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 …
Category: Fundraising
Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #1
CBLDF President Larry Marder takes you behind the scenes of the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards with this first hand diary of his experiences putting the set together! Today he shows off how the set’s sketch cards came to be, and takes you with him as he visits Rob Liefeld & Scott McCloud to get them embellishing the cards!
How to Keep Customs From Seizing Your Comics
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.
CBLDF President Larry Marder on CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards
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.
The Good Fighters: Jeffrey Brown
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 .
CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards Are Coming This Summer!
Available For Preorder Now! This summer CBLDF and Cryptozoic Entertainment are teaming up to bring you the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards, a 72 card set telling the story of comics censorship, with a ton of great sketch and autograph chase cards by the greatest talent in the comics industry! This month the CBLDF will be showcasing spoilers and highlights from this exciting card set every Tuesday and Thursday, but today we hit the basics.
What Are The CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards?
This trading card set showcases the legal struggles comics have fought, from the historic 1950s Senate Subcommittee hearings and the 1970s conviction of Zap Comix to the modern day! This base set brings home the stories of the CBLDF’s battles. Comics retailers fighting for their lives against local authorities; artists being harassed by mammoth corporations; readers being attacked by the federal government — the Liberty Cards show the price of Free Speech!
In addition to the base set, special hand drawn sketch cards and autograph cards by some of the top talent in the comic book world will be featured! Erik Larsen, Charlie Adlard, Rob Liefeld, Frank Quitely and Terry Moore are just a few artists who will be doing sketch cards. Plus, autographs can be found from such names as Geoff Johns, Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Gail Simone and Robert Kirkman.
ALL proceeds from this set benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Ask Your Retailer To Preorder Yours Now!
Check back Thursday for a first look inside the set!
Release Date: Summer 2011
Packs: 5 cards per pack; 24 packs per box
MSRP: $3.50 pack
Base set: 72 Cards
Chase Sets: Two 9-card chase sets
Inserts: Autographs and Sketch Cards
CBLDF Auctions Neil the Pencil-Necked Weasel
Legislatures across the country are cutting budgets, and often one of the first targets of these cost-cutting measures is arts programs. A politician in Minnesota recently made these attacks personal, targeting CBLDF Board Member, Newbery Medal winner, and best selling and critically acclaimed author Neil Gaiman, calling him a “pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota.”
The money in question is a fee Gaiman received from Minnesota’s Legacy fund for a four-hour speaking engagement. You can read more about the Legacy fund — which supports Minnesota Public Radio, public broadcasting, minority groups, various cultural heritage projects, and more — and the personal attack here and here.
Gaiman’s fans have taken this as a call-to-arms, taking the issue to their representatives and the Internet. They’ve demonstrated some astounding creativity and talent. Tracey Carlson channeled her concern into art, crafting an adorable handmade “pencil-necked” weasel that she asked to be auctioned to benefit the First Amendment work of CBLDF.
This is your opportunity to express your concern over the attacks on arts and free expression. When even well-known creators like Neil Gaiman aren’t immune to these attacks, we should recognize that the support of Free Speech is more tenuous than ever.
Please register your disdain for those who would stifle other’s speech, and show your support for Gaiman and the CBLDF by bidding on this adorable pencil-necked weasel now!
CBLDF Raises $3000 at LA Times Festival of Books
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!
Transmetropolitan: All Around the World on Bleeding Cool
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.
CBLDF Gets Festive at LA Times Festival of Books
This weekend, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes place on the campus of the University of Southern California, and CBLDF is on hand to celebrate in the sun with hundreds of stellar author guests and thousands of book lovers!
Executive Director Charles Brownstein and President Larry Marder will be joined by Good Fighter Pam Noles at booth 843 in the green-flagged Childs Way area of the festival. You’ll find them at a booth well-stocked with autographed premiums for bookworms of all ages and CBLDF’s new “I Read Banned Comics” t-shirt, all in support of the First Amendment work of CBLDF.
Started in 1996, the Los Angeles Times Book Festival brings together the people who create books and the people who love to read them. One of the largest book festivals in the United States, it attracts 140,000 book lovers each year!
The Los Angeles Times Book Festival takes place May 30 – April 1, 2011, starting at 10:00 a.m. each day. General admission to the festival is free, so come out to support CBLDF at booth 843!