When you sign up for membership in the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with comics lovers who want to defeat censorship, so there’s no better mascot for the Fund in 2009 than Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.’s Kick-Ass! The CBLDF is proud to unveil its 2009 CBLDF Member Card featuring Kick-Ass! Become a member of the Fund, and we’ll send you this gorgeous new member card, so you can show everyone that you’re part of the good fight! Why You Should Join The Fund What if, suddenly, as a result of a routine weekly shipment of new comic books, the police appeared at door with a warrant to seize all the comics in your store’s inventory? What if, in the span of a single morning, your personal collection was seized and you faced a bewildering list of criminal charges because of some of the comics that are packed away in one of your long boxes? What if, in a single day, your entire life was turned upside down? It’s not a hoax, not a dream, nor an imaginary story. This is what happened to manga collector Christopher Handley, on whose behalf the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund currently works as a special consultant. Right now the Fund needs your support to aid Handley’s case, and to fight against the precedent it could set, one that could prove crippling to the business of comics. For more than 20 years the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has been defending comics at the front lines of the law. The CBLDF is the comics industry’s partner in defending the First Amendment rights that creators, publishers, retailers and readers depend upon to keep comics’ thriving. Since 1986, we have provided a strong line of first defense against prosecutors attacking our medium. Like the heroes of the comics we love, the Fund is there to protect comics whenever they are threatened. Last year the CBLDF registered a victory in the long-running struggle of Georgia v. Gordon Lee. For three and a half years, Gordon, the owner of Legends in Rome, Georgia, was locked in a legal struggle with a prosecutor’s office that doggedly persecuted him and denied him his day in court. After years of litigation, and over $100,000 of resources were expended to prove Lee’s innocence, all charges were dropped last April. Were it not for the CBLDF, Gordon’s court costs would almost certainly have driven him out of business, or he would have been forced to plead guilty to crimes he did not commit. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is able to perform this work because of the monetary support of its members. Now is the time to support our important work by joining the cause. Sign up at http://www.cbldf.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1 Retailers – Join The Fund In This Month’s Previews! Diamond Comics, proud corporate member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is hosting their second annual retailer membership drive in this month’s Diamond Previews! It’s never been easier to sign up for retailer membership in the CBLDF, simply use your Diamond Order Form and check off the level at which you’d like to join. The CBLDF has created a variety of resources and incentives to reward your participation in this very important cause. All stores signing up as a Retailer Advocate in the Previews campaign will receive: * A One Year Membership in Comic Book Legal Defense Fund * CBLDF Member Card, featuring Kick-Ass by John Romita, Jr. & Mark Millar * The Best Defense: CBLDF Retailer Resource Guide, featuring articles by the industry’s best minds who outline strategies for safeguarding your store against legal threats * Berserker #1 Variant Cover, signed by Milo Ventimiglia, Rick Loverd, and Jeremy Haun, provided by Top Cow Productions * The Unknown #1 Incentive Cover, signed by Mark Waid, provided by BOOM! Studios * Signed Frank Miller comic * CBLDF Window Cling * CBLDF Donation Can Retailer Members signing up at higher levels are also eligible to receive other items. Stores joining at the $250 Retailer Patron level will receive the above, plus 5 assorted CBLDF Signature Series bookplates and a signed 2008 CBLDF membership card, featuring Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. Retailer Members signing up at the $500 Retailer Guardian level will receive all of the above and an assortment of 20 CBLDF Signature Series bookplates including signatures from Neil Gaiman, Peter David, Jeff Smith, Lee Bermejo, J. Scott Campbell, David Finch, Geoff Johns, Matt Wagner, Brad Meltzer, Brian Bendis, JG Jones, and others. Stores making a $1,000 Retailer Angel commitment to the Fund will receive the above, and a piece of original art by either Dave Gibbons, Walter Simonson, Erik Larsen, or original Civil War pages from Ramon Bachs and John Lucas. Each artist created pieces showcasing their signature characters for the Fund’s Retailer Members, and will be available on a first-come first-served basis. How The CBLDF Works For You Every day, the CBLDF works on the front-lines of the law to defend comics. Your membership in the Fund will help us continue to provide top-flight legal defense for First Amendment cases affecting comic book readers, retailers, and industry partners. Beyond direct legal defense of an active case, the CBLDF also keeps a close watch on legislative issues that would affect the sale and display of comics. In recent years we have successfully partnered with The Media Coalition to combat a wide variety of unconstitutional laws that would have impeded the industry’s ability to offer comics’ full range of creativity. The CBLDF also works to prevent cases before they occur. You never hear about much of the Fund’s work, particularly if we squelched a case before the matter rose to the notoriety of a criminal proceeding. At the first sign of legal intimidation, comic stores, libraries, and creators can reach out the CBLDF, which is always on call with access to the country’s best First Amendment lawyers. Those early calls mobilize immediate attention from the Fund’s counsel, who are often able to make a case go away with a letter or phone call. Please become a valued CBLDF member today!