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CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!

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Report Censorship
Report Censorship or Request Assistance

CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!

MORE
Features, Fundraising, Homepage, Legal

CBLDF Releases Year-End Appeal Comic!

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to release The Comic Book Fan’s Worst NIGHTMARE!, our 2011 year-end comic showcasing our current casework. Boasting new work by Jeffrey Brown, Ming Doyle, J. Gonzo, Michael Kupperman, Tony Shasteen, and more, the comic is available for free on Comixology and at CBLDF.org!

The CBLDF’s new comic recounts our work defending Brandon X, an American citizen facing a minimum sentence of one year in prison for possessing horror and fantasy manga on his laptop computer. His case is expected to go to trial in 2012, and legal expenses are estimated to run $150,000. Please make a tax-deductible contribution to CBLDF today to help us defend this case, and to create tools for retailers, librarians, and readers to help protect against cases like this happening in the future!

The CBLDF exists because of the grass-roots support of individuals like you! Please support our work by making a tax-deductible donation, signing up or renewing your membership, or signing up a friend for a gift membership. Contributions and membership donations are tax-deductible in the year they’re given. In addition, the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation will make a $5 donation to the CBLDF for every new or renewing membership contribution made by 12/31.

Please help the CBLDF continue our important work — donate today!

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Only One Day Left in CBLDF’s Spirit of Giving Art Auction!

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Imagine giving your favorite comic fan original artwork by Walter Simonson, Tim Sale, Amanda Conner, Ben Templesmith, Matt Wagner, or Jill Thompson. It can happen if you act fast to bid in CBLDF’s The Spirit of Giving: CBLDF Holiday Art Auction! Items range from small sketches to finished pieces, but you better get on it — the auctions end tomorrow! To take a look at some of the gorgeous art up for grabs, visit CBLDF’s eBay page here.

When you support CBLDF’s The Spirit of Giving drive between now and December 16, The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation will make a contribution of $1 for every donation and gift order placed on CBLDF’s website. In addition, they will contribute $5 for each new, renewing, or gift membership made from now until December 31!

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Features, Homepage, Legal, News Blog

CBLDF General Counsel Robert Corn-Revere on Social Science and Censorship

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Earlier this year, free speech advocates, including CBLDF, won a victory with Brown v. EMA (formerly Schwarzennegger v. EMA), a Supreme Court decision that struck down a California law that violated the First Amendment and would have included violence among unprotected expression, alongside obscenity. Had the California law stood, it would have impinged upon the First Amendment rights of minors and their parents. It would have had additional repercussions, likely leading to the censorship of violence in other entertainment media, including comic books.

In a recent article for Media Law Monitor — Moral Panics, the First Amendment, and the Limits of Social Science — CBLDF General Counsel Robert Corn-Revere analyzed the Brown v. EMA decision, discussing the lack of scientific evidence that proponents for the regulation of violent speech claimed to have.

Keep reading for excerpts from the article…

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Homepage, Legal, News Blog

CBLDF & ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Speak Out In Defense of Comic Facing Removal From School Library

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Later today, a hearing in Dixfield, ME will address a parent’s call for removal of the anthology Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age from the Buckfield Junior-Senior High School Library.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom sent a letter of support for the anthology, which was edited by Ariel Schrag and includes contributions from award winning graphic novelists Daniel Clowes, Dash Shaw, Gabrielle Bell, Lauren Weinstein, and others. The book received praise from professional review sources such as Booklist, New York Times, and Publishers Weekly, and it was selected for New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” list in 2008.

A PDF of the letter is available here: cbldf stuck in the middle letter

The full text of the letter is also reproduced after the jump.

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

The Spirit of Giving: CBLDF’s EXPANDED Holiday Gift Guide

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You can still support CBLDF, and get into The Spirit of Giving this holiday season! The Fund is still offering dozens of signed graphic novels, prints and art from the medium’s greatest creators. Join us as we highlight just a few items available today in CBLDF’s Holiday Gift Guide!

When you support CBLDF’s The Spirit of Giving drive between now and December 16, The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation will make a contribution of $1 for every donation and gift order placed on CBLDF’s website. In addition, they will contribute $5 for each new, renewing, or gift membership made from now until December 31!

CBLDF has signed and exclusive premiums that will please any loved one:

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Features, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

Charges Against Cartoonist Susie Cagle Dropped

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In early November, cartoonist and journalist Susie Cagle was arrested while covering the Occupy Oakland protests. Thanks to assistance from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Oakland Police Department has dropped all charges against Cagle. SPJ wrote a letter to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and interim Police Chief Howard Jordan condemning Cagle’s arrest. Keep reading…

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Diamond Helps CBLDF Raise Nearly $30,000 with Retailer Membership Drive

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CBLDF counts an impressive number of people, from members to creators, among our supporters. We also have several invaluable corporate partners to help us fight for the First Amendment in the comics community. One of our partners, Diamond Comic Distributors, recently went the distance with a membership drive focused on one of the groups we routinely protect: retailers. Diamond helped CBLDF raise nearly $30,000!

CBLDF would like to thank Dan Manser and the staff of Diamond for their hard work to help us protect Free Speech!

Keep reading for the official PR from Diamond…

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Features, Fundraising, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest Helps CBLDF Raise $1350!

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Last weekend, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein and newly minted Deputy Director Alex Cox took the train to Brooklyn for The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. The CBLDF was just one of the exhibitors celebrating art comics, and fans and supporters of Free Speech helped us raise $1350 during the free, one-day show!

Keep reading for a rundown of the some of the cool folks we spotted at BCGF!

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

The Spirit of Giving: Original Art for the Holidays!

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The CBLDF has reached deep into our vault of incredible original art to bring the best gifts for the comic fan and original art collector in your life in The Spirit of Giving: CBLDF Holiday Auction! A tremendous array of work is available now ranging from pieces by legendary superstars including Neal Adams, Walt Simonson, and Matt Wagner to some of the hottest talents working today, such as Francis Manapul, Amanda Conner, Chris Burnham, and more!

The The Spirit of Giving: CBLDF Holiday Auction is designed to make shopping easy for anyone looking for comic art for gifts or otherwise. Items range from small sketches to finished work, from pencil roughs to fully painted and lettered sketches. With the wide variety of styles and subjects in this auction set, comic fans and collectors will certainly find an amazing piece of original art that is perfect for them! This is a great way to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund this holiday season and come away with an incredible piece of art! Check out the auction here.

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Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

LAST CHANCE For Personalized GNs In The Spirit of Giving!

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TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO RESERVE YOUR PERSONALIZED GRAPHIC NOVELS IN THE CBLDF SPIRIT OF GIVING DRIVE! Don’t miss out!

Fight censorship by getting your holiday gifts from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! 25 of today’s most popular graphic novelists will personalize their books to the fans on your list in exchange for donations to the Fund! Best of all, every item supports the Fund’s First Amendment legal work, and a portion of each contribution is tax-deductible.

As part of the CBLDF’s Spirit of Giving holiday gift drive, donations you make on Cyber Monday will be acknowledged by The Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation who will make a contribution of $1 for every donation and gift order placed on the CBLDF’s website. In addition, they will contribute $5 for each new, renewing or gift membership made from now until December 31!

25 legendary graphic novelists are personalizing books for the CBLDF, including some of the season’s best new gift books. Make your holiday comics giving a cinch by choosing from books by bestselling masters including Neil Gaiman, art spiegelman, Frank Miller, Dave Gibbons, and Scott McCloud; Lit comics lions Chester Brown, Dan Clowes, Los Bros. Hernandez, Seth, and Adrian Tomine; Indy comics icons Jeff Smith, Evan Dorkin, Larry Marder, Carla Speed McNeil and Terry Moore; Superhero visionaries Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Paul Levitz and Gail Simone ; or Hard boiled thrill makers Robert Kirkman, Jason Aaron, Brian Azzarello, Garth Ennis, Brian K. Vaughan, and Brian Wood!

Be a hero this holiday by giving the most unique gifts that make a real difference when you support the CBLDF with the Spirit of Giving!

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Features, Fundraising, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

CBLDF Joins Celebration of Comics at The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

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On Saturday, CBLDF heads across the bridge for The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, a one-day show celebrating comics and graphic design. This free festival takes place December 3, from noon to 9:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (275 North 8th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn), and features an electrifying assortment of creators, publishers, exhibitors, and programming.

CBLDF will be on hand, exhibiting with exclusive signed premiums, including a wide range of autographed graphic novels from Jaime Hernandez, Mike Mignola, Jim Woodring, Dan Clowes, and more. The money raised during the festival will support CBLDF’s defense of an American citizen who faces prosecution Canada because of the comics he carried on his laptop. Come out and support free speech and comics this weekend at The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival!

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Features, Headline, Homepage, News Blog, Press Releases

Alex Cox Named CBLDF Deputy Director

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is pleased to announce that Alex Cox has been named to the position of Deputy Director. In this new capacity, his responsibilities will expand to include full oversight of the CBLDF home office and fundraising program. Cox joined the CBLDF in the fall of 2010 as Development Manager.

Since joining the CBLDF last year Cox has improved the organization’s membership program and convention presences. Under Cox’s watch, membership in both the retailer and individual capacities has shown dramatic increases. Cox has also overseen the creation of a more robust volunteer program in the New York home office. Prior to CBLDF, Cox was a 15-year veteran of comics retail, including owning and managing the nationally recognized comic book store ROCKETSHIP.

Speaking about the promotion, Cox said, “I’m extremely grateful to be in a position to help the comics community fight back against anyone that would threaten free expression in this art form that we all love. As a comic fan and student of the art form for close to 30 years, I never thought that I would see anything like the panic caused by SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT in my lifetime. But with the current case in Canada, the creeping specter of censorship and persecution is rearing its head again, making the CBLDF even more important. I’m proud to be a part of it and I look forward to working with our members, retailers, and the creative community in the years to come.”

“Alex has been a great addition to the CBLDF, and we’re excited to be able to develop a space for him to grow even further within the organization” says Charles Brownstein, CBLDF’s Executive Director. “Alex has made great strides in developing our fundraising program in a very difficult time, and his leadership in the office has helped us bring in even more talented volunteers to help us fulfill our work. He’s an extremely valuable member of our team, and we’re glad to see him take on this new role.”

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Features, Headline, Homepage, News Blog, Press Releases

CBLDF Looking for Writers to Contribute to Website

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In our ongoing mission to protect the creators, retailers, publishers, and collectors of comic books and to promote the awareness of First Amendment issues, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is looking for additional contributors to its website.

Whether you’re a journalist or a supporter of CBLDF who has excellent writing skills, we need your help to expand the coverage of First Amendment issues in the comics community. Your work will be shared on www.cbldf.org, Facebook, Twitter, and in print publications. Keep reading…

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Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Fight Censorship, Not Holiday Crowds – Support the CBLDF’s Spirit of Giving!

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Forget fighting the mall crowds this weekend – get the best holiday gifts for the fans on your list from the CBLDF during our The Spirit of Giving holiday gift drive! Order today and get some of the best gift graphic novels personalized by their creators to the fan in your life! Icons including Neil Gaiman, Art Spiegelman, Frank Miller, Dan Clowes, Robert Kirkman, Dave Gibbons, Chester Brown, Garth Ennis, and many more are supporting the CBLDF and personalizing gifts for you! See the full list after the jump!

Make a difference this holiday – get the best gifts & support free speech by contributing to the CBLDF’s Spirit of Giving!

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