Report Censorship

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

Report Censorship

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

CBLDF Meets The Library World At The ALA Annual!

This weekend, CBLDF President Larry Marder and Executive Director Charles Brownstein will be in Anaheim, California for the American Library Association’s Annual Conference. The Fund will be set up on the Exhibit Hall floor handing out information about our work all weekend in Booth 786 in the Graphic Novel Pavilion! Come visit our table to learn about how you can can get involved with this year’s Banned Books Week, and take a look at our vast array of thank you items for supporting our work.

In addition to giving away great gifts to our contributors, we’re hosting a raffle where we’re going to give away Neil Gaiman’s signed badge from the 2009 Annual Conference, where he received the prestigious Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book!

On top of our space in the Graphic Novel Pavilion, the CBLDF will also be hosting a special presentation on the Graphic Novel stage on Monday morning at 10:00 AM about how graphic novel censorship happens in libraries and what the CBLDF does to help.

The CBLDF’s recent letter in defense of Alan Moore’s Neonomicon emphasizes that challenges to take graphic novels off of library shelves are still happening, and the Fund is committed to assisting whenever the medium is under attack. Come support our work to protect them, and join the dialogue about what we all can do to protect comics and the First Amendment at the CBLDF booth at the ALA Annual!

The CBLDF Hits North Carolina, Celebrates 30 years of HEROES CON!

by Alex Cox

This weekend (June 22-24), CBLDF is excited to be attending HEROES CON 2012, joining an insane roster of writers, artists, and comic legends, all celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest regional shows in the comics world!

Heroes Con is is a spectacular show; it is not only a labor of love by Shelton Drum and his amazing staff, but a living, breathing testament to how one store can create a vibrant community that stretches nationwide. The Heroes Con show floor is all about Comics, with a capital “C”, boasting an artist’s alley that truly represents a top-notch cross-section of the best and brightest talent working today. I have yet encountered a fan or creator that has anything less than a heart full of love for this terrific show, and I include myself in that list.

Click through for a sneak peek of our new T-shirt!

Facebook Removes Israeli Artist’s Cartoons

According to an online journal covering Palestinian and Israeli affairs, Facebook removed cartoons against racism and capitalism drawn by Tel Aviv illustrator and animator Mysh, whose work often critiques the Israeli government. At least one of the images has since been re-uploaded, with an apology from the company.

Click through for more on the story…

Artistic Censorship Continues to Plague Post-Revolutionary Tunisia

On the heels of Tunisia’s Nessma television channel director Nabil Karoui being convicted of “disturbing public order” and “threatening public morals” for airing the animated cinematic adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis on his station last October, artistic censorship continues to plague Tunisian artists in the post-President Zine El Abdine Ben Ali era. In recent weeks, the struggle between artistic freedom and government censorship has seen books seized from bookstores for alleged religious blasphemy and artwork removed from an exhibition for being “too politically engaging.” Ending government-enforced censorship was an integral aspect of the revolutionary movement in Tunisia, but instead of the practice coming to a halt, Tunisian artists are discovering that censorship is simply taking new forms.

Click through for CBLDF blogger Mark Bousquet’s look at the victories and defeats in combating Tunisian censorship…

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries Announced

A new graphic novel award for libraries, named after format progenitor Will Eisner, will debut at this week’s American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. As reported in a post on The Beat, the three winning libraries “will each receive a selection of books nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, a $2,000 voucher to purchase more GNs, and a $1,000 stipend to hold author events.” According to the press release from the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation, each library will also receive Eisner’s complete works, bringing the value of the prize package to approximately $4,000.

More after the jump…

CBLDF Teams with NCAC and ABFFE in Defense of Alan Moore’s NEONOMICON

Today, CBLDF joined forces with the National Coalition Against Censorship and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression to write a letter in defense of Alan Moore’s Neocomicon (Avatar Press), which has recently been challenged in the Greenville, South Carolina, public library system. Objections to Neonomicon were raised by a patron after her teenage daughter checked out the book, which contains adult themes. The book was correctly shelved in the adult section of the library, and the teenager possessed a library card that allowed access to the adult section.

Click through for the full text of the letter CBLDF, NCAC, and ABFFE sent to the Library Board of Trustees at the Greenville County Public Library.

Please help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work and defense against library challenges such as this by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!