Many thanks to all the supporters who attended the CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party last Thursday! There was an unprecedented turnout, and it seemed that everyone had a great time. Extra thanks go to our co-sponsors, Image Comics and The Beat, who were on hand to celebrate with us.
CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!
CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!
Neil Gaiman’s Board Meeting Doodles
Yesterday the Board and office staff of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund held their annual strategic planning meeting. Long-time board member Neil Gaiman was there, and he gave us these fun doodles, which are now on auction on eBay!
All images follow the jump!
Josh Neufeld Named As Ambassador of Free Expression by U.S. State Department
The Washington Post reports that Josh Neufeld, author of A.D.: New Orleans After The Deluge is being sent on a three week tour of North Africa and the Middle East as an ambassador of Free Expression by the U.S. State Department. Neufeld is known for chronicling his experience as a volunteer for the Red Cross following Hurricane Katrina.
Neufeld told The Post:
The State Department invited me “specifically because of the Katrina book, which is blatantly so critical of the government,” Neufeld tells Comic Riffs of his comics reportage. “The program brings in cultural figures who disseminate [this message] — the State Department is proud of that freedom of expression. … They bring me over as a statement of how our civil society welcomes voices of dissent in all forms.”
The CBLDF congratulates Josh for being appointed to perform this important work!
CBLDF At NYCC!
New York Comic Con opens to the public today at 2 PM, and the CBLDF will be there with a dynamic array of extraordinary premiums. Come visit us at Booth 2209 to get your copy of the Liberty Annual 2010 and an enormous array of books, prints, and art supporting our First Amendment legal work.
With our offices mere minutes away from the con, we’re able to bring more hard-to-find incentives than we are to other shows, like signed Absolute Sandman, Green Lantern and Dark Knight graphic novels. So be sure to make a visit to the CBLDF to find that rare item for your collection or the perfect holiday gift for the fan in your life while supporting a great cause!
Support the CBLDF At Rock Comic Con on Saturday Night!
Saturday, October 9th at 10:30pm Rock Comic Con takes over Sullivan Hall located in NYC’s West Village. The benefit show promises to be the ultimate ‘after party’ to the Comic Con weekend’s pop culture festivities with proceeds going to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
The 2010 Liberty Annual Is Here!
The CBLDF’s Liberty Annual 2010 has arrived! Get yours by visiting your local comics retailer today! Ask your retailer how you can get a copy of the rare Charlie Adlard Walking Dead retailer variant with the classic CBLDF logo on the t-shirt. The color Walking Dead variant will be available from CBLDF at this weekend’s New York Comic Con.
Jam packed with stellar work from industry greats, the 2010 Liberty Annual supports the work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and delivers a cracking good read. Get yours today!
Alex Cox Joins CBLDF As Development Manager
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is excited to announce the addition of Alex Cox to the New York office staff, in the position of Development Manager. Alex comes to the organization with fifteen years experience working as a comics retailer in New York City, including opening and managing his own store, ROCKETSHIP. As Development Manager, Alex will oversee the organization’s development activities, including fundraising at conventions, online, and at events throughout the United States. He will also coordinate volunteers for events and conventions, and for assistance in the New York office.
Saluting Ron Turner
Ron Turner, the founder of Last Gasp, and patron of artists, writers, and various misfits for more than four decades turns 70 on Saturday, October 2. Baba Ron, as he’s known around San Francisco’s galleries, bars, and bookstores, has created a deep and indelible mark on his city, and the creative worlds of comics, art, and literature. CBLDF’s Executive Director and former Last Gasp staffer Charles Brownstein provides an appreciation of Turner for the occasion.
CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party, presented by Image Comics & The Beat!
Get in that New York Comic Con frame of mind with Image Comics and the Beat at the CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party! On Thursday, October 7, come to the Village Pourhouse Restaurant Row to meet, mix, & mingle with the best and brightest in comics on the eve of the big show!
Celebrating the premiere of the LIBERTY ANNUAL 2010, the CBLDF’s NYCC Welcome Party brings together the best creators, fans and insiders for a star-spangled celebration of good comics and free speech!
The party is open to all, but with a suggested donation of $10 or more, you will receive a special gift bag, full of goodies from Image Comics & CBLDF.
CBLDF’s Liberty Annual NYCC Variant Hits!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to offer a special NYCC variant cover of the Liberty Annual 2010! Boasting work by some of the best creators in the industry, all proceeds from the Liberty Annual benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! This cover, limited to just 1,500 copies, features full color art by the WALKING DEAD’s Charlie Adlard, and will be available from the CBLDF at the con, but until Sunday you can preorder it here!
ComicsAlliance: Why Video Game Censorship Matters to Comics
Over at ComicsAlliance, David Brothers writes a compelling analysis of the issues at stake in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, and how they are critically important to comics.
This case, Schwarzenegger v. EMA, has nothing to do with comic books, so what’s up with Stan the Man and the CBLDF speaking out? Shouldn’t they be out there fighting whatever new boogieman is trying to censor comics? But while it may not be immediately apparent, by speaking out against video game censorship, Lee and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (our partner in the Monsters Project) are safeguarding the future of comics as well.
Read the full analysis here.
CBLDF & Dark Horse Cheer Free Speech Victory in Ninth Circuit!
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Dark Horse Comics applaud a decision issued by United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit holding that two Oregon statutes that criminalize distributing sex education and other non-obscene materials to minors are unconstitutional in violation of the First Amendment. The State of Oregon argued that the statutes applied only to “hardcore pornography,” but the Ninth Circuit found that they applied to much more, including Kentaro Miura’s manga “Berserk,” Judy Blume’s “Forever,” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale.” The plaintiffs did not challenge Oregon’s existing law making it a crime to contact a minor with the intent of having sexual contact. CBLDF and Dark Horse were among the plaintiff group challenging the statutes.
Mike Richardson, publisher of plaintiff Dark Horse comics says, “We were extremely happy to see these statutes overturned. Our Constitution’s First Amendment was intended to keep the hands of the government off the printing presses of America. Creators everywhere can breath a sigh of relief that these laws, open to interpretation and likely to be abused, have been put down.”
Full announcement and text of decision follow the jump!
ComicsAlliance & CBLDF Launch THE MONSTERS PROJECT!
ComicsAlliance is joining forces with the CBLDF for The Monsters Project, a month-long art exhibit and benefit auction showcasing the spooky, scary, and creepy best from comics brightest art stars!
Chris Haley of “Let’s Be Friends Again” got the ball rolling above with a monster-fied reinterpretation of a certain classic ’80s teen drama, and we’re issuing an open invitation to all comics artists for original art with a monster theme. Throughout October, the donated art will be featured on ComicsAlliance, auctioned online, and offered at San Francisco’s Alternative Press Expo (APE) to raise money for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
The project is open to all creators, from big to small and mainstream to indie to webcomics, and a great way to have a little Halloween fun and support one of the most important causes in comics. Check out more details after the jump.
Techland Previews The Liberty Annual!
Our friends over at Techland offer up an exclusive preview of all the great stuff coming in this year’s Liberty Annual! Liberty Annual arrives on October 6 — be sure to ask your retailer to set aside your copy!
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Urges Supreme Court to Reject New Restrictions on Speech in Video Game Censorship Case
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, urging the Supreme Court to affirm the Ninth Circuit’s decision that a California law banning the sale or rental of any video game containing violent content to minors, and requiring manufacturers to label such games, is unconstitutional.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund submits that, if allowed to stand, California’s law would reverse fundamental First Amendment principles by creating a new category of unprotected speech, diminishing the First Amendment rights of minors, and reducing First Amendment protection for new media. The CBLDF argues that the law under review is the most recent example of government improperly attempting to regulate content by using junk science, and calls upon a history of moral panics against media that includes the 1950s crusades against comics that crippled the industry and harmed the art form. The CBLDF asks the Supreme Court to deny California this attempt to roll back protections guaranteed by the First Amendment, as it and other courts have correctly done in the past.
Read on for the full release, and brief.