Early in 2013, a library sciences researcher at the University of Illinois proved what many of us already thought: Fredric Wertham, the child psychologist behind the anti-comics screed Seduction of the Innocent, fabricated much of his evidence against comics. The…
Category: Features
Censorship 2013: Missouri Man Goes to Prison for Comics
Comics are still in the cross hairs in battle against censorship. This is most evident in the case of Christjan Bee, a Missouri man who will spend three years in federal prison because of the comics he possessed. Bee was…
Censorship 2013: Comics Editors Convicted of Obscenity
Earlier this month, CBLDF received word that editors of the popular Japanese comics publication Core Magazine pleaded guilty to charges of obscenity. The conviction marks an escalation in the assault on free expression in the Japanese manga industry by Tokyo…
Get What You Really Wanted for the Holidays from CBLDF!
You spent the holiday taking care of everyone else on your list, and maybe all you got in return was a hideous holiday sweater and pack of tube socks. Reward yourself with something that you really wanted by picking up…
CBLDF’s 10 Most Read Stories of 2013
CBLDF ran hundreds of stories about censorship and helped fight dozens of book challenges in 2013. Let’s take a look at the top 10 most read stories of the year: Help Defend The Perks of Being a Wallflower In June,…
Happy Holidays from CBLDF!
Courtesy of CBLDF blogger Joe Sergi, our resident comics censorship historian, we’re delighted to offer this special treat for the holidays: “A Comics Carol,” a minicomic in which Messr. Fredric Wertham is visited by the Ghosts of Comics Past, Comics…
Please Include CBLDF in Your Year-End Charitable Giving
CBLDF is able to perform our important work thanks to the direct contributions of supporters like you. December is the Fund’s most important fundraising month because we receive more than a quarter of our annual budget in year-end gifts from…
Petition Challenges School District’s Attempt to Ban Books
A petition on Change.org came to CBLDF’s attention this week. The petition challenges a proposed policy in the Muhlenberg School District in Reading, Pennsylvania, that would require all teachers in the district “to read and check each [book] for violence,…
Tales From the Code: The Christmas Panic
It was “The Night Before Christmas.” At least that was the name of the story in Panic #1, a 1953 release from MC Gaines’ EC Comics. This story not only stirred controversy and was banned in the state of Massachusetts, but it…
Core Magazine Pleads Guilty in Japanese Obscenity Case
In July, three people, including Akira Ōta, who heads the editorial department at Core Magazine, were arrested in Japan amid accusations of obscenity. According to CBLDF’s source in Japan, the Core Magazine case went to court, and despite predictions of a…