David Hadju’s 2008 book, The Ten-Cent Plague, portrays the conflict and backlash surrounding the extraordinary popularity of dark horror and noir comics in post-World War II America. He describes the work as a “war story” between two generations, and two…
Category: Education
Tales from the Code: How Much Did Things Change After the Enactment of the Comics Code of 1954?
The year was 1954. An unknown group named Bill Haley and the Comets records “Rock Around the Clock.” President Eisenhower informs and warns concerned Americans about the falling domino principle of communism as tensions rise in a little-known country named…
Censorship and the Female Artist
San Diego hosts the infamous Comic-Con International every year in July, and from its modest roots as a gathering for comic book enthusiasts, Comic-Con has grown into an entertainment and pop culture behemoth. Featuring not only vendors and artists showcasing…
The Sordid Tale of The Lone Avenger’s Rise to Infamy
In examining the history of comic book censorship, sometimes it is difficult for people to separate the creator from the creation. A clear example of this is the sad tale of Australian comic creator Len Lawson and his creation, The…
Columbia Missourian Project Reveals the Breadth of Book Challenges in Public Schools
Why are books challenged in public schools and, even more importantly, why are some challenges successful in getting books banned while others fail? A new comprehensive study by the Columbia Missourian is attempting to find out. The periodical is currently…
Effort to Return MAS Books to Classrooms Fails in Tucson
Early this year, CBLDF joined a coalition of organizations to decry the removal of seven books by renown Latino and Native authors from Tucson, Arizona, classrooms. Last week, TUSD Governing Board Member Mark Stegeman brought forth a resolution to put…
A Librarian Responds to a Book Challenge
One of CBLDF’s missions is to protect graphic novels when they are challenged in libraries. We’ve played a pivotal role in some challenges, most recently with Alan Moore’s Neonomicon, which faces a challenge in North Carolina. As I was cruising…
SDCC: The Fight to Defend Manga
On the Saturday of Comic-Con, CBLDF Executive Director joined Ryan Matheson for “CBLDF: The Fight to Defend Manga,” a panel discussing the particular issues that manga and its fans face when it comes to censorship. Matheson was arrested by Canadian…
Tales from the Code: Spidey Fights Drugs and the Comics Code Authority
Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina, went down a few weeks ago. Unlike other larger conventions, which have expanded to become focused more on pop culture like television, movies and video games, Heroes Con is still a good old fashioned…
SDCC: State of the CBLDF!
Another Comic-Con is upon us, and thanks to the generosity of our members, corporate members, sponsors and supporters, we’ve developed a week full of great programs, parties, and an unforgettable auction to raise money for our important First Amendment program…