From: [a--b--y] at [gold.gvg.tek.com] (Richard Allbery)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (Was Comic Book Writing Millionaires)
Date: 19 Sep 93 06:43:12 GMT

Zombie writes:

>Exactly what is "the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund"?

Lance Smith has already largely answered this, but there is an interesting
history of comic book censorship and the Fund in the Industry Roundtable from
Capital City.  It is fairly short, so here it is:

      Censorship of comics first began in the 1950's following the
   publication of _Seduction_of_the_Innocent_ by Dr. Fredric Wertham
   which purported a link between comic book reading and juvenile
   delinquency.  Following Senate hearings during the McCarthy era
   guidelines were developed for the Comics Code Authority.  Publishers
   were prohibited from releasing any comics with controversial content
   which resulted in the cancellation of such titles as EC Comics'
   _Vault_of_Horror_ and _Tales_from_the_Crypt_.
      The underground comix movement of the late 60's ignored the
   restrictions of mainstream publishing.  The movement was heavily
   influenced by the EC line and _MAD_ magazine.  New York prosecuted
   one of the many adult titles, _Zap_ #4, and in 1973, following a trial
   and numerous appeals, the comic was judged obscene and banned
   from sale to adults.  (Since then, the book has been sold in New York
   without prosecution.)
      "Alternative" comics were an outgrowth of the undergrounds
   during the 80's.  Cartoonists such as art spiegelman, Dave Sim and
   Will Eisner gained recognition in this area.  Creators such as Frank
   Miller and Alan Moore expanded the boundaries of super-hero comics
   into more mature territory.
      In 1986, Friendly Frank's, a comics store in Lansing, IL was busted
   for selling "obscene" comics including _Omaha,_the_Cat_Dancer_, _The_
   _Bodyssey_, _Weirdo_ and _Bizarre_Sex_.  The Comic Book Legal Defense
   Fund was formed to support the defense.  In its five years of existance,
   The Fund has spend over $50,000 protecting cartoonists' freedom of
   speech.  It has won every case it has fought.

Judging from that, Dave Sim's contribution was *extremely* large for the
organization.

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