Hello again!
As promised, we’re taking a sneak peek at more of the one-of-a-kind artist sketch cards that will be randomly inserted in packs of CBLDF LIBERTY TRADING CARDS. Today’s cards all feature artists’ individual interpretation of Matt Wagner’s GRENDEL.
Tokyo recently revised the controversial Youth Healthy Development Ordinance, expanding the number of manga that are listed as harmful publications that should be restricted from sale to anyone under age 18. The Comics Reporter has the details here.
Bid Now! The auction for this artistic tour de force is live now. Bids can be placed online here.
Press Release (and more photos!) available below the cut …
The crew over at Gamma Squad took a moment to touch base with CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein about the latest comic book seizures by Canada Customs and to outline some tips for protecting yourself when crossing the border. Brownstein talks about why books are seized:
“It’s always hard to say why customs agents seize the work that they do, because oftentimes the determinations made are subjective,” said Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. “I don’t second guess the motives of customs authorities. In 2004 a customs agent in South Carolina seized a shipment of books that included a strip satirizing the Bush administration called “Richie Bush,” because the agent alleged the parody comic was ripping off the Richie Rich trademark. All kinds of content has been seized, and is at risk.”
Check out the full article here.
I’m Larry Marder, creator of Beanworld and President of the Board for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and I’m here today to talk about the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards.
So what are these cards?
Let me tell you!
Ripped from the lurid headlines of yesteryear, the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards relate the history — told in words and pictures — of comic book censorship in the United States of America.
Jeffrey Brown finds truth in the personal and intimate details that dominate our lives. Even his most autobiographical work is relatable, adeptly capturing the unease we all occasionally feel as we go about life.
Brown’s first book, Clumsy, defined his ability to articulate the bittersweetness and awkwardness that follows most people around, an ability that is further demonstrated in Ignatz winner I Am Going to Be Small, Unlikely, Little Things, and Funny Misshapen Body. Brown is also an established humorist and absurdist, as shown in the observational humor of Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Cats Are Weird and the superhero parody Incredible Change-Bots.
In person, Brown is quiet but articulate, a keen observer of the people and things around him — he always seems to be looking for the next drawing or story. On the eve of his Incredible Change Bots art opening at Brooklyn’s Scott Eder Gallery, Brown took a moment to talk about his motivations for supporting free expression in this installment of The Good Fighters .
Darick Robertson is the kind of guy you’d like to share a beer with — he’s always ready for a laugh with friends and fans alike. He’s also the sort to foment revolution over that beer, with a wicked twinkle in his eye.
The co-creator of the critically acclaimed series Transmetropolitan with writer Warren Ellis and the artistic rogue behind the raucous series The Boys, Robertson has been drawing funny books for nearly 20 years. His work has been praised by Wired Magazine and Rolling Stone and he counts many of the Hollywood elite among his fans, but Robertson invariably remains a warm and humble presence at conventions, always willing to do a little bit extra for the fans who’ve supported him through the years.
With the pending release of Transmetropolitan: All Around the World — the sale of which benefits CBLDF — we checked in with Robertson for this edition of The Good Fighters.
It was a sunny weekend in Los Angeles, and a sunny weekend for CBLDF last weekend, as CBLDF joined book lovers from around the world at one of the largest book festivals in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Supporters helped CBLDF raise $3,000 during the festival!
CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein, President Larry Marder, and volunteer Pam Noles caught some rays and the enthusiastic spirit of the festival, filling folks in about the Fund’s mission to protect the First Amendment for the comics community. Pam took some great photos, so read on for the gallery!
Manga is facing censorship again — Amazon recently removed a number of yaoi manga titles from their Kindle store. CBR’s Robot 6 reports on the issue here.
Transmetropolitan: All Around the World celebrates the groundbreaking hit series by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. Dirk Manning (Nightmare World) checked in with Susan Augér, the project manager and driving force behind Transmetropolitan: All Around the World, and book designer and contributing artist Pete Venters.
Manning asked Augér to describe the project in two sentences:
Transmetropolitan: All Around the World is an art book. It is a book created for the purpose raising money for the comics community through donations to the CBLDF and the Hero Initiative.
Venters adds:
The Transmet art book is a unique opportunity to see the borderline-insane world of Transmetropolitan through the eyes of a broad spectrum of artists and writers who have one thing in common: They’re all fans.
Proceeds from the sale of Transmetropolitan: All Around the World benefit the First Amendment work of CBLDF. A limited number of copies of this gorgeous album will be available from CBLDF in late spring.
You can find the in-depth interview with Augér and Venters along with some images from the upcoming release on Bleeding Cool.