Category: Features

Chopped By The Cleaver: One Cartoonist’s Contributions to Libyan Revolution

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by Joe Izenman

Freedom of speech is easy to take for granted in the United States. For all the effort we must spend protecting expression in some areas, political cartooning and the ability to poke fun at our own government officials are an accepted fact of life.

So it is easy to forget that even these seemingly basic freedoms — such as the ability to draw a caricature or to create a mocking internet meme out of your head of state — can be a truly remarkable and powerful tool in a dictatorial state. In a recent profile Chris York wrote for Huffington Post UK, longtime Libyan exile and cartoonist Hasan Dhaimish — also known as Alsature, or The Cleaver — talks about the life that led him to a career of political irreverence. Click through for excerpts from the article…

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In Defense of Alan Moore’s NEONOMICON, NCAC Reminds People That Comic Books Are Not Just For Kids

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by Mark Bousquet

While the National Coalition Against Censorship’s recent headline, “Graphic Novels and Comic Books, They’re Not Just for Kids” feels anachronistic to fans of the medium, a recent complaint filed against Alan Moore’s Neonomicon (Avatar Press) at a public library in Greenville, South Carolina, reminds us that such reminders are still needed. Despite Neonomicon being correctly shelved in the adult section of the library, a patron recently filed an official challenge against the book after it was checked out of the library by her 14-year old daughter, even though her daughter had both a library card that allowed her access to the library’s adult material and her mother’s permission to take the book home. At the heart of the mother’s complaint is the common misconception that graphic novels and comic books are a medium only for children.

More after the jump…

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Artistic Censorship Continues to Plague Post-Revolutionary Tunisia

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On the heels of Tunisia’s Nessma television channel director Nabil Karoui being convicted of “disturbing public order” and “threatening public morals” for airing the animated cinematic adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis on his station last October, artistic censorship continues to plague Tunisian artists in the post-President Zine El Abdine Ben Ali era. In recent weeks, the struggle between artistic freedom and government censorship has seen books seized from bookstores for alleged religious blasphemy and artwork removed from an exhibition for being “too politically engaging.” Ending government-enforced censorship was an integral aspect of the revolutionary movement in Tunisia, but instead of the practice coming to a halt, Tunisian artists are discovering that censorship is simply taking new forms.

Click through for CBLDF blogger Mark Bousquet’s look at the victories and defeats in combating Tunisian censorship…

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TFAW Announces Fourth Annual SDCC Autograph Card and CBLDF Auction Event

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For the past three years, Things From Another World has played a pivotal role in collecting original artwork for CBLDF’s annual Comic-Con International charity auction, helping the Fund raise more than $75,000 in the process. They’re at it again this year, and they’ve already lined up some comics superstars to help raise money for our important First Amendment work!

Click through for the official press release and more details about TFAW’s auction art drive!

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Florence v. Shurtleff – The What’s and Why’s in Plain Language

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Earlier this month, a ruling was handed down in Florence v. Shurtleff, a long-disputed internet censorship law that sought to require Utah’s Attorney General to create a blacklist of websites containing “harmful-to-minors” materials, required ISPs to rate content, and included criminal penalties for violations. CBLDF was among the plaintiff group that challenged the law, which resolved last week after seven years of legal action. Christopher Schiller provides a short overview of the case, including what was at stake for the State and for free expression.

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Access Denied: Library Filter Fail

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While researching a story about role-playing-game censorship for CBLDF.org at his local library, CBLDF blog volunteer Justin Brown encountered the cold slap of censorship himself as the result of aggressive filtering software. Brown discusses his experience, and the heritage of filtering laws that requires libraries like his to deny access to content or risk losing public funding after the jump.

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Protect Yourself at International Borders

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The Toronto Comic Arts Festival takes place this weekend, and CBLDF wants to make comics fans and creators crossing the border into Canada aware of their rights. Last year, several creators were subject to intrusive search on their way to TCAF, and creators Tom Neely and Dylan Williams had books seized by Canada Customs. In 2010, comics fan Ryan Matheson was arrested when he crossed the Canadian border with what Canada Customs thought were objectionable comic books on his laptop. You need to know your rights when crossing international borders with comic books.

Click through for a list of resources you should review before heading to TCAF or crossing any international border.

In the event of a First Amendment emergency, call CBLDF at 1-800-99-CBLDF or send us an email at info@cbldf.org. We’re here to help!

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Arizona Legislature Narrows Focus of Worrisome Electronic Speech Bill

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Earlier this month, we announced that Arizona’s HB 2549 — a bill that could have limited constitutionally-protected electronic speech — had been pulled back by the state legislature for revision. This week, Eugene Volokh with The Volokh Conspiracy laid out those revisions, discussing how the revisions conform to constitutional standards. In sharing a letter written by the Media Coalition in opposition to the bill, CBLDF was one of the first organizations to cover a story that had otherwise flown under the radar. In its original form — which the Arizona legislature had passed and was on Arizona governor Jan Brewer’s desk for signature — the bill could have created vulnerabilities for cartoonists and publishers.

Click through for more on the revisions to HB 2549.

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CBLDF Attends 10th Anniversary MoCCA Fest This Weekend!

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This weekend, CBLDF Executive Director Alex Cox will be joining comics creators, publishers, and fans in New York City for MoCCA Fest 2012, the 10th anniversary of the festival that benefits the work of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Photographer Seth Kushner, writer Christopher Irving, and artists Dean Haspiel and Peter Kuper will also be on hand to sign exclusive prints inspired by Kushner and Irving’s book, Leaping Tall Buildings. The sale of these prints benefits CBLDF’s important First Amendment work.

Get all the details after the jump!

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CBLDF Heads to LA for the Festival of Books!

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CBLDF Deputy Director Alex Cox is headed to the West Coast this weekend for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, joining a cadre of authors and book lovers for the annual celebration of the printed word! If you live in the area, head over the University of Southern California campus this weekend for sunshine and literature!

Come by booth #856 to show your support for CBLDF and mingle with fellow supporters of Free Speech. CBLDF will have a vast array of signed premiums on hand for readers of all ages. We’ll have some of the world’s greatest comics, including Maus, Watchmen, Sandman, The Walking Dead, and Understanding Comics, all signed by their creators to support the fight for Free Speech! And that’s just the beginning! You’ll also be able to pick up your own “I Read Banned Comics” t-shirt and other apparel, tote bags, button sets, and more.

CBLDF is also delighted to have some amazing creators signing at booth #856. On Saturday, at 2:00 p.m, you’ll be able to get autographs from Sam Humphries, the writer behind the cult hit Our Love Is Real and Fraggle Rock and The Ultimates. On noon on Sunday, we’ll be joined by Lev Grossman, the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Magicians and The Magician King!

The weather forecasts are sunny for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so please join CBLDF at booth #856 this weekend to support Free Speech and celebrate books!

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