>I'm planning on approaching the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (why do I want
>to call it a "League"?) and seeing if they would like to be the recipient of
>next years do.
>
>Does anyone know address/phone number info or, by gar, could anyone involved
>with the fund actually be online?

From a flyer that I found on the freebie table at the San Diego
Comic-Con:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
a non-profit organization

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
P.O. Box 693
Northampton, MA 01061

Amendment One: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of
                speech."

"Without their support... we wouldn't have been able to say that we
think we're right."
   -- Comic shop owner Bill Hatfield

In recent years, police and prosecutors around the country have decided
to crack down on comics. For politicians, it's a chance to look tough
without making waves. After all, who cares about comics? For cartoonists
and their readers, it's a dire threat. The work accused of being
allegedly "harmful to adults" includes comics by the best cartoonists of
our time: Robert Crumb, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Reed Waller, and
others.

In its six years of existence, the CBLDF has spent over $100,000
protection cartoonists' freedom of speech. The CBLDF's guiding principle
is that comics should be accorded the same Constitutional rights as
literature, film, or any other form of expression.

Authorities around the country are increasingly taking the opposite
view. The CBLDF's caseload doubled in 1993 requiring the work of five
legal teams in California, Georgia, Florida, and other states. The CBLDF
intends to fight these attacks. We ask everyone who cares about comics
and free speech to support us.


A Short History of Comics Censorship

1950s
Dr. Fredric Wertham publishes _Seduction of the Innocent_, a book
purporting that comic book reading causes juvenile delinquency. In true
McCarth-era fashion, the U.S. Senate holds hearings to investigate
Wertham's claims. A new Comics Code Authority is formed prohibiting any
controversial comics. As a result, the most innovative company of the
decade, EC Comics, is forced to cancel most of its line. This includes
titles like _Vault of Horror_ and _Tales From the Crypt_, which years
later are judged to be classics.

1960s & '70s
Beginning in the late '60s, the underground comix movement shirks the
constraints of mainstream publishing. Heavily influenced by the EC line,
especially MAD magazine, underground cartoonists like Robert Crumb,
Gilbert Shelton, and Robert Williams produce an acclaimed body of adult
work. In New York, one of their titles, _Zap_ #4, is prosecuted for
obscenity. The trial laasts several years and goes through numerous
appeals. In 1973, the comic is finally ruled obscene and banned. (Since
then _Zap_ #4 has been sold in New York without prosecution and the work
of its creators has appeared in the Museum of Modern Art and other
galleries.)

1980s
As an outgrowth of the undergrounds, "alternative" comics flourish with
publications like _Raw_, _Love & Rockets_, and _American Splendor_.
Cartoonists Art Spiegelman, Dave Sim, Will Eisner, and others win
widespread recognition for their ambitious work. At the same time,
creators such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore push teh boundaries of
super-hero comics into more mature territory. Various religious and
conservative leaders decry these developments claiming that "comics are
for kids."

In 1986, Friendly Frank's, a comics store in Lansing, Illinois is busted
for selling "obsecne" comics. The titles in question are _Omaha, the Cat
Dancer_, _The Bodyssey_, _Weirdo_, and _Bizarre Sex_. The CBLDF is
founded to support the defense. The case moves to the Appellate Court
where the store manager is acquitted of all charges.

1990s
Following the Friendly Frank's case, the CBLDF remains active as a
watchdog organization. Prosecutions of comic shops escalate. Two shops
in Florida are busted. One is accused of selling the adult collection
_Cherry Anthology #1_ to an undercover officer. The charges are later
dropped. The other store goes to court for selling a "mature" title,
_The Score_, to a 14-year old accompanied by his mother. The judge rules
n favor of store owner Bill Hatfield. In 1992 police raid Amazing Comics
outside San Diego, seizing 45 titles. No charges are filed. Other
actions around the country are detailed below. [I remember talking with
the manager about this. They pretty gave in, because there wasn't much
they could do: the police could bankrupt them by seizing titles without
charging them with a crime; without charging them with a crime, they
couldn't be acquitted and get their titles back. For folks 
interested in a more detailed explanation of "Civil Forfeiture,", look
on the ftp site teetot.acusd.edu, in
/pub/Beelzebub/Politics/Civil_Forfeiture. -- Jerry]

1993 Summer Update
The CBLDF is monitoring the following situations where First Amendment
rights for comics are threatened.

Sarasota, Florida
On May 13, 1993 police arrested Timothy Parks, the manager of the store
Comic Book Heaven, on seven counts of _displaying_ material harmful to
minors. The titles that have been seized by police include _The
Survivors_, _The Heir_, and _Dark Tales_, published by the now defunct
Catalan Communications; _Detective's Inc_, published by Eclipse; and an
issue of the British fanzine _Speakeasy_. In most states, the statute
under which Parks is being charged doesn't even exist.

Chino Hills, California
In December 1992, prosecutors forced the manager of City Comics (located
near Los Angeles) to accept a plea bargain for selling two adult comics,
_Debbie Does Dallas_ and _Faust_, to a minor. The sale was a fluke.
Normally the store checks ID on adult purchases. But in this instance,
the "minor" was a 17-year-old using a false ID. The police had targeted
the store with a sting operation because a small group of parents had
complained that comics were too violent for children. _Spider-Man_ was
cited as an example. Now the Chino Hills City Council is requiring the
shop to possess a special license to do business. The CBLDF contends
that such a license is unlawful and is preparing a fight to overturn the
city's legislation.

Rome, Georgia
On February 18, 1993, the Floyd County court found the owner of the
Legends comic shop guilty of "distributing obscene materials." The
verdict implicated two Aircel comics, _Debbie Does Dallas_ and _Final
Tabu_, as being harmful to adults. The case is now headed to the
Appellate Court.

San Francisco, California
The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) has decided that comic
book original pages to not have the literary status of an author's
manuscript, and are instead merely commercial illustrations.
Consequently, the BOE is claiming that cartoonist Paul Mavrides
(co-creator of _The Fabulous Freak Brothers_) owes back taxes for
several years worth of publishing royalties. If the BOE has its way, all
California cartoonists will eventually be dunned for this tax. This
economic handicap would effectively muzzle an untold number of creators.
The CBLDF is employing literary and tax attorneys to reverse the BOE's
ruling.

Largo, Florida
Michael Diana has been charged with three counts of obscenity for
publishing _Boiled Angel_, a self-distributed fanzine with a print-run
of fewer than 300 copies.


-----

Jerry Stratton
[j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu] (Finger/Reply for PGP Public Key)
------
"...the right to keep arms necessarily involves the right to purchase
 them, to keep them in a state of efficiency for use, and to purchase and
 provide ammunition suitable for such arms, and to keep them in repair."
              -- ANDREWS v. STATE; 50 Tenn. (3 Heisk) 165, 178; (1871)