Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Features, Fundraising, Headline, Homepage, News Blog, Press Releases

Cryptozoic Entertainment Launches Free Digital Comics App, Benefitting CBLDF

by Betsy Gomez • May 27, 2011

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 2^nd)!

Features, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

CBLDF Congratulates Christopher M. Finan, Recipient of the 2011 FTRF Roll of Honor Award!

by Betsy Gomez • May 27, 2011

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.

Features, Fundraising, Homepage, News Blog

Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #4

by Betsy Gomez • May 26, 2011

Today is the last day to preorder the CBLDF Liberty Trading Cards in Previews! Retailers and Fans, please order generously!

Here’s the order info:

MAY111393 I CBLDF LIBERTY T/C BOXMAY111393 I CBLDF LIBERTY T/C BOX
Previews, page 360
The Previews ad is on page 359

We’re very lucky to have such great partners with Cryptozoic Entertainment. We at CBLDF hope that you will support our collective efforts to raise funds to that allows CBLDF to continue our mission protecting the First Amendment rights of the entire comic book community. Never forget: We’ll be there for you when you need us.

***

Hello again.

As everyone already knows, Stan Sakai is the incredibly talented creator of Usagi Yojimbo. Every time I go into a comic book store or a public library, I’m quite blown away by just how many Usagi Yojimbo comics, trade paperbacks and monthly comics Stan has produced since 1987.

Features, Homepage, Legal, News Blog

CBLDF General Counsel Robert Corn-Revere Discusses the High Value of Low Speech

by Betsy Gomez • May 25, 2011

In 2010, Robert Corn-Revere joined the team at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund as General Counsel. As a staunch supporter of Free Speech, Corn-Revere is the comics community’s ultimate line of defense when it comes to First Amendment challenges.

Reason TV recently posted an informative and entertaining video, during which Corn-Revere discussed the First Amendment protections for unpopular speech. Among the topics Corn-Revere hits are decisions regarding Westboro Baptist Church, Lenny Bruce’s pardon, and Schwarzennegger v. EMA, a case for which CBLDF filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court.

Check out the video of Corn-Revere’s impassioned defense of the First Amendment! (Corn-Revere discusses Schwarzennegger v. EMA at 27:18.)

Features, Fundraising, Headline, Homepage, News Blog

Larry Marder’s CBLDF Liberty Cards Diary #3

by Betsy Gomez • May 24, 2011

One day towards the end of the summer of last year, not long after I was voted by the Board of Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to be its next President, I was shooting the breeze with John Nee, the CEO of Cryptozoic Entertainment in Irvine, California, in his office. In walked Cory Jones, President & Chief Creative Officer, and Scott Gaeta, COO. They had an interesting proposal for CBLDF:

A set of CBLDF trading cards.

Features, Homepage, News Blog

The First Amendment Center Discusses the First Amendment and Secondary Education

by Betsy Gomez • May 23, 2011

As many teenagers will tell you, they simply want to be able to freely express themselves. The application of the free speech provisions of the First Amendment during secondary education presents an interesting conundrum: balancing students’ desire for free expression with the need to maintain an effective educational environment. Often, legal decisions regarding free speech in secondary school publications align with the latter, giving secondary students somewhat diminished First Amendment rights.