Author: cbldf

Since launching our Be Counted membership drive, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has raised over $61,500 of our goal to raise $100,000 for our important work by October 31. We’ve gotten this far because of the generous support of comics readers, creators, and business professionals, all of whom donated their money and time to support the CBLDF’s vital mission. With days left to go, we’re asking you to help us reach our goal by making a membership contribution today.

This week, we’re thanking everyone who can support the CBLDF by offering signed incentives for supporters who can join at our $25, $50, and $100 levels, in addition to the terrific opportunities for original art and Lunch With Legends for our higher level donors. From today until midnight on October 31, we’re proud to offer the following thank yous for those who sign up to Be Counted as CBLDF members:

$25 MEMBER— Members who join CBLDF at our $25 level will receive their 2011 Member Card, featuring Green Lantern and signed by Geoff Johns! This offer is good while supplies last.

$50 SUPPORTER — Members who join CBLDF at our $50 level will receive a CBLDF exclusive print of The Boys signed by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson! This offer is good while supplies last.

$100 ADVOCATE — Members who join CBLDF at our $100 level will receive a CBLDF exclusive print of In Reilig Oran, signed by Neil Gaiman and Tony Harris, as well as the signed The Boys print and the signed Green Lantern Member Card! This offer is good while supplies last.

These offers also apply to folks who can join the CBLDF at higher levels, which include rewards like Lunch With Legends such as Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and Dave Gibbons, or professional development reviews with Scott Allie, Karen Berger, Tom Brevoort, Dan DiDio, Gail Simone, Jennifer L. Holm & more!

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Manga is not a crime! Right now an American citizen is facing a minimum sentence of one year in a Canadian prison because customs authorities wrongly allege that horror and fantasy manga on his computer are child pornography. The CBLDF is helping him by assisting in legal strategy and by raising money to offset his legal fees, which are expected to reach $150,000.

Join the effort to defend this case by visiting the CBLDF’s table in Manga Artists Alley and signing up for membership! When you do, we’ll enter you into our Massive Manga Giveaway!

The top publishers in the manga industry, including Viz, Seven Seas, Vertical, Yen, Dark Horse, DMP, Kodansha, and ALC/Yuricon have contributed prize packages for teen and adult readers for each day of the show. Come learn about the CBLDF’s efforts to protect your freedom to read manga, and take home amazing books!

Titles include: Tenjo Tenge , Dance of the Vampire Bund, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Strawberry Panic! Complete Light Novel Collection , Lychee Light Club Chi’s Sweet Home , High School of the Dead , Yotsuba! WORKS, Rica ‘tte Kani!?, Yuri Monogatari, Volume 3,4,5,6, selections from CLAMP and much more!

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund continues its Be Counted membership drive this week, with generous incentives from legendary cartoonist Frank Miller, groundbreaking editor Karen Berger, and the unstoppable team behind Babymouse & Squish – three time Newbery Award honoree Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm!

The CBLDF needs to raise $100,000 by October 31 to pay for its urgent legal and education to work. To date, the organization has raised over $30,000 of that goal. Be Counted and becoming a member of the Fund today. Membership contributions are tax deductible and start at $25 per year. Those who can afford to join at higher levels can take advantage of some of the amazing opportunities available in this campaign. To view all of the Be Counted incentives, featuring opportunities to go backstage at Saturday Night Live, have tea with Neil Gaiman or get your work reviewed by Tom Brevoort or Dan DiDio, among many others, please visit www.cbldf.org.

Read on to see all of this week’s incredible offerings!

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Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm don’t just tell stories about doing the right thing, they’re also putting their ethics into action to support free expression in a new round of fundraisers benefiting the First Amendment rights organization Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Right now CBLDF is in the midst of Be Counted, a membership drive aiming to raise money to fund new education programs protecting the right to read. The Holms are aiding the organization by offering several powerful incentives, including auctioning off a walk-on role in Babymouse and one-on-one development reviews for aspiring creators!

“First Amendment rights are very important to me, personally,” says Jennifer Holm, three-time Newbery Honor author and the co-creator of the Babymouse series of graphic novels for young readers. “Children’s books and comics are among the most frequently challenged titles in libraries across the country. As Americans, we need to keep working to protect the freedom we and our children have not only to say and write what we want, but also to read what we want. The First Amendment is about all of us—authors and readers.”

Please help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund by becoming a member today. Read on to see all the great incentives the Holms are offering!

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This weekend the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is exhibiting at table 239 at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco, where Craig Thompson will be signing copies of his new graphic novel Habibi to raise money for our important legal work! In addition to Craig’s appearances, the Fund will be offering a wide array of items to thank you for your donations, including graphic novels signed by Charles Burns, Dan Clowes, Guy Davis, Moebius, and Paul Pope.

We’re also offering two CBLDF exclusives — a new tote bag by Jim Woodring, courtesy of SPX, for donors who sign up for $50 membership at APE, and Anders Nilsen’s limited edition, undistributed Big Questions: Extras And Outtakes, courtesy of Desert Island, for donors who sign up for $25 Membership at APE!

On top of our booth incentives you can also learn more about the CBLDF at our Censorship Then & Now program on Satuday at 11:30, hosted by CBLDF’s Executive Director Charles Brownstein. Brownstein will also be hosting Drawing Inspiration: The Secrets of Comics Creativity with Kate Beaton, Tom Neely, Craig Thompson, Mathew Thurber, Shannon Wheeler on Saturday at 6.

Read on for a full schedule of events including Craig Thompson’s signings for the CBLDF at APE!

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