Last week Image comics, in conjunction with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, released a fund raiser comic book. Filled with comic superstars like Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker, Garth Ennis and featuring two covers by J. Scott Campbell and Mr. Hellboy himself, Mike Mignola. With this much talent getting together, this fund must be important and it is certainly something each of these short stories drives home in some of the most unsubtle ways imaginable. But the comic is to help those in need of protection of their freedom of speech, and that is a good thing.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) is an American non-profit organization originally created to support a comic book store owner who was arrested for possessing and selling material deemed obscene. The fund helped pay his legal fees, eventually turning over the ruling. Ever since then, the CBDLF has been helping support both creators and retailers who challenge the world through the medium of comic books and graphic literature.
But the collection of short stories itself vary from funny to dramatic to outright propaganda in favour of the CBDLF. It is entertaining and thought provoking at the same time. Fans of Elephantmen, The Boys, and Criminal are in for a special treat as stories are brought to them from those series from the creators. Even unAmericans (like myself) should go out there and pick this up and at least consider filling out the donation card on the back cover (which has a great drawing by Frank Miller himself).
So there’s my shameless plug for the protection of freedom of speech within the comic book medium. It is especially important with the current and constant climate of fear in the world to ensure our rights are protected.
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