CBLDF Defender

defenderCBLDF Defender is our free quarterly news magazine coming to you from the front lines of the fight for free speech! You can find it at comic book stores across the nation, on comiXology, and right here at CBLDF.org! Each issue of CBLDF Defender will bring engaging creator interviews, detailed analysis of current censorship news, and in-depth features that tell the story of the people fighting for the freedom to read!

CBLDF Defender Vol. 1 #3 • Spring 2017

In the first issue of 2018, CBLDF talks to Eisner winning colorist and advocate Jordie Bellaire (Redlands, Pretty Deadly, Injection) and Japanese mangaka Takeshi Nogami (Girls und Panzer)! CBLDF Defender Vol. 3 #1 features cover by Declan Shalvey from Warren Ellis’s Injection, which Bellaire colors. In the issue, we look at the ongoing prosecutions of international cartoonists and artists, and all the latest censorship news!

CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #4 • Winter 2017

In the last issue of 2017, we share Batman scribe Scott Snyder’s inspiring keynote address! CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #4 features an iconic cover of Batman by frequent Snyder collaborator Greg Capullo (Batman, Spawn). In the issue, we look back on our work in 2017 protecting the freedom to read comics and on Boston’s war on Christmas comics!

CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #3 • Fall 2017

In the September issue, CBLDF talks with prodigious comics scribe Jason Aaron (Thor, Doctor Strange, Star Wars)! CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #3 features an iconic cover of Thor by Olivier Coipel (House of M, Legion of Super-Heroes, Thor). In addition to the interview with Jason Aaron, we examine the scrutiny of comics by the TSA, take a look at the attacks on free speech in Turkey, celebrate a librarian who stood up to censorship at the turn of the 20th century, and get ready for Banned Books Week!

CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #2 • Summer 2017

CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #2 features an iconic cover of Batwoman by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire, Animal Man). CBLDF talks with Love Is Love architect Marc Andreyko and ambassador for comics Gene Luen Yang, and we celebrate summer reading with banned comics! All this plus the latest attacks on reading, the top challenged books of 2016, and more!

CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #1 • Spring 2017

In the first issue of 2017, CBLDF talks with Ms. Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson about censorship, Ms. Marvel’s role as symbol of protest, and more! CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #1 features an iconic cover of Ms. Marvel by Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + The Divine). In this issue, we examine the risks of crossing the border under the current administration, look back at ACLU’s defense of comics in the 1950s and celebrate Women’s History Month with the ladies who fought censorship! All this, plus the latest censorship battles!

CBLDF Defender #8 • Winter 2016

In the last issue of 2016, CBLDF talks with Preacher writer and sometimes controversial scribe Garth Ennis about censorship, politics, and more! CBLDF Defender #8 features a cover by the inimitable and gone-too-soon Steve Dillon. We also take a look back on CBLDF’s three decades of protecting comics, including the biggest censorship stories of 2016.

CBLDF Defender #7 • Fall 2016

Get a behind the scenes look at Marvel’s hit reincarnation of Black Panther with artist Brian Stelfreeze, who shares his thoughts on working with author Ta-Nehisi Coates, the history of Black cartooning, and the state of free expression! Plus a preview of Banned Books Week, a look at cartoonists who lived in fear of obscenity charges, and all the latest news from CBLDF.

CBLDF Defender #6 • Summer 2016

Look behind the scenes of the runaway hits Lumberjanes and Nimona with an in-depth interview with Noelle StevensonCartoonists are behind bars for making comics — CBLDF examines their plight. Plus a preview of our upcoming history of the women who changed free expression in comics, tips for engaging kids in summer reading with comics, and all the latest news from CBLDF.

 

CBLDF Defender #5 • Spring 2016

Boasting a cover by the inimitable Jimmie Robinson (Five Weapons, Bomb Queen), this issue includes an interview with Reginald Hudlin (Django Unchained, Milestone Media) about the future of Black comics! You can also check out profiles of Black cartoonists from comics’ earliest days to now, learn about diversity and censorship in comics. You’ll also get all the latest censorship news from CBLDF, including the latest attacks on Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer!

CBLDF Defender #4 • Winter 2015

In this issue, get ready for the holidays with an exclusive interview with the one-and-only Frank Miller (Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, 300), sharing his thoughts on DK3, censorship, pushing boundaries in comics, and more! Look back on how CBLDF fought for comics in 2015: The Year in Censorship. Plus, free speech stocking suffers and all the latest news and analysis!

CBLDF Defender #3 • Fall 2015

In this issue: Back to school with comics! Learn how to add comics to the classroom with articles about ways comics teach different types of learners and resources for educators. Superstar creator Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama, Sisters) responds to attempts to censor her work in a feature interview. Plus the latest news and analysis on censorship battles raging across the USA! Features a cover by SideScrollers creator Matthew Loux!

CBLDF Defender #2 • Summer 2015

In this issue: Cartoonists under fire around the world! The Fight for Summer Reading — who’s banning books and how you can fight back! Ten women who changed free expression in comics! Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson speaks out on free speech, creativity, and Image Comics. All this, along with reports on the latest censorship battles raging across the United States!

CBLDF Defender #1 • Spring 2015

Neil Gaiman kicks off the first issue with an in-depth interview on his battles with censorship. We’re also taking you to the front lines, with news and analysis on the latest censorship battles raging in schools and libraries across the USA. Take a look at international cartoonist rights issues and the free speech fallout from the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Plus, a lively history of Bill Gaines, the U.S government, and the birth of the Comics Code!

CBLDF Defender is made possible with the support of the Gaiman Foundation and CBLDF’s Corporate Members — ABRAMS, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, BOOM! Studios, comiXology, Dark Horse Comics, DC Entertainment, DCBS, Diamond Comic Distributors, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Half Price Books, Neverwear, Oni Press, Penguin Random House, ReedPop, TFAW.com, Scholastic, SPX, Valiant, VIZ Media, the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation — and members like you. Thank you!

Help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by visiting the Rewards Zonemaking a donation, or becoming a member of CBLDF!