CBLDF is headed West again, this time to Anaheim for WonderCon! April 3 – 5, you’ll find us at booth #711 in the Anaheim Convention Center with an exclusive assortment of signed premiums, entertaining panels, the CBLDF convention survival kit (free for all current and new members!), and the convention debut of the first issue of CBLDF Defender, our news magazine!
Panels
Friday, April 3 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. • Room 208
In the 1960s and ’70s, publishers fled from spinner racks to magazine stands to escape the bounds of the Comics Code Authority. While comic books continued to labor under the stigma of low-value, juvenile speech, the larger-format magazine comics broke out, giving artists a safe haven to openly deal with adult content, provide more horror and suspense, and be frank about sexuality. Magazines like Mad, Creepy, and Eerie paved the way for a generation of titles that included Heavy Metal, Vampirella, Epic Illustrated, 1984, and Savage Sword of Conan to break new ground for a general audience and loosen the reins on some of comics’ top creators. CBLDF deputy director Alex Cox reveals the untold history of magazine comics, reviewing the impact of publications from Warren, Marvel, Heavy Metal, National Lampoon, and more!
Not Safe For You: The State of Censorship in 2015
Saturday, April 4 • 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. • Room 209
Although the First Amendment upholds freedom of speech as a basic right, censorship is rampant in the United States. CBLDF executive director Charles Brownstein and editorial director Betsy Gomez present an overview of the censorship crises that the CBLDF is facing, including attacks on summer reading, and the outbreak of bans on young adult books in libraries and schools across the country. Learn how comics and books are being challenged, and what you can do to fight back!
Celebrate Liberty! The CBLDF Live Art Jam
Saturday, April 4 • 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. • Room 209
It’s good to be free! Join top creators in celebrating free expression with live art created before your eyes! The CBLDF and these great creators talk censorship and make once-in-a-lifetime art! Get a chance to watch live art made before your eyes, learn about censorship, and bid to win the pieces made here to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Comics and Real World: Jump Starting Awesome Classroom and Real-World Lessons
Sunday, April 5 • 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. • Room 211
Comics are more than just great entertainment; they are an incredible tool for learning! Babymouse and Squish co-creator Jennifer L. Holm and CBLDF editorial director Betsy Gomez present a lively workshop demonstrating how comics can be used to teach important lessons about the real world and unlock the creative potential of students in the classroom. Learn how comics empower students to feel, access, and comprehend historical and cultural events, more fully understand diverse figures in history and fiction, and even grasp concepts in science and math. Then, see suggested sample templates for having kids create their own comics as a means of teaching them how to defuse personal issues and master alternate means of communication. There will be lesson and reading suggestion handouts and time for a Q&A.
Convention Survival Kit
Survive WonderCon in style with the CBLDF Convention Survival Kit! Free for all card-carrying members who visit booth #711 and for anyone who joins CBLDF during the show! Quench your thirst with a CBLDF water bottle, stay germ-free with CBLDF-branded hand sanitizer, secure your badge with a CBLDF lanyard, add some flare with the CBLDF badge flash, and carry your signed CBLDF premiums in your CBLDF tote bag!
Signings
Friday, April 3, 4:00 p.m.: Sam Humphries (Our Love is Real, Sacrifice)