Last week, CBLDF announced that Canadian criminal charges against American comics fan Ryan Matheson had been dropped. In turn, Matheson spoke out on his own behalf in a lengthy statement about how he was treated by Canadian authorities, a statement that imparted the indignation and confusion any innocent comics fan would feel after being exonerated from a crime he or she did not commit.
Click through for a round up of some of the coverage of the story.
In late January, CBLDF joined a coalition of national anti-censorship organizations in protesting the dissolution of Tucson’s Mexican American Studies program, which led to the removal of books and anthologies by Latino and Native American authors from classrooms. Many of the authors who contributed to the books that were banned from classrooms have taken their protest a step further by participating in caravans that have “smuggled” the banned books into Arizona.
Click through for a summary of how authors and various organizations are working to overturn Tucson’s policy.
While CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein, founder Denis Kitchen, and board member Paul Levitz are in New York City for a symposium on how the city has influenced comics, nerds in the west will be able to geek out at SLC Nerd, a one-day event taking place March 24 and featuring live music, cosplay, gaming, and more. Amidst the nerdy festivities, Night Flight Comics is sponsoring a silent auction to benefit CBLDF!
SLC Nerd starts at 2:00 p.m. on March 24 in the Rockwell Room of The Complex (536 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT). Come out, get your geek on, and bid on original artwork and signed comics to support CBLDF!
More details after the jump!
This weekend, CBLDF founder Denis Kitchen, board member Paul Levitz, and Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be participating in Comic New York: A Symposium, which will take place in the Low Library on the Columbia University campus. The two-day symposium “brings together creators and academics to discuss the intertwined histories of American comics and the town where they were born: New York City. From the role of New York as breeding ground for generations of comics talent to the political, periodical, and underground nature of the comics themselves, the best NYC has to offer celebrates this unique medium.”
Kitchen and Brownstein are participating on Saturday, March 24. Kitchen will join Peter Kuper, Sabrina Jones, and John Carey for “Political New York,” a panel that takes place from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. From 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Brownstein joins Bill Griffith, R. Sikoryak, and Julia Wertz for “Alternative New York.” Levitz will be at the symposium on Sunday, March 25, from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. for “Comic New York and the Academy,” which also includes academics Jonathan W. Gray and N.C. Christopher Couch.
Join Kitchen, Levitz, and Brownstein as they celebrate how New York City helped shape comics during this spectacular symposium, taking place March 24 – 25 at the Low Library, Columbia University (535 West 116th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). For more details, visit the Comic New York website here.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund are pleased to announce that the Crown has withdrawn all criminal charges in R. v Matheson, the case previously described as the “Brandon X case,” which involved a comic book reader who faced criminal charges in Canada relating to comic books on his computer. The defendant, Ryan Matheson, a 27-year-old comic book reader, amateur artist, and computer programmer has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
The total legal costs of this case exceeded $75,000. After taking the case last summer, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund contributed $20,000 to the defense, and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund contributed $11,000. The CBLDF also participated in shaping the defense, including recruiting expert testimony for the trial. The organization is currently seeking funds to help pay off the $45,000 debt Matheson incurred as a result of his case, and to create new tools to prevent future cases. To make a contribution to these important efforts, please visit www.cbldf.org.
Full details and resources are available after the jump.
After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Ryan Matheson speaks out for the first time about the injustices he suffered at the hands of Canadian authorities because of the comics he had on his laptop. After the jump, he details the mistreatment he suffered in Canada and the profound trauma involved in defending himself against a monstrous, false accusation. He also expresses his gratitude to the many supporters who made contributions to aid his defense. Read Ryan’s full statement after the jump.
Gone to Amerikay, the new Vertigo original graphic novel by Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran, will have a book launch party, benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. McCulloch and Doran will both be at Harbor Lights Restaurant in New York City on March 30 from 6 to 8 pm, celebrating the release of their new book and demonstrating their support of the CBLDF’s mission. All are welcome to join the celebration; admission will be free, though donations to the CBLDF are suggested. There will be complimentary hors d’oeurves, and special guests from the comics community will be on hand to inaugurate Gone to Amerikay. Copies of the book will be on sale, courtesy of Midtown Comics.
Click through for more details and a preview gallery of the book…
After widespread protest from free speech advocates around the nation, including CBLDF, PayPal has rescinded its overly broad threat to suspend the accounts of e-book publishers that release erotic material featuring incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters). Early word of PayPal’s revised policy was spread when e-book publisher Smashwords announced that they would be returning to their original terms of service, but PayPal has now made it official with an announcement on their blog.
Click through for the official statement for PayPal and the response from ABFFE and NCAC.
Smashwords, one of the independent e-book publishers at the center of the PayPal erotic content censorship scandal, announced that they are returning their terms of service to what they were before PayPal sent letters threatening to close their account if they continued to sell certain types of erotic content. CBLDF was one of many free speech organizations that signed a letter in protest of PayPal’s policy to ban erotic content that featured incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters).
Click through for Smashwords’ full statement.
If you usually read Gary B. Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” comic strip on the comics page of your local newspaper, you may find the latest strips moved to the op-ed page or missing entirely this week. This week’s strips feature a young woman who visits an abortion clinic in Texas, a state that requires compulsory ultrasounds before an abortion, and the strips liken Texas’s practice to rape. Because of the contentious nature of the topic, several newspapers have elected to not run the series, or they moved it to their opinion pages or online.