Travel Mug!
Protector Members also receive a high-quality CBLDF Messenger Bag! And a complimentary set of the 2014 LIBERTY ANNUAL, featuring all covers!
As a CHAMPION Member, you will 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. This year’s card features art by legendary comic artist Cully Hamner!
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE: A Button Set, featuring our member button and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers! Of course, there’s also the EXCLUSIVE MEMBER-ONLY 2014 T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, the CBLDF Canvas Tote, the Travel Mug, and the CBLDF Messenger Bag!
You will also receive recognition in the 2014 LIBERTY ANNUAL, from Image Comics! And the CBLDF Publication Package, which includes every variant cover, every educational publication, every comic, and every cover of the 2014 Liberty Annual!
As a GUARDIAN Member, you will 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. This year’s card features art by legendary comic artist Cully Hamner!
YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE: A Button Set, featuring our member button and more! A Sticker Set, which includes an assortment of high quality CBLDF stickers! Of course, there’s also the EXCLUSIVE MEMBER-ONLY 2014 T-Shirt, available ONLY to Members, the CBLDF Canvas Tote, the Travel Mug, the CBLDF Messenger Bag, and the CBLDF Publication Package, which includes every variant cover, every educational publication, every comic, and every cover of the 2014 Liberty Annual!
Guardian Members will also receive recognition in select publications throughout 2014!
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. Unfortunately, they are also often the first to be attacked when censorship rears its ugly head.
Since 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!
All stores joining receive:
- CBLDF window cling
- “FREE SPEECH IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR” 24″ by 30″ poster by comic superstar CLIFF CHIANG.
- A CBLDF donation can
- A CBLDF membership card
The levels for Retailer Membership are as follows:
$100: The Retailer Advocate
$250: The Retailer Defender
$500: The Retailer Protector
$1,000: The Retailer Champion
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 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.
CBLDF is classified as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service, and donations are tax-deductible in the year they are given. Please consult with your tax advisor to determine the full extent to which your donation is deductible.