The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) is an American
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
formed in 1986 to protect the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
rights of
comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses. Charles Brownstein served as the organization's executive director from 2002 until his resignation in 2020.
The CBLDF is supported by many big names of the industry; over the years, its board of directors has included
Larry Marder
Larry Marder (born May 29, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American cartoonist and writer, best known as the creator of comic book ''Tales of the Beanworld'', which began as an "essentially self-published title" in 1984. Wiater, Stanley & Bisset ...
,
Ted Adams,
Reginald Hudlin
Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American film screenwriter, director, producer, and comic-book writer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was P ...
,
Gene Luen Yang,
Chris Staros
Chris Staros (born 1962) is the Editor-in-Chief of the graphic novel publishing company Top Shelf Productions, and also does comics mentoring for aspiring comics professionals at www.chrisstaros.com. He is also the author of ''Yearbook Stories, 19 ...
,
Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
,
Neil Gaiman,
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
,
Milton Griepp
Milton Griepp (born c. 1954) is an American businessman who has spent the bulk of his career involved with American comic books. He was the co-founder and CEO of Capital City Distribution, a Direct market, distributor of comic books and related ...
,
Steve Geppi
Stephen A. Geppi (born January 24, 1950) is an American comic book distributor, publisher and former comic store owner. Having established an early chain of comic shops in Baltimore in the mid-late 1970s, he is best known for his distributing busi ...
, and many other industry figures. ''Fund Comics'', ''More Fund Comics'', and ''Even More Fund Comics'' are compilations of short work by famous artists sold to support the CBLDF. Additionally,
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab offers a line of perfumes whose profits go directly to the CBLDF. Popular artists such as comedian
Bill Hader
William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...
, cartoonist
Jeff Smith, and comic book artist
Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
have expressed support for it.
The CBLDF is a sponsor of
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign promoted by the American Library Association and Amnesty International, that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individu ...
, and also works with libraries, helping to keep graphic novels on their shelves. In the past they have partnered with such organizations as the Kids Right to Read Project, the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
, and the Office of Intellectual Freedom as part of this mission.
History
![10](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/10.12.12CharlesBrownsteinByLuigiNovi8.jpg)
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund began as a means to pay for the legal defense of Friendly Frank's comic shop manager Michael Correa, who was arrested in 1986 on charges of distributing obscenity. The comic books deemed obscene were ''
Omaha the Cat Dancer
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
'', ''The Bodyssey'', ''
Weirdo'', and ''Bizarre Sex''.
Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hard ...
released an art portfolio of pieces donated by comics artists; proceeds were donated to Correa's defense. First Amendment attorney
Burton Joseph defended ''Friendly Frank's'' and ultimately had the conviction overturned.
Denis Kitchen
Denis Kitchen (born August 27, 1946) is an American underground cartoonist, publisher, author, agent, and the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Early life
Kitchen grew up in Wisconsin, attending William Horlick High School, Racine, ...
officially incorporated the CBLDF in 1990 as a non-profit charitable organization with capital left over from Correa's defense fund, and Burton Joseph became their legal counsel in 1996. Since then the Fund and Burton Joseph have provided advice and legal assistance in many cases and incidents. In 1991, the CBLDF was honoured with the
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award.
In 2002, Charles Brownstein became the executive director of the CBLDF.
The Fund publishes a quarterly newsletter called ''Busted!: the official newsletter of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund''.
On September 29, 2011, it was announced that the CBLDF acquired intellectual property rights of the
Comics Code Authority
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...
seal from the now-defunct
Comics Magazine Association of America
The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) was an American industry trade group formed in the late 1940s to regulate the content of comic books in the face of public criticism during that time. It was a precursor to the Comics Magazine As ...
; the sale coincided with
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign promoted by the American Library Association and Amnesty International, that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individu ...
. The CBLDF intends to use the seal in merchandise through licensing agreements, with proceeds from the licenses benefitting the CBLDF.
The CBLDF works independently and with coalitions to defend against unconstitutional legislation.
CBLDF works with the Media Coalition, along with:
The American Booksellers for Free Expression Group at ABA,
Association of American Publishers, Inc.,
Authors Guild,
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...
,
Freedom to Read Foundation
The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is an American non-profit anti-censorship organization, established in 1969 by the American Library Association.Samek, Toni (2007). Librarianship and Human Rights: a twenty-first century guide. Cambridge: Woodh ...
,
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., and
Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. They were active plaintiffs against internet filters in libraries
and more recently in 2012, a Utah bill that wanted to censor internet speech, which the CBLDF was able to help stop.
Since 2008, the CBLDF has published an annual comic book, ''The CBLDF Liberty Annual'', to which many major artists and writers, including
J. Michael Straczynski,
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...
, and
Richard Corben
Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ada ...
, have contributed.
Controversy
In June 2020, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein resigned following,
as described in ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'':
renewed pressure from the comic book industry surrounding a sexual assault from 2005... Brownstein assaulted comic book creator Taki Soma at Mid-Ohio Con in November, 2005, in an incident that was reported to police without leading to an arrest... Brownstein, who characterized the incident as "a stupid, drunken prank, of which I’m ashamed," remained in place with the CBLDF following what was described as an independent investigation carried out on behalf of the organization.
''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...
'' reported that "multiple comics creators", including
Brian Michael Bendis,
Al Ewing
Al Ewing () is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for '' 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics.
Career
Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page '' Future Shocks'' format for '' 2000 AD'' and moved on ...
,
Pia Guerra
Pia Jasmin Guerra is an American-born Canadian comic book artist and editorial cartoonist, best known for her work as co-creator and lead penciller on the Vertigo title '' Y: The Last Man''. She has worked in the comics industry since the 1990s, a ...
, and
James Tynion IV, "announced they would no longer be working with the CBLDF — or spoke publicly about how they had already stopped working with the organization — because of Brownstein’s conduct".
In the following week, three members of the board also stepped down: Jeff Abraham, Katherine Keller, and
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
.
"All three leave days after it emerged that Brownstein had been abusive to others during his tenure in charge of the non-profit organization... with the organization taking the unprecedented move of releasing former employee Shy Allot from a non-disclosure agreement signed in 2010 so that she could come forward with her experiences".
CBLDF issued a statement on June 29, 2020:
In July 2020, ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' reported that "under Brownstein’s tenure, the CBLDF drew criticism for defending
Milo Yiannopoulos, while not intervening to defend 11 creators who were slapped with a defamation suit after accusing small-press comics creator Cody Pickrodt of rape and sexual harassment."
Programs
The CBLDF creates toolkits that are available for librarians and others to use on the website.
They also give lectures and presentations "at comic book and anime conventions, library and book trade conferences, universities, and symposiums in the United States and around the world."
Notable cases
*1986: Michael Correa, store manager at Friendly Frank's, a comic store in
Lansing, Illinois
Lansing is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Lansing is a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 29,076 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Lansing is located at (41.565785, -87.545791). It is south of the Chicago city limits a ...
, was charged with possession and sale of obscene material, after over 100 comic books were seized, including copies of ''
Omaha the Cat Dancer
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
''. He was convicted, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. Funds donated to the appeal exceeded costs, and the remainder went towards founding the CBLDF.
*1991: Comic artist
Paul Mavrides protested against a resolution by the State of California to levy a sales tax on comic strips and comic books. He challenged the law in court, with assistance from the CBLDF, arguing that the comic strip is a communications medium that should be classed with books, magazines, and newspapers (which are not subject to sales taxes due to
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
provisions). In 1997, a ruling in Mavrides' favor was handed down by the California State Board of Equalization.
*1994:
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
-based underground comic book artist
Mike Diana
Michael Christopher DianaShepherd, Chuck (August 1994). "Loony Toons: Florida puts the boot to a cartoonist". "The Playboy Forum". ''Playboy'' magazine. Pages 41-43 (born 1969) is an American underground cartoonist. His work, which is largely sel ...
was convicted in March for obscenity stemming from his self-published ''
Boiled Angel''. He was sentenced to three years probation, 1248 hours of community service, a $3000 fine, was banned from having contact with minors, and was forced to undergo a journalistic ethics course and a psychiatric evaluation at his own expense. After relocating to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to serve out his sentence, he performs his community service hours—working for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
*2000: Comic book artist
Kieron Dwyer
Kieron Dwyer (born March 6, 1967) is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as for his creator-owned projects.
Biography
During his career, Dwyer has worked on such comic book titles as ...
was sued by
Starbucks Coffee for parodying their famous mermaid logo within his comic book ''Lowest Common Denominator.'' Although the judge ruled that Starbucks could not sue a parody and the case settled out of court, Dwyer was forced to comply with the ruling that he could no longer use his logo for its confusing similarity to that of Starbucks.
*2002: The ''
Castillo v. Texas'' case centered around Jesus Castillo, an employee of a comic book store in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, who was charged with two counts of "display of obscenity", and convicted for one, after selling adult comics to an adult undercover police officer.
*2005:
Rome, Georgia comics retailer
Gordon Lee Gordon Lee may refer to:
*Gordon Lee (comic store owner) (1958–2013), American comic book store owner charged with distributing obscene materials
*Gordon Lee (congressman) (1859–1927), U.S. congressman from Georgia
*Gordon Lee (footballer) (193 ...
was charged with distributing obscene material to a minor, after a child obtained an anthology comic containing brief nudity in an excerpt of ''
The Salon'' on
Halloween. A mistrial was called in 2007, and the case was finally dismissed in April 2008.
*2008: ''
United States v. Handley
''United States v. Handley'', 564 F. Supp. 2d 996 (2008), was a court case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa involving obscenity charges stemming from the importation of manga featuring pornographic depiction ...
''; A 38-year-old Iowa comic collector named Christopher Handley was prosecuted under obscenity charges. The defense was led by Eric Chase, who was assisted by the CBLDF as a consultant.
*2010: ''R v Matheson''; 27-year-old Ryan Matheson was flying from the United States to Canada when customs officials searched his personal belongings and found manga on his computer, which the officer considered to be child pornography. Brandon had been falsely charged with the possession and importation of "child pornography" by the Canadian government. The CBLDF assisted by raising funds for the case. The Crown eventually withdrew all criminal charges.
See also
*
Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund (CLLDF) is a Canadian nonprofit organization, created in 1987 to protect the free speech rights of comics creators, publishers, retailers, and readers, by helping to cover legal expenses in the defense of cases ...
Notes
References
Baltimore City Paper - CBLDF Comes to Legal Aid of Comic-Book Artists, Publishers, and Sellers Accessed January 19, 2006
*. Accessed January 19, 2006
External links
*
Neil Gaiman talks about involvement with the Fund
{{Authority control
Freedom of expression organizations
Legal advocacy organizations in the United States
Comics-related organizations
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winners
Organizations established in 1986