Memorial Day has come and gone, and with it, the eleventh iteration of the Phoenix Comicon. Jason Gonzalez, the creator of the lucha libre magnum opus La Mano del Destino, was on hand with his trusty CBLDF donation jar. Every fan who donated got a gorgeous sketch from Gonzalez, who sent us some pics to share.
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Anime North 2011 Panel Discusses Recents Attacks on Manga at Canadian Border
If you’re in Toronto this weekend, a fan of manga and anime, and looking for some like-minded folks, Canada’s fan-run Anime North kicks off today.
CBLDF may not be there in person, but we’ll be there in spirit on Saturday, when Paul Stockton moderates a panel discussing the recent attacks against manga and comics at the Canadian border. Stockton is the co-founder of Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund, which does what we do in Canada: CLLDF assists retailers, distributors, publishers and creators who run afoul of Canada’s obscenity laws.
Stockton’s panel, tentatively titled Manga Under Attack By The Law, takes place on Saturday, May 28, at 2:00 p.m. You can get more details on site at the convention or from the Anime North website.
Cryptozoic Entertainment Launches Free Digital Comics App, Benefitting CBLDF
We first teamed up with Cryptozoic Entertainment to create the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards, with proceeds going to the Fund. We’re taking a second step in our partnership and our shared dedication to Free Speech as Cryptozoic enters the world of digital publishing. Cryptozoic has launched a comic reader with top-quality content for the iPad™, iPhone™, and iPod Touch™, with a percentage of the profits dedicated to benefit CBLDF.
To celebrate the exclusive release of Blizzard™ manga on the Cryptozoic Comics app, Cryptozoic is offering a free download of the full 160-page manga, Warcraft: Legends Vol. 1, for the first week of its release (through June 2nd)!
CBLDF Congratulates Christopher M. Finan, Recipient of the 2011 FTRF Roll of Honor Award!
CBLDF is delighted to congratulate Christopher M. Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and friend of the Fund, for winning the 2011 Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Roll of Honor Award!
As president of ABFFE, Finan helps defend the First Amendment rights of booksellers and their customers. His activism on behalf of Free Speech is further solidified by his longtime involvement with the Media Coalition, which defends the right to produce, sell, and have access to print and digital entertainment, and the National Coalition Against Censorship. Like CBLDF, targets of Finan’s activism include the “harmful to minors” statutes that would curtail creative free expression.
Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #3
One day towards the end of the summer of last year, not long after I was voted by the Board of Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to be its next President, I was shooting the breeze with John Nee, the CEO of Cryptozoic Entertainment in Irvine, California, in his office. In walked Cory Jones, President & Chief Creative Officer, and Scott Gaeta, COO. They had an interesting proposal for CBLDF:
A set of CBLDF trading cards.
CBLDF Invites You to the 2011 BOOK EXPO AMERICA MEMBER PARTY!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is having a membership party to kick off Book Expo America, and we want you to be a part of it! Sponsored by IDW, the CBLDF Book Expo Welcome Mixer happens this Tuesday, May 24!
The CBLDF is inviting the book industry out for a welcome mixer on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. Publishing professionals, booksellers, librarians, and creators are all invited to kick off BEA. The party is free for all BEA attendees and NYC comics and book professionals and retailers!
Transmetropolitan: All Around The World Now Available to Order
Transmetropolitan: All Around The World — the most hotly-anticipated art book of the year — is now available for order from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!
Celebrating Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s dystopian classic, all proceeds from the sale of Transmetropolitan: All Around The World benefit the First Amendment work of CBLDF. Transmetropolitan combined black humor, political scandal, and moral ambiguity to look into the mind of gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem and The City he inhabits. Aided by his embattled Editor and his two Filthy Assistants, Jerusalem blazes a path through a futuristic world of skyscrapers and technological wonders, dark alleys, and unspeakable depravity.
Transmetropolitan: All Around The World is a lovingly crafted and designed tribute to a seminal work. Contributors include:
Aaron Alexovich, Stephanie Buscema, Jim Calafiore, Stefano Caselli, Cliff Chiang, Richard C. Clark, Kevin Colden, Molly Crabapple, Camilla d’Errico, Kristian Donaldson, Ryan Dunlavey, Gary Erskine, Richard Friend, Dan Goldman, Cully Hamner, Lea Hernandez, Phil Hester, Rantz Hoseley, Matt Howarth, K Thor Jensen, Seth Kushner, Jonathan Luna, Milo Manara, John McCrea, Moritat, Dean Motter, Darick Robertson, Jimmie Robinson, Stuart Sayger, Tim Seeley, Fiona Staples, Bryan Talbot, Pete Woods, and many, many others.
Only a limited number of copies are available, so place your orders now!
Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #2
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.
CBLDF Auctions Massive Molly Crabapple Original
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 …
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.