Memorial Day has come and gone, and with it, the eleventh iteration of the Phoenix Comicon. Jason Gonzalez, the creator of the lucha libre magnum opus La Mano del Destino, was on hand with his trusty CBLDF donation jar. Every fan who donated got a gorgeous sketch from Gonzalez, who sent us some pics to share.
CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!
Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #5
To paraphrase what the late Hunter S. Thompson used to write about Rolling Stone magazine deadlines and his portable telex machine: the CBLDF home office mojo wire is starting to hum. I’m late with my diary!
We’re rushing towards all sorts of deadlines.
No.
Let me rephrase that.
The deadlines are hurtling towards us!
Re-Upped Patriot Act Fails to Protect Reader Privacy
On a day when we pause to remember and thank the men and women who have helped protect the United States and our rights as citizens, there’s an unfortunate reminder that those rights are not as safe as they should be.
With the re-authorization of USA Patriot Act last week, the safeguards protecting the privacy of bookstore and library records were not restored, a chilling reminder that reader privacy is a risk. Under the current provisions of USA Patriot Act, the government has nearly unlimited power to search bookstore and library records, including those of innocent people.
Anime North 2011 Panel Discusses Recents Attacks on Manga at Canadian Border
If you’re in Toronto this weekend, a fan of manga and anime, and looking for some like-minded folks, Canada’s fan-run Anime North kicks off today.
CBLDF may not be there in person, but we’ll be there in spirit on Saturday, when Paul Stockton moderates a panel discussing the recent attacks against manga and comics at the Canadian border. Stockton is the co-founder of Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund, which does what we do in Canada: CLLDF assists retailers, distributors, publishers and creators who run afoul of Canada’s obscenity laws.
Stockton’s panel, tentatively titled Manga Under Attack By The Law, takes place on Saturday, May 28, at 2:00 p.m. You can get more details on site at the convention or from the Anime North website.
Cryptozoic Entertainment Launches Free Digital Comics App, Benefitting CBLDF
We first teamed up with Cryptozoic Entertainment to create the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards, with proceeds going to the Fund. We’re taking a second step in our partnership and our shared dedication to Free Speech as Cryptozoic enters the world of digital publishing. Cryptozoic has launched a comic reader with top-quality content for the iPad™, iPhone™, and iPod Touch™, with a percentage of the profits dedicated to benefit CBLDF.
To celebrate the exclusive release of Blizzard™ manga on the Cryptozoic Comics app, Cryptozoic is offering a free download of the full 160-page manga, Warcraft: Legends Vol. 1, for the first week of its release (through June 2nd)!
CBLDF Congratulates Christopher M. Finan, Recipient of the 2011 FTRF Roll of Honor Award!
CBLDF is delighted to congratulate Christopher M. Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and friend of the Fund, for winning the 2011 Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Roll of Honor Award!
As president of ABFFE, Finan helps defend the First Amendment rights of booksellers and their customers. His activism on behalf of Free Speech is further solidified by his longtime involvement with the Media Coalition, which defends the right to produce, sell, and have access to print and digital entertainment, and the National Coalition Against Censorship. Like CBLDF, targets of Finan’s activism include the “harmful to minors” statutes that would curtail creative free expression.