Free Comic Book Day 2008 Controversy

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) doesn't arrive again until May 3, 2008, but already there seems to be a bit of a controversy emerging. According to blog@newsarama and Johanna Carlson, the FCBD Committee is requiring the comics be appropriate for all ages and contain no nudity. I do not have a publisher verification on that yet, but I will assume it to be true, as Johanna is typically a reliable source.

In past years, the gold level publishers had to provide all-age comics, but the silver level could publish whatever they wanted pretty much. Now it sounds like, in order to keep things like the Gordon Lee incident from happening, and in reaction to several retailers who were upset about some of the 2007 offerings (like a panel where a guy is in a room full of dildos), the committee has added the "all age appropriate" stipulation to the contract for any publisher participating.

As a retailer who participates in the event, I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, I like to have a variety of comics for people. But on the other hand, I don't think nudity is necessary in comics, especially for this event. We do what we can that day to keep kids from grabbing the more adult titles, but that's not to say accident's can't happen and that some angry parent wouldn't come after me. Or your favorite comic book store. Or that an adult would grab it and when their child asks for it they'd hand it to him or her without looking at it first, assuming as people often do, that comics are for kids.

I also believe that the "all ages" term has far too negative of a connotation for some people. It doesn't have to mean "for kids." Look at Star Wars - that is an excellent example of something for all ages - kids enjoy it, and their parents do too. If more comics could be shared by children and their parents I think that the industry might even have more readers and a better shot of surviving another 20 years. Comic books do NOT have to talk down to people for kids to enjoy and understand them, and they do not have to have nudity, cusses, or graphic violence for adults to enjoy them. For those few people coming into a comic book store wanting something adult in nature, a good retailer can make suggestions for comics they can purchase. But I do not see why that kind of thing has to be given out for free on one of the busiest days in a comic book store.

I had it suggested to me that instead of being in favor of an "all age" stipulation that I just order comics that are for all ages and not order the "adult" ones. There are two problems with that. The first is that I do like having some variety - I don't want to just order Mickey Mouse and Archie. The second is that we do not get to see the comics before hand. All we receive is a typical Previews solicitation - a cover image and a few sentences describing the book. There isn't a rating system used for comics, so we do not know what age it's appropriate for. We might order something because it sounded interesting, and then find out that it has several panels including nudity and beheading. We do get the comics before the FCBD event, so there is some time to read them, so we can at least get a better feeling for the comics and what's in them. But we have to pay for them - before the event - and we don't get to return leftovers. So, if a seemingly "R" comic becomes a "NC17" or "X" well, we're stuck with it - and we'll end up handing it out because we paid for the dang thing. All we can do is try to keep it from ending up in the wrong hands on the big day.

Personally, I would rather have full PDF's available to me for every FCBD book that we could buy BEFORE I have to order them. Then I could see what comes after that cover image and make my own decision as to what I'll buy and not buy for my store's event. Then publishers and each store owner can use their own judgment for their participation and investment in the event. I suggested it to people on the committee when they asked for suggestions, but I guess they decided that trying to jam everyone into the "all ages" framework was the easier thing to do. That way even lazy retailers who wouldn't take the time to look over the FCBD books before handing them out would still be "safe." After all, there are a LOT of kids running around on FCBD and we want them to touch paper comics while they still can.

Gordon Lee Update

Today was the trial for comic book retailer Gordon Lee, and it was declared a mistrial - for now.

3 years and $80,000 have gone into this long process and still it might not be over. It all began in 2004 when Lee allegedly handed a minor a copy of Alternative Comics #2, a Free Comic Book Day sampler which featured an excerpt from the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Salon that depicted Pablo Picasso in the nude.

Today's events, according to the CBLDF website:

Lee and his legal team, paid for by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, appeared in court this morning for jury selection and returned in the afternoon to begin the actual trial. Before the jury was brought in to begin the trial, lead counsel Alan Begner argued an oral motion in limine asking the judge to instruct prosecutors that they could not admit statements from their witnesses alluding to Lee’s character and previous legal actions Lee has been party to. Prosecutors assured the court that they had instructed their witnesses not to address Lee’s previous conviction for selling adult comics to an adult. Then during opening statements in front of the jury, prosecutor Tully said witnesses will testify that Gordon was defensive and that Gordon had told police, “I’ve been through this before,” a clear reversal of his earlier statement to the judge that prosecutors would not be entering such statements into the record.

When Tully made his statement, defense counsel stared at each other in disbelief before Begner leaped up to demand a mistrial. Judge Larry Salmon put his head in his hands and called a 15 minute recess.

Upon returning to the courtroom, as a result of Tully’s statement, Salmon declared a mistrial, because the statements alluding to the prior incident contaminated the jury beyond repair for a fair trial.

This poor small business owner has been dragged through the legal mud for years now. Thank goodness for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, because no small business owner could afford what it has been costing for all of this. If you like comics, if you like a comic book store, if you are a comic book store owner, if you are a comic book publisher, creator, artist... PLEASE give to the CBLDF. Even a small donation helps! And, if you donate $30 or more between now and November 22 you will receive a signed print by Jeff Smith (pictured).

CBLDF Needs Your Help!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund urgently needs your help. This August, the long-running case of Georgia v. Gordon Lee will finally go to trial, with court costs expected to hit $20,000.

For nearly three years the Fund has defended Georgia retailer Gordon Lee, seeing him through multiple arraignments and procedures, and racking up $80,000 in legal bills. The charges stem from a Halloween 2004 incident in which Lee handed out, among other free comics, an anthology featuring an excerpt from the critically acclaimed graphic novel The Salon. The segment depicted a historically accurate meeting between 20th Century art icons Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, the latter depicted in the nude. It was a harmless sequence, no more explicit than the nudity displayed in the award winning Watchmen. Yet because the title found its way into the hands of a minor, Floyd County prosecutors hit Lee with two felony counts and five misdemeanors. The Fund eventually knocked out most of the charges, but must now defeat the two remaining misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Harmful to Minors Material, each carrying a penalty of up to one year in prison and up to $1,000 in fines.

The case is slated to go to trial the week of August 13. CBLDF urgently needs your support in order to wage the best defense possible against these remaining charges, and that means raising the $20,000 that the trial is expected to cost.

Here’s how you can help:

Make A Monetary Donation: Every dollar counts, so please visit the cbldf.org and make a tax-deductible contribution today. As a thank-you for making a donation of $30 or more, the Fund will give you a brand new t-shirt displaying the text of the First Amendment in the shape of an American flag. Show your commitment to free speech, and your support for this very important case.

Make A Purchase: The CBLDF have some great T-Shirts, Artwork and other items available for purchase. If you can't buy something from their conventions booths, check out their online store and make a purchase.

Join The CBLDF: Your member dollars provide the baseline of support needed to perform casework, and defend your right to buy whatever comics you wish. If you join now with a basic membership of $25 you will receive a CBLDF Member Card, featuring new Groo art by the one-and-only Sergio Aragones, as well as a subscription to our news publication Busted!, and special admission to CBLDF events across the country. If you join at a level of $100 or more, you will also receive one of the new First Amendment t-shirts.

Donate Original Art & Collectibles: With summer conventions upon us, the Fund needs original art, high-grade comics, and other collectible items to make the most of the summer auctions. Please e-mail cbldf1@gmail.com for more information about how to donate to the auctions, or with a description of your intended donation. If your donation is accepted for their summer auctions, you will receive a letter of acknowledgment and a 2007 membership. To ensure that your donation is received safely, please do not send physical items until accepted by the CBLDF.

With Gordon Lee's freedom in the balance, the CBLDF needs everyone who values Free Expression in comic books to do his or her part to support this very important case. Please visit http://www.cbldf.org and make your contribution today!