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Comic Book Legal Defense Fund




The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a United States Non-profit Organization created in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of Comic s creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses.

It is supported by many big names of the industry; the board of directors includes Chris Staros , Peter David , and Neil Gaiman . "Fund Comics", "More Fund Comics", and "Even More Fund Comics" are compilations of short work by famous artists sold to support the CBLDF.


HISTORY


The fund was formed initially in 1986, when Michael Correa, store manager of comic shop Friendly Frank's, was arrested on charges of distributing obscenity. The comic books deemed obscene were '' Omaha The Cat Dancer '', '' The Bodyssey '', '' Weirdo '', and '' Bizarre Sex ''. The fund launched as a means to raise money and cover Correa's defence costs, with Kitchen Sink Press releasing an art portfolio of pieces domated by comics artists with proceeds donated to the fund. After Correa was successfully acquitted, Denis Kitchen officially incorporated the fund in 1990 as a non-profit charitable organization with an initial sum of $20 000, the money being left over from those funds raised for the Correa trial.


NOTABLE CASES

  • comics retailer Gordon Lee is charged with distributing obscene material to a minor, after a child obtained an anthology comic containing brief nudity and sexual references on Free Comic Book Day . The case Has Not Yet gone to trial. {Link without Title}


  • is sued by Starbucks Coffee for parodying their famous mermaid logo within his comic book ''Lowest Common Denominator.'' Dwyer is forced to comply with the ruling. {Link without Title}


  • -based underground comic book artist Mike Diana is charged with obscenity stemming from his self-published '' Boiled Angel ''. He is convicted in March, sentenced to three years probation, 1248 hours of community service, is not allowed to have contact with minors, and must undergo a journalistic ethics course. After relocating to New York to serve out his sentence, he performs his community service hours—working for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. {Link without Title}


  • , is charged with possession and sale of obscene material. He is convicted, but the conviction is overturned on appeal. {Link without Title}



REFERENCES