Convention season is officially in full swing, and this weekend, CBLDF is headed to Los Angeles for WonderCon 2016! You’ll find us in the Los Angeles Convention Center at booth 1617 with the debut of the CBLDF-exclusive Batman #50 variant cover, featuring artwork by Paul Pope; the CBLDF-exclusive Nameless Bookplate Edition; a signing with superstar artist Chris Burnham (Nameless, Officer Downe); informative panels; and a cornucopia of signed premiums to help us raise money for our important First Amendment work!
Exclusives
Batman #50 Paul Pope Variant
Batman has returned to Gotham City! In this extra-sized conclusion to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s epic story “Superheavy,” Bruce Wayne returns to the cape and cowl to battle Mr. Bloom alongside Jim Gordon for the fate of the city they both love. This CBLDF-exclusive variant features gorgeous artwork by Paul Pope! Very limited, you can get your copy at booth 1617 during WonderCon 2016! ($6 members / $10 non-members)
Nameless Bookplate Edition
Out now, we have a signed and numbered edition of Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s Nameless! This CBLDF exclusive comes with a limited bookplate, featuring the art of Chris Burnham. Signed and numbered by Burnham, this edition quantities are extremely limited, with only 200 pieces available! Come by booth 1617 to get yours! ($35 donation)
Signings
Saturday, 3/26/16, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Chris Burnham (Nameless, Officer Downe)
Panels
CBLDF – Comics Censorship in 2016
Friday, 3/25/16, 2:30p.m. – 3:30p.m., Room: 502A
Although free expression is seen as a basic human right, censorship is rampant in the United States and around the world. CBLDF Betsy Gomez presents an overview of the censorship crises facing cartoonists in 2016, from the violence and legal prosecution occurring around the globe to domestic attacks 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.
CBLDF – Comics, Diversity, and Censorship: Practical Tools for Using Comics to Diversify Classrooms and Libraries
Saturday, 3/26/16, 2:30p.m. – 3:30p.m., Room: 502A
A long-overdue movement is afoot to diversify the reading materials kids encounter in the classroom and in libraries, and comics are an invaluable tool in that mission. Unfortunately, diverse reading encounters an all-too-common opponent: censorship. Books that increase the diversity of classroom and library materials are more likely to be challenged. In this workshop, CBLDF Editorial Director Betsy Gomez, the San Diego Public Library’s Erwin Magbanua, YALSA President Candice Mack, and educator Vanee Smith-Matsalia will provide tips for using comics to diversify classrooms and practical tools for overcoming the challenges they might face.
CBLDF – She Changed Comics: The Women Who Changed Free Expression
Sunday, 3/27/16, 12:30p.m. – 1:30p.m., Room: 502A
Meet the women whose work changed what’s possible for free expression in comics! In the Golden and Silver Age, pioneering cartoonists challenged gender and color barriers to establish a place for women in comics. In the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, Underground cartoonists used the comics page to advance feminism and teach public health, while the alternative cartoonists of the 1980s and 1990s produced groundbreaking personal and political narratives. We’ll also explore the editors and publishers who blazed new trails for mainstream and alternative comics and examine the creators who made the graphic novels that inspired today’s landscape of increasingly diverse and empowering comics storytelling. Moderated by CBLDF Editorial Director Betsy Gomez.
We’ll see you this weekend, March 25 – 27, 2016, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Come be a #comicdefender by supporting CBLDF at booth 1617 during WonderCon 2016!