CBLDF currently has a load of amazing signed books — including Elektra: Assassin, George R.R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight, Bloom County, a copy of the Halo graphic novel signed sketched by Moebius, Rasl, and more — up for bid. But your chance to take one home is coming to a close! The auctions end today, so head over to CBLDF’s eBay site to place your bids now!
Big Easy Turns Out Big Time For CBLDF!
Last week, the CBLDF launched the first Member Appreciation events of 2012 in New Orleans with a party at Crescent City Comics and a booth at Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, raising a total of $2,600 and meeting dozens of loyal supporters from all over the south. CBLDF’s Executive Director Charles Brownstein looks back at the trip after the jump!
Vietnam Censorship Fuels Interest in Banned Comics
Early comic book censorship in the United States was fueled by fears many adults had over a burgeoning youth culture that they could not understand and that they perceived as violent. Even today, would-be censors continually — and incorrectly — argue that comic books and other media are bad for children, something that has yet to be proven by valid scientific study.
The fear of youth culture as a driver for censorship isn’t unique to the United States, as a recent AFP article over at The Raw Story makes clear. The article relates how the banning of books in Vietnam, in particular books and comics aimed at youth culture, has actually driven sales of the books rather than keeping them out of readers’ hands. Keep reading…
Absolute Death, signed by Neil Gaiman
Signed by Neil Gaiman, CBLDF Board Member and recipient of the Defender of Liberty Award! From the pages of The Sandman comes the young, pale, perky, fan-favorite character Death in a new Absolute Edition collecting her solo adventures! Featuring the miniseries Death: The High COst of Living #1-3, in which Death befriends a teenager and helps a 250-year-old homeless woman find her missing heart, and Death: The Time of Your Life together with “The Sound of Her Wings” and “Façade” from The Sandman #8 and #20, the P. Craig Russell-illustrated “Death and Venice” from The Sandman: Endless Nights, and the never-before reprinted stories “A Winter’s Tale” and “The Wheel.” This deluxe volume also features an introduction by The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer as well as extensive galleries of Death portraits and retail products, sketches by artist Chris Bachalo, and the complete original script by Gaiman for The Sandman #8. Proceeds from this deluxe signed edition benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!
CBLDF Grab Bag!
Donated by HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND in Charlotte, North Carolina (http://www.heroesonline.com/), these grab bags contain a vast array of rare comics from the silver, bronze, and modern age to support the CBLDF. Comics included somewhere in these Grab Bags include Avengers #57 (1st Appearance of the Vision), X-Men #46, X-Men #48, Batman #185, Luke Cage #1, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield #3, Sub-Mariner #5, and dozens more. Signed comics were contributed directly from their artists, including Amanda Conner, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, Jill Thompson, Gail Simone, and many more!
BAKE SALE, signed by Sara Varon
Cupcake’s life is pretty good. He’s got his bakery and his band and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He’s sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home. Sara Varon returns with an ageless tale as dreamy and evocative as her break-out hit graphic novel Robot Dreams. At once deeply metaphorical and hilariously literal, Bake Sale is a story for anyone who’s ever looked for an easy answer to life’s intractable difficulties. It’s also a cookbook: Varon includes seven delicious recipes, from classic cupcakes to sugared flower petals to marzipan. These exclusive copies of Bake Sale have been signed by cartoonist Sara Varon to benefit the legal work of the CBLDF. They premiered at Small Press Expo 2011, as an exclusive event with the cooperation of First Second Books.


