Monkey-brained Musings
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Gordon Lee Trial Date
The Gordon Lee case is set for trial in September. Lee has been charged with "the unsolicited delivery of any content depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia" for inadvertantly handing the wrong comic book to the wrong person on Free Comic Book Day. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will be hosting a fundraiser at the San Diego Comic Con to help defray Lee's legal expenses. Donations can also be made online.
Update: Steven Bates at ICv2 has posted a column on the Lee case that includes the following assessment:
But nudity in comics has always touched a nerve with people, as comic books are so widely perceived in our culture to be simply a form of children's literature. Unlike countries like France, Japan, and Denmark, where comic strips and books are as highly regarded as novels, film, and theater, Americans still believe comics are for kids. Everyone in the industry knows that, and the best of us do everything we can to alter the public's perception, to foster acceptance of the medium as a legitimate hybrid form of art and literature.
. . .
For future Free Comic Book Days, I'd like to see established a set of guidelines for publishers to follow, restricting the content to all-ages appropriate material. While this might impair some publishers, I believe anyone inspired and creative enough to produce comic books should be capable of communicating their ideas and concepts without nudity and vulgarity.
The Gordon Lee case is set for trial in September. Lee has been charged with "the unsolicited delivery of any content depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia" for inadvertantly handing the wrong comic book to the wrong person on Free Comic Book Day. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will be hosting a fundraiser at the San Diego Comic Con to help defray Lee's legal expenses. Donations can also be made online.
Update: Steven Bates at ICv2 has posted a column on the Lee case that includes the following assessment:
But nudity in comics has always touched a nerve with people, as comic books are so widely perceived in our culture to be simply a form of children's literature. Unlike countries like France, Japan, and Denmark, where comic strips and books are as highly regarded as novels, film, and theater, Americans still believe comics are for kids. Everyone in the industry knows that, and the best of us do everything we can to alter the public's perception, to foster acceptance of the medium as a legitimate hybrid form of art and literature.
. . .
For future Free Comic Book Days, I'd like to see established a set of guidelines for publishers to follow, restricting the content to all-ages appropriate material. While this might impair some publishers, I believe anyone inspired and creative enough to produce comic books should be capable of communicating their ideas and concepts without nudity and vulgarity.
Comments:
Post a Comment
