CBLDF Deputy Director Alex Cox and co-founder of the Comics Should Be Good blog at Comic Book Resources took a moment to explain why people should join the CBLDF on today’s CSBG blog. Head over to CBR to get the low down on CBLDF, comic book censorship, and how CBLDF protects your right to make, sell, buy, and read comics!
Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!
In response to an Arizona state law banning the teaching of ethnic studies courses, the Tucson Unified School District released a list of books that have been banned from the classroom. Popular textbooks, novels, and collections by revered Mexican American and Native American authors were among the titles removed from classrooms. CBLDF has joined a coalition of organizations — including the ACLU of Arizona, ABFFE, ALA’s Freedom to Read Coalition, and many more — in a joint statement decrying this censorship.
by Betsy Gomez
Over the weekend, more than 400 people were taken in during a mass arrest in response to the latest Occupy Oakland protests. Cartoonist Susie Cagle, who was arrested during protests in November, was one of several credential journalists taken in during the mass arrest despite Oakland Police Department policy that members of the media never be targeted because of their status as journalists. This time, Cagle was released on site, when an officer recognized Cagle from her last arrest. Cagle was told that they were doing her a “favor” upon her release.
The Daily Cartoonist has a rundown of Cagle’s tweets during the arrest and release here. Cagle wrote an article for AlterNet a few days before the latest protests, outlining OPD’s new policies regarding protests. Gavin Aronsen with Mother Jones, another journalist arrested during the protests, details his experience — which seems to contravene the policy OPD laid out for Cagle — here.
Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work and reporting on issues like this by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!
Betsy Gomez is the Web Editor for CBLDF.
Comics Alliance sat down with superstar artist Cliff Chiang to talk about the gorgeous original artwork he created for the 2012 member card. Keep reading to find out what Chiang told Comics Alliance about his motivation behind the artwork.
Fight Censorship! Celebrate Liberty! Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund today, and get your own membership card, featuring a stunning and exclusive portrait of Lady Liberty by Cliff Chiang! Join today!
Lawyers too often get a bum rap. Even Shakespeare couldn’t help himself from dumping on lawyers with his imminently quotable quip, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” But that’s really not fair. A good many lawyers work selflessly and passionately to advance the greater good. Louise Nemschoff is most certainly among them.
A long-serving member of CBLDF’s Board of Directors, Louise retired from the board last summer. Throughout her tenure on the board, Nemschoff worked tirelessly to help creators whose rights came under threat. If you ever approached the CBLDF with a trademark, copyright, or entertainment law concern, Nemschoff was probably the person who helped you with the answers you needed.
After a few well deserved months off from CBLDF duty, we caught up with Louise to get her perspectives on the Fund, the First Amendment, and the challenges cartoonists will be facing in the new world of digital media for this installment of The Good Fighters.
Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!
Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place — he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren’t really one thing or the other. This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman’s legion of adult fans. Signed by the author!
This oversized deluxe hardback edition features Criminal books 1 thru 3: Coward, Lawless, and The Dead and the Dying. This is a fantastically designed and printed book showcasing the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning crime comics from the creators of Sleeper and Incognito. It also features many extras, including a Criminal short story and the never-before-printed five page “movie trailer in comics form” that Brubaker and Phillips created to announce the series online. A true collector’s edition spectacular from two of the hottest creators in comics, and a must-have for any fan!
by Betsy Gomez
The CBLDF is kicking the year off right, with some amazing items from our archives! From classic books that every library needs to books signed by some of the greatest authors and artists to work in comics, this round of auctions has something for every fan!
Keep reading for a rundown of the items up for bid!
by Betsy Gomez
The trial of Nabil Karoui, the director of Tunisia’s Nessma television channel, has been delayed until April. Karoui is on trial because he approved the airing of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s film adaptation of her critically acclaimed graphic novel. The movie has a scene that depicts God, a portrayal that is not permitted in many Islamic areas. Karoui is accused of “insulting sacred values, offending decent morals and causing public unrest.” The airing of Persepolis has divided people in Tunisia, with defenders arguing for the right to free expression and some extremists resorting to violence to try to shut down Nessma. For more on the trial, visit Al Arabiya News.
Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work and reporting on issues such as this by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!
by Betsy Gomez
Last year, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Golan v. Holder, a case that pitted copyright law against the First Amendment. This week, the Supreme Court passed down their decision on the case, a 6-2 vote that upheld the Uruguay Round Agreements Act that extended copyright protection to creative foreign works that had previously been in the public domain in the United States.
The decision is considered a blow to free speech because Golan and fellow petitioners argued that the removal of works from the public domain — works by Igor Stravinsky, Virginia Woolf, Alfred Hitchcock, and more — violates their First Amendment right to use the works to express themselves. Golan further argued that Congress overreached when they passed a law that removed the works from the public domain. Because the Supreme Court upheld the law, works that were once free to use now require payment to do so. As an example, an orchestra that plays a Stravinsky symphony may now have to pay for that right.
Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work and reporting on issues such as this by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!