The video game-themed graphic novel Sidescrollers by Matthew Loux will be removed as an option on a Connecticut school district’s ninth grade summer reading list after a parent complained of profanity and sexual references in the book. The Enfield, Connecticut,…
Author: Maren Williams
Egyptian Humor Fuels Revolution
As the Arab Spring blossomed in Egypt early last year, people around the world quickly noticed something about the protesters and their signs: they were often funny. But as Satenik Harutyunyan outlines in a recent article for the University of…
Syrian Cartoonist Ferzat Featured in Amsterdam Exhibit
Almost a year ago, when Syrian political cartoonist Ali Ferzat was abducted and had his hands broken by men likely connected to authoritarian president Bashar Assad’s government, the message was clear: stop drawing. But Ferzat defied the warning and, in…
Canadian Fair Dealing Expanded to Include Parody
While working on my recent post about Canadian political cartoonist Dan Murphy’s animated parody being removed from his newspaper’s website, allegedly under pressure from the very company targeted by the video, I was somewhat surprised to learn that such works…
Animated Parody Removed from Canadian Newspaper Website
A Canadian political cartoonist who works for the Vancouver Province newspaper says that his animated parody of oil pipeline company Enbridge’s ads was removed from the newspaper’s website, apparently due to pressure from the corporation. According to a blog post…
LGBT Characters and the Comics Code Authority
The last decade has seen a spate of LGBT characters introduced, ‘outed,’ or united in marriage with same-sex partners in mainstream comics. Unfortunately, these LGBT storylines have drawn criticism and calls for censorship from some quarters, particularly the group One Million Moms, a subsidiary of the American Family Association. The moms have pressured retailer Toys ‘R’ Us not to stock the Life With Archie issue featuring Kevin Keller’s wedding, and later blacklisted both DC and Marvel for “placing these gay characters on pedestals in a positive light,” according to a post from ICv2. But as Alan Kistler points out in an extensive post for Comic Book Resources, LGBT characters and themes have a long history in comics, despite the self-censorship that ruled the industry for decades. CBLDF blogger Maren Williams takes a look at Kistler’s article after the jump.
Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries Announced
A new graphic novel award for libraries, named after format progenitor Will Eisner, will debut at this week’s American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. As reported in a post on The Beat, the three winning libraries “will each receive a selection of books nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, a $2,000 voucher to purchase more GNs, and a $1,000 stipend to hold author events.” According to the press release from the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation, each library will also receive Eisner’s complete works, bringing the value of the prize package to approximately $4,000.
More after the jump…
Bodily Function Books Popular With Kids, Controversial With Parents
A Canadian research survey to gauge librarians’ reactions to youth literature dealing with bodily functions has found widespread acceptance of books such as Walter the Farting Dog, Everyone Poops, and Captain Underpants. Librarians report that the titles are enthusiastically embraced by many children, particularly boys and reluctant readers, but that discomfort on the part of parents sometimes leads to book challenges.
After the jump, CBLDF blogger Maren Williams takes a look at the survey and discusses how adult discomfort with content sometimes leads to the challenge of books meant for younger readers, including graphic novels.
ACLU Ensures Access to LGBT Web Content in Schools
As a recent article from CBLDF blogger Justin Brown reveals, draconian library filtering practices can restrict access to legitimate educational information. CBLDF has reported about and signed on against laws that would restrict Internet speech, often partnering with the ACLU in such cases. Reference librarian and CBLDF blogger Maren Williams describes how the ACLU has helped keep web-based information about LGBT issues available in school libraries after the jump.
Two Cartoonists to Receive CRNI Award for Courage in Editorial Cartooning
by Maren Williams
Two political cartoonists who have courageously defied government censorship and brutality will be honored with the 2012 Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award from Cartoonists Rights Network International. Syrian Ali Ferzat and Indian Aseem Trivedi will receive the award on September 15, 2012 at George Washington University in Washington, DC, according to a post on CRNI’s website.
The annual award recognizes cartoonists who have “shown exemplary courage in the face of unrelenting threat, legal action or other pressure as punishment or disincentive for cartoons that are too powerful for some officials, sects, terrorists or demagogues.”
Click through for more on Ferzat and Trivedi’s groundbreaking work.