Category: News Blog

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CBLDF General Counsel Robert Corn-Revere Discusses the High Value of Low Speech

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In 2010, Robert Corn-Revere joined the team at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund as General Counsel. As a staunch supporter of Free Speech, Corn-Revere is the comics community’s ultimate line of defense when it comes to First Amendment challenges.

Reason TV recently posted an informative and entertaining video, during which Corn-Revere discussed the First Amendment protections for unpopular speech. Among the topics Corn-Revere hits are decisions regarding Westboro Baptist Church, Lenny Bruce’s pardon, and Schwarzennegger v. EMA, a case for which CBLDF filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court.

Check out the video of Corn-Revere’s impassioned defense of the First Amendment! (Corn-Revere discusses Schwarzennegger v. EMA at 27:18.)

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Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #3

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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.

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The First Amendment Center Discusses the First Amendment and Secondary Education

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As many teenagers will tell you, they simply want to be able to freely express themselves. The application of the free speech provisions of the First Amendment during secondary education presents an interesting conundrum: balancing students’ desire for free expression with the need to maintain an effective educational environment. Often, legal decisions regarding free speech in secondary school publications align with the latter, giving secondary students somewhat diminished First Amendment rights.

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CBLDF Invites You to the 2011 BOOK EXPO AMERICA MEMBER PARTY!

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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!

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Transmetropolitan: All Around The World Now Available to Order

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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!

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The Good Fighters: Molly Crabapple

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A fine artist and the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, Molly Crabapple creates work that provokes desire in some and the urge to silence in others. Her work also openly embraces sexuality, influenced by her experience as a model and burlesque dancer, which often brings her into opposition with censorship. Thus, she’s become an eloquent and devout supporter of free expression.

With Crabapple’s recent donation to CBLDF of an intricately-detailed 8′ by 7′ art monster — you can bid on it here — we took a moment to chat with her for this edition of The Good Fighters.

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Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #2

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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.

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The Comics Reporter Details First Manga Restricted by Japan’s Revised Youth Healthy Development Ordinance

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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.

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Comics Alliance: Why Comics Get Confiscated & How to Protect Yours

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Laura Hudson at Comics Alliance dug into the recent seizures of comics at the Canadian Border, speaking to CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein and Tom Neely about the incidents, and sorting through “Canadian customs documentation to get the details on how this happened, the measures you can take to protect yourself and your comics when you’re crossing the border, the concerns this raises for comics fans, and a list of things that may get your comics flagged as obscene and confiscated (or worse).” It’s a terrific summary that presents a concise overview of the complex issue, and provides some excellent, plainspoken pointers about how to protect yourself and your comics. Read the full story here.

Please support the CBLDF’s coverage and defense of free speech issues like this by making a donation today!

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