WonderCon will be returning for the first time in person since 2019, and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will be there! The event arrives at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend, April 1–3.
CBLDF is excited to be returning to WonderCon, hosting a booth and three panels. We’ve changed things up with our booth so we can prioritize reconnecting with members and the comics community. Visit us at Booth#1504 to hear the latest news about our work, and let us know your concerns. We hope you’ll join us for our panels examining censorship from the past into the present and beyond.
Below you can find full descriptions of the panels we’re hosting this weekend. We look forward to seeing you there!
CBLDF: Days of Censorship Past: Envisioning a New Defense of Comics
Friday, 4/1/22, 4:00PM, Room: 211
What’s next for comics censorship? In certain respects, recent challenges to comics can seem like a return to the days of Fredric Wertham and the Comics Code, but there are also signs that anti-comics sentiment has evolved. In this panel, the CBLDF and other comics thought leaders will offer their perspectives on how comics censorship has adapted to changing times and what we should do to stop it.
CBLDF: Defending Comics Today
Saturday, 4/2/22, 2:00PM, Room: 211
Protecting the intellectual freedom rights of the comics community is no longer just a matter of defending comics retailers who run afoul of local authorities in search of an “easy” obscenity case or writing a letter in defense of a challenged graphic novel. Contemporary attacks on comics and other expressive content have become legislative, algorithmic, and organized. CBLDF Interim Director Jeff Trexler and Coalition Director Betsy Gomez share the latest censorship trends impacting the comics community.
CBLDF: Leading the Charge Against Censorship: Strategies for Defending Comics in Your Community
Sunday, 4/3/22, 12:00PM, Room: 211
The landscape of censorship has changed in the last several months. Instead of occasional and localized attempts to ban comics, CBLDF and its coalition partners have seen organized nation-wide campaigns against comics and other books, vitriolic protests at school board meetings, and political attacks. In this program, CBLDF Coalition Director Betsy Gomez, ALA GNCRT President-Elect Moni Barrette, and a panel of experts will provide proven strategies and resources for countering censorship in your community.