Denis Kitchen (@ The Eisners, San Diego, CA, 2005):



"Serving on any nonprofit board is kind of a thankless task. It takes a lot of time and energy from people who are already very busy. I would like to take a moment to thank those who do serve on the board, and give them a hand when I’m finished. I’d like to first of all thank Greg, who now holds the longest tenure on the board; publisher Chris Staros; retailer Frank Mangiaracina; intellectual property attorney Louise Nemschoff; distributor Steve Geppi; former distributor and consultant Milton Griepp; writer Peter David; Publisher Paul Levitz; and writer Neil Gaiman for continuing to serve on this board. I’d also like to thank Charles Brownstein for shepherding it its last few years as its Executive Director.



"In 1986 I founded the CBLDF because a retailer was being unjustly prosecuted for daring to sell comics to a range of audiences. At that time our medium was taking strides towards addressing audiences of all ages, producing fare for children and teens, to a growing adult audience. Certain books, which we now regard as classics, were starting to be released to receptive press, and that press was announcing that comics were coming of age. Unfortunately, some police and prosecutors missed that message. One of those police departments was in Lansing, IL, a suburb of a very cosmopolitan Chicago. A police officer came into that store and he sees several comics, including Richard Corben’s Bodyssey, Heavy Metal, and Omaha, the Cat Dancer, and arrested the manager.



"When I heard about it, I was very indignant about the entire incident. And especially about Omaha, the Cat Dancer, which I published and was very proud of. It had X-rated elements, but those of you who read it know that it’s a very literate comic book. Even Will Eisner who was a generation or two apart from its creators was an admirer of the book. I was further astonished when Frank Mangiaracina, the owner of the store, went into court, defended his store and his manager, and they lost. His manager, Michael Correa, was convicted of selling obscene material. This is for material that today probably wouldn’t raise nearly as much of an eyebrow, given our era of literary graphic novels and mainstream attention for our medium.



"As a publisher, I felt duty-bound to reverse that conviction and to defend the creators who were so maligned. I put together a portfolio, and went to a number of creators who I also knew to be indignant. Some of them were underground cartoonists whose work was just as likely to be busted, including Robert Crumb, Reed Waller, who drew Omaha, Howard Cruse, and a number of others. But that portfolio also had contributions from artists whose work would never, never be busted. That included people like Hilary Barta, Will Eisner, Sergio Aragones, and a number of others. I got one of the industry’s printers to print the book at cost, and distributors to pass it on without taking their normal share, and we managed to raise over $25,000.



"With that money Burton Joseph was hired. He’s one of the leading litigators in field of First Amendment rights, and he led an appeal that reversed the conviction. After that was over and the legal bills were paid, there were several thousand dollars left and I gave some thought to just giving it to a worthy charity Then I realized -- I sensed -- that this wasn’t going to be the last of this case, and so at that point I determined to make the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund an ongoing concern. We started a board, starting with Greg, and a couple of others, including, fittingly, Frank Mangiaracina, the owner of the store.



"And now 20 years later, a lot has changed. Graphic novels are respected by the broader world. Comics are treated with the same dignity and respect as our brothers in the media. But, unfortunately, what hasn’t changed, is that police and prosecutors are still, 20 years later, targeting comics books and the people who sell them.



"I retired from the Board of Directors last year, knowing that the Fund was in the able hands of a strong Board of Directors and office. Since then, I’ve watched, as a contributor, as they fought U.S. Customs to release political comic art by Peter Kuper. And I am watching with great interest their current case in Rome, GA, where Gordon Lee, the owner of Legends is being prosecuted on the same lines, eerily similar to the the prosecution that led me to start the Fund. Like Michael, Gordon is facing an overzealous prosecutor who wants to put him in jail for a crime he is not guilty of. Like Michael, he’s facing trumped up charges. But unlike Michael 20 years ago, he has a fighting chance of winning from the start, because he has the benefit of a strong and established Legal Defense Fund with a history of standing up for our field’s rights.



"It’s terrible what Gordon Lee is facing right now. But I should hope that he can stand taller because we are all standing behind him. I’ve moved from serving as president of this Fund, but I continue to support the Fund because I recognize that their fight is still my fight. I’m proud to say that over the years many others from diverse elements of our industry have all come together to defend our mutual First Amendment rights. I still whatever I can to help them wage their cases, because when the Fund is doing its work, it is not just fighting any one person’s battle, it’s fighting the battle for all of us.



"I’m proud to accept this award from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, to have set it in motion, and I want to see it continuing its very important work. I hope you have all already joined me in supporting the Fund, and if not, I urge you to start now. Because, to paraphrase someone earlier in our country’s history, if we don’t hang together to support the Fund, surely we will hang separately."






Jim Lee (@ The Eisners, San Diego, CA, 2004):



Wow.



Defender.



Of.



Liberty.



These are some very weighty words. My gut reaction is simply…I am not worthy--not that I am trying to be falsely modest but because I take this award and its significance very seriously.



Just look at the list of past recipients--Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, George Perez, Brian Pulido, Chuck Rozanski…it’s a rather all-star lineup. Some of the biggest and brightest names in our industry. These are guys who have been leaders in both action and in word-- guys who have devoted much of their careers to fighting the proverbial good fight.



So please understand how much more comfortable I would feel if this were perhaps renamed the Sidekick to the Defender of Liberty. Or maybe the Ultimate Fundraising Defender of Liberty (as clunky as that sounds) because in many ways, that’s how I feel about my history with the fund. A history which strangely enough began with a form letter.



Albeit a very eloquent form letter from Neil Gaiman; it was a form letter nonetheless…a call to action, asking professionals to step up to the plate to help the fund defend the Jesus Castillo case. And at the bottom of the letter, Neil had written a brief note……Jim, have any ideas…would love to hear them.



Have any ideas…would love to hear them…



Honestly, I didn’t know if this was some sort of subtle British jab…as in...I know you haven’t been on the NY Times bestseller’s list any time recently but think you could manage a small idea or two to benefit the fund?



At least that’s what I hoped he was asking. Otherwise, it was a rather scathing critique of my overall creative contributions to date.



So with that challenge ringing in my ears, I spent the next couple of hours hammering out a 10 point plan, outlining all sorts of outlandish, creative ideas which I felt could raise some real money for the fund. My overall goal was to raise 5 to 10 thousand dollars. To my surprise, Charles Brownstein called me up and said they wanted to do each and every one of them. Actually, if you know Charles, it doesn’t sound crazy at all. What was crazy though was that we hit our goal of 10 grand with just the first idea, thanks to the amazing generosity of Chuck Rozanski and Mile High Comics. And that’s really how my involvement started.



Cut to two years later and I was co-hosting a CBLDF karaoke night at Wizard World Texas. There was Marvel’s editor in chief, Joe Quesada, belting out Back in the U.S.S.R. to help raise money for the fund. Writer and co-host Paul Jenkins crooning Mack the Knife. Pros like JG Jones, Darick Robertson and execs like Jim McLauchlin and Matt Hawkins from Top Cow apparently strangling cats on stage (or at least that’s how it sounded). And of course, an impromptu but very touching duet between DC Vice Presidents Dan Didio and Bob Wayne singing…“I’ve got you, Babe.” And for the cause, I even broke down and sang Achy Breaky Heart. Believe me, that was a watershed moment as I am sure we really tested everyone’s belief in the sanctity of the First Amendment that evening.



It was a lighthearted, fun moment, and it underscores my belief that for the fund to grow and flourish, it has to continue in this direction, moving from the fringe towards the mainstream while maintaining it’s seriousness in purpose. So I am proud to have helped the fund gain greater recognition and mainstream acceptance in any small way. As Denis Kitchen said to me…we have enough longhaired types supporting the cause as it is...



But there is still a lot more work to be done, and I think we all know how vital, crucial and necessary an organization such as the CBLDF is.



You certainly don’t need the likes of me to tell you what dangers we face as an industry and as a community: dangers from overzealous local prosecutors looking for easy, underfunded targets for political gain; dangers from a federal government using an environment of fear and uncertainty to weaken our civil rights.



You don’t need me to tell you how perverse and Orwellian it is that a piece of law which restricts our civil liberties is called the Patriot Act. Or how ridiculous it is that the government can secretly check what we are reading at our local libraries.



We live in a scary time--a time when the power of the First Amendment is truly being tested and it is my honor to be able to help in any way possible. But we need your involvement as well.



Every professional, every retailer, every fan here should be a member of the CBLDF and if you aren’t…I ask you to join us by the end of the weekend. Unfortunately, the booth is a bit removed from publisher’s row this year (what booth number, again, Charles?). In any event, just look for a gaggle of guys with longhair...and ballcaps. That’s where we will be, and I will personally buy you a drink when you sign up…just come up to me and show me your new badge of honor and name yer poison.



Just don’t be surprised, though, when I ask you in return--



Have any ideas? Cause I would love to hear them...



Thank you all very much.

Chuck Rozanski (@ The Eisners, San Diego, CA, 2003):



"As I look across this room I'm just really stunned because this is not an award that I expected to get nor an award that I necessarily believe that I deserve. I have tried very hard to work to defend the rights of everyone in this industry to read and publish and draw whatever they please, whenever they please. And that's a freedom that my mother brought me here from Germany to enjoy. It's a freedom which I hold very dear to my heart. But the contribution that I've been able to make aside from simply expressing myself philosophically has been very minimal until recently when I've had the success of the Internet to buoy me up.



"But even that success has only been as a consequence of the support of my family and the family of people at Mile High Comics who make me look good and who do all the work that helps provide the revenue so that I can contribute.



"We're all a community here. We don't always agree. We have different perspectives. But at the same time there are members of our community that on a regular basis are attacked by those who do not share our feelings that freedom of expression is a God-given right that we should all enjoy. At any given time over the past many years there has been someone who has been persecuted. There have been people who have been driven to bankruptcy for selling the very comics that we all have the freedom to enjoy. Now that I have been supported by others and I do have the wherewithal, I try very hard to support the Fund and I would hope that everyone else here would support the Fund as well.



"If you're not a member yet, it doesn't cost a lot. If you don't have the money to join, maybe you can contribute something from your collection that can be bid on in an auction. Or just write a letter in support. But we've gotta defend each other because any time that one of us is being persecuted, we are all in danger of having our rights chipped away. And there are more than enough people who are out there right now who for their own pernicious reasons believe that we should not be able to say or draw or think what we want.



"One of the things that's come up lately is the concept that patriotism involves repression. I think that in this country – my adopted country – that patriotism, true patriotism, involves defending the rights that the people who came before us fought and died to achieve [applause]. What I think is critical and a responsibility that we all should hold dear to our hearts is that we owe it to the next generation to not leave them a world which has greater repression and less freedom than the world we were given [applause].



"So I ask you all to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in any way that you can. I did it even when I was broke. I try to do it now. Our words, our actions, our thoughts, they all mean something because we are part of this community. Thank you very much."