Misplaced Pages

#376623

58-429: The CBLDF is supported by many big names of the industry; over the years, its board of directors has included Larry Marder , Ted Adams , Reginald Hudlin , Gene Luen Yang , Chris Staros , Peter David , Neil Gaiman , Paul Levitz , Milton Griepp , Steve Geppi , and many other industry figures. Fund Comics , More Fund Comics , and Even More Fund Comics are compilations of short work by famous artists sold to support

116-491: A U.S. Senate inquiry into the comic book industry. The climate of concern and censorship created during this period underscored the need for legal defense and advocacy for the comic book industry, a role that the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund would come to fulfill in later years. This historical context highlights the complex cultural and legal challenges faced by the comic book industry and underscores

174-459: A Utah bill that wanted to censor internet speech, which the CBLDF was able to help stop. Since 2008, the CBLDF has published an annual comic book, The CBLDF Liberty Annual , to which many major artists and writers, including J. Michael Straczynski , Garth Ennis , and Richard Corben , have contributed. In the late 1940s and 1950s, comic books faced significant public scrutiny and moral panic in

232-515: A defamation suit after accusing small-press comics creator Cody Pickrodt of rape and sexual harassment." The CBLDF creates toolkits that are available for librarians and others to use on the website. They also give lectures and presentations "at comic book and anime conventions, library and book trade conferences, universities, and symposiums in the United States and around the world." Larry Marder Larry Marder (born May 29, 1951 )

290-448: A good practice example. One important dividing line between the various methods of public consultation is whether the participants are self-selected or if the participants are a representative sample of the population. It is only through representative samples that one can use the findings of a public consultation to characterize the distribution of views in the general population including the identification of majority views. To achieve

348-419: A myriad of designs, with variations in methodology, form, and technology. It has been implemented in nearly 1,500 municipalities and institutions around the world. Authoritarian systems generally tend to take a dim view of public consultation. In the writings of Benito Mussolini , he expressed the view that fascism offers "free" speech, but only to persons who were "qualified" to have an opinion. Similarly, in

406-492: A new Executive Director. We're going to look both inside and outside the comic book industry to find the best person to run the Fund and fix what's broken. We are taking steps to expand our mission to make sure that we are best serving the industry's needs. We have a responsibility to our community, and that means listening and responding to your concerns. Most importantly, we want to keep talking. We want to keep listening. If you have

464-595: A representative sample of several hundred Americans gathered in-person to deliberate on and make their recommendations for dozens of policy issues. Participatory budgeting involves a sample of ordinary people, sometimes representative, making decisions about their government's budget through a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making. Participants recommend how a government's overall budget should be allocated among its various spending areas, or decide on whether to implement proposed public spending projects. Frameworks of participatory budgeting differ throughout

522-503: A representative sample the ideal method is a purely random selection of the population, but reasonably representative samples can still be achieved by opt-in samples by stratifying the sample in advance and weighting it afterwards according to key demographic variables in the population, as well as ensuring that the universe of potential respondents drawn from does not have evident biases. (see Sampling ).  Methods that use representative samples are public consultation surveys and many of

580-974: A sample of one hundred to five hundred citizens. Citizens' assemblies have been initiatives of the government in British Columbia and Ontario , the Netherlands , the Republic of Ireland , Poland , France , the United Kingdom , and Australia . They have also been initiated by NGOs, such as the Le G1000 in Belgium, the We The Citizens project in Ireland, and The People's Parliament in UK. A citizens' assembly has also been convened on

638-435: A short period of time, the comic "evolved into what Marder terms 'a weird fantasy dimension that operates under its own rules and laws.'" Wiater and Bissette also term it: a reading experience that ... [creates] a delightfully accessible, resonant, and almost alchemical bond with readers of all ages. The initial idea hit Marder when he was in art school, and "swept up in the conceptual art movement['s mantra] ... 'Down with

SECTION 10

#1732787287377

696-448: A story to tell, whether it involves the CBLDF or not, we want to hear it. We've created the email feedback@cbldf.org where you can share your story or voice your concerns. We don't expect our words to earn us anything. We hope our actions will. In July 2020, The Daily Beast reported that "under Brownstein's tenure, the CBLDF drew criticism for defending Milo Yiannopoulos , while not intervening to defend 11 creators who were slapped with

754-589: Is an American cartoonist and writer , best known as the creator of comic book Tales of the Beanworld , which began as an "essentially self-published title" in 1984. Beginning in 2009, Dark Horse Books began to reprint Tales of the Beanworld , in two volumes, and then went on to publish two more volumes of new Beanworld. Marder was educated at the Hartford Art School in Connecticut in

812-533: Is contextually specific and was not intended to be a universal tool. Common instances of public meetings include meetings convened by legislators or other elected officials, such as town halls open to all. Governing bodies also hold public hearings to get input on specific issue areas, however these are not open to all, as participants are selected by the governing body due to their expertise or representation of stakeholders. Email, surveys, and social media offer relatively accessible forms of consultation, lowering

870-611: Is found in general political theory of constitutional democracy as originated during and after the Enlightenment , particularly by Rousseau . This basis was elaborated in the American Revolution , and various thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin , Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine are associated with the rejection of tyrannical, closed government decision making in favor of open government. The tradition of

928-413: Is often achieved by using a random selection of lay citizens ( sortition ). They meet, usually in person, for as little as one or as many as five days, or for shorter regular meeting periods over a longer period. They are briefed by experts on the issue, have discussions, and in the end vote on some type of final recommendation. In some cases, members of the general public may submit questions or comments to

986-434: Is requested by agencies seeking input on draft policy documents such as environmental impact reports . This type of comment may pertain to an intended action, such as permit issuance, or the classification of a particular species of plant or animal as endangered. Other instances occur with regard to publication of draft environmental impact reports, which comments are then answered and may be reflected in subsequent revisions to

1044-650: The 1990s in the US. The American Talks Issue Foundation led by Alan Kay played a pioneering role.   The largest such program is the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland 's School of Public Policy, directed by Steven Kull , conducting public consultation surveys on the national level, as well as in states and congressional districts. They have gathered public opinion data on over 300 policy proposals that have been put forward by Members of Congress and

1102-501: The Beanworld began as a "collection of character sketches and concepts" that is described by Stanley Wiater and Stephen R. Bissette in Comic Book Rebels as "an essentially self-published comic (through distributed through Eclipse Comics )", launched in 1984. Marder initially self-published the series before it was picked up by Eclipse Comics in 1985 – though it continued to bear Marder's own Beanworld Press imprint. In

1160-401: The CBLDF — or spoke publicly about how they had already stopped working with the organization — because of Brownstein's conduct". In the following week, three members of the board also stepped down: Jeff Abraham, Katherine Keller, and Paul Levitz . "All three leave days after it emerged that Brownstein had been abusive to others during his tenure in charge of the non-profit organization... with

1218-446: The CBLDF. Additionally, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab offers a line of perfumes whose profits go directly to the CBLDF. Popular artists such as comedian Bill Hader , cartoonist Jeff Smith , and comic book artist Frank Miller have expressed support for it. The CBLDF is a sponsor of Banned Books Week , and also works with libraries, helping to keep graphic novels on their shelves. In the past they have partnered with such organizations as

SECTION 20

#1732787287377

1276-467: The Executive Branch, in a variety of areas. Such surveys conducted in particular Congressional districts have also been used as the basis for face-to-face forums in congressional districts, in which survey participants and House Congressional Representative discuss the policy proposals and the results of the survey. Deliberative opinion polling combines surveys of a representative sample of

1334-730: The Fidesz governments' ideology and agenda with suggestive questions (e.g. by referring to a supposed "Soros plan" to "convince Brussels to resettle at least one million immigrants from Africa and the Middle East annually on the territory of the European Union, including Hungary", that this "is part of the Soros plan to launch political attacks on countries objecting to immigration and impose strict penalties on them", and asking citizens whether they agree, or blasting "Brussels bureaucrats" in

1392-532: The Final document in advance of the deadline, which provides commentators with an opportunity to view the remarks of others before committing themselves in writing. A government portal which may allow review of comments and opportunity for making comment and can be searched by keyword. The Estonian government 's public consultation website, Teeme koos , has been noted by the European Commission as

1450-908: The Kids Right to Read Project, the American Library Association , and the Office of Intellectual Freedom as part of this mission. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund began as a means to pay for the legal defense of Friendly Frank's comic shop manager Michael Correa, who was arrested in 1986 on charges of distributing obscenity. The comic books deemed obscene were Omaha the Cat Dancer , The Bodyssey , Weirdo , and Bizarre Sex . Kitchen Sink Press released an art portfolio of pieces donated by comics artists; proceeds were donated to Correa's defense. First Amendment attorney Burton Joseph defended Friendly Frank's and ultimately had

1508-526: The New England Town Hall is believed to be rooted in this early American movement, and the distillation of formal public comment in official proceedings in the United States is a direct application of this format in the workings of public administration itself. A frequently used tool for understanding different levels of community participation in consultation is known as Arnstein's ladder , although some academics contest that Arnstein's ladder

1566-519: The United States. This era witnessed widespread comic book burnings, spearheaded by community and religious groups who feared the impact of comic book content on youth. A pivotal figure in this movement was psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham , whose work "Seduction of the Innocent" argued that comic books were a negative influence on children, leading to juvenile delinquency . Wertham's conclusions significantly influenced public perception and even led to

1624-476: The barriers of time and travel required to participate. Governing bodies, as well as regulatory agencies often have periods of public comment before a new regulation or project is enacted, to allow for ordinary citizens and stakeholders to provide input. A 2023 report cautions, however, that AI-generated text, (such as from bots on social media) may result in illegitimate feedback in addition to legitimate testimony and opinions. A specific class of public comment

1682-523: The book", which includes "maps and a rather long glossary". Despite these potentially conflicting comments, Wiater and Bissette reiterate that "there is no simpler or more iconographic comic book in existence". Marder ultimately suggests that Beanworld is the exact opposite of most modern comics. The artwork is really simple and the storyline's quite complex. Most comics have complicated artwork supporting very simple storylines ... Obviously Beanworld works on two levels ... like Rocky and Bullwinkle in

1740-400: The characters in 1972, "the storyline didn't really come together until 1982". In the first collected volume, Marder explains that his work is "about the affinity of life", wherein the characters "understand that ultimately they depend on each other for survival". Wiater and Bissette see in this relationship as a wider metaphor for the interdependancy of the comics industry. Indeed, addressing

1798-538: The conviction overturned. Denis Kitchen officially incorporated the CBLDF in 1990 as a non-profit charitable organization with capital left over from Correa's defense fund, and Burton Joseph became their legal counsel in 1996. Since then, the Fund and Burton Joseph have provided advice and legal assistance in many cases and incidents. In 1991, the CBLDF was honoured with the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award . In 2002, Charles Brownstein became

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund - Misplaced Pages Continue

1856-414: The deliberative groups based on the idea of creating mini-publics such as deliberative polls, citizen assemblies, citizen juries, and in some cases participatory budgeting. Public comment periods, public hearings, and town halls, are generally not done with representative samples, nor are some of the surveys used by government agencies and NGOs. Such non-representative methods may however give an indication of

1914-470: The deliberative process takes place within the survey. For each issue, respondents are provided relevant briefing materials, and arguments for and against various proposals.  Respondents then provide their final recommendation. Public consultation surveys are primarily done with large representative samples, usually several thousand nationally and several hundred in subnational jurisdictions.    Public consultation surveys have been used since

1972-476: The document. Typically there is a notice of completion of the draft which is posted in the newspaper, on the web, and is mailed to known interested parties who may be designated as "stakeholders" or simply "interested parties". A public comment period is established and comments which are received by the cutoff date become part of the official public record. In some cases, there is a statutory mandate that those comments be replied to or incorporated in some fashion into

2030-507: The drafting of policy or legislation). There are a variety of consultation methods, but they all involve the provision of background information on the issue, and the opportunity for deliberation on the regulation, law or plan under consideration. While public consultations have historically been undertaken by governments, they have been increasingly conducted by non-governmental organizations, including university programs and non-profit organizations. While intended to enhance democracy and give

2088-490: The early 1970s, earning a BFA degree in 1973. He earned "his living as an art director in the high-pressure world of advertising" in Chicago from 1976, balancing his time in that profession with "a remarkable interior landscape of the imagination that coalesced into the vivid ecology of Beanworld ". He cites as his major influences Jack Kirby , Rudolph Zallinger , Henry Darger and Marcel Duchamp . Marder's Tales of

2146-481: The established comic book stores expand", and hoped that the DLG would aid in "promot[ing] environments that are going to help alternative comics grow". Working with Moondog's, Marder described the paradox of "a situation where retailers want the books, and the publishers have the books, but somehow they can't get them to more readers". He was appointed Executive Director of Image Comics in 1993 (leaving in 1999), and

2204-520: The executive director of the CBLDF. The Fund publishes a quarterly newsletter called Busted!: the official newsletter of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund . OCLC   41042960 On September 29, 2011, it was announced that the CBLDF acquired intellectual property rights of the Comics Code Authority seal from the now defunct Comics Magazine Association of America ; the sale coincided with Banned Books Week . The CBLDF intends to use

2262-622: The experts. In the end, participants repeat the survey on their policy preferences. Deliberative opinion polling was developed by James Fishkin , and is currently run by the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University . Deliberative opinion polls have been used in the United States, the European Union, China, Australia, Mongolia, and South Korea. This method was the basis of the American in One Room event, in which

2320-544: The following publications: Public scrutiny Public consultation , public comment, or simply consultation, is a process by which members of the public are asked for input on public issues. This can occur in public meetings open to all (such as town hall meetings ) in written form (such as in public comment or surveys), as well as in deliberative groups (such as citizens' assemblies or citizen juries). Surveys and deliberative groups can be conducted with self-selected citizens or with statistically representative samples of

2378-415: The general population an opportunity to learn and comment on public policy, numerous studies have shown that public consultation meetings tend to unrepresentative of the general population, with meetings dominated by older, wealthier, whiter residents and homeowners. Public consultation is also controversial for its role in hindering and delaying development and infrastructure. The basis for public comment

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-472: The global level: The Global Assembly was organized in 2021 to deliberate on climate change policies before the start of the international climate change conference COP26. It is the first body that can make any claim to represent the democratic wishes of the global population as a whole. Public consultation surveys are surveys on policy proposals or positions that have been put forward by legislators, government officials, or other policy leader. The entirety of

2494-503: The globe in terms of scale, procedure, and objective. Participatory budgeting is often contextualized to suit a region's particular conditions and needs. In many cases, participatory budgeting has been legally enforced and regulated; however, some are internally arranged and promoted by NGOs. Participatory budgeting was first developed in the 1980s by the Brazilian Workers' Party (PT), and since then it has manifested itself in

2552-586: The historical development of Nazism, public commentators at official NSDAP rallies were not infrequently beaten by the mob, or, if there were large numbers supporting the adverse commentator, brawls broke out. In today's People's Republic of China, public comment on government policy is considered inappropriate, and may result in long prison terms for persons such as Wei Jingsheng . The Hungarian Fidesz government has employed so-called National Consultations, sending questionnaires to citizens that survey their opinions on government policy and legislation while pushing

2610-554: The importance of organizations like the CBLDF in protecting and promoting free expression in comic art. In June 2020, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein resigned following, as described in The Hollywood Reporter : renewed pressure from the comic book industry surrounding a sexual assault from 2005... Brownstein assaulted comic book creator Taki Soma at Mid-Ohio Con in November, 2005, in an incident that

2668-409: The industry. We recognize that it's been our inability to react, or act at all, that's been the cause of pain in our community. Even last week, when we took the necessary action in accepting Charles's resignation, our communications were stilted and clumsy. To everyone who has come forward, we haven't done justice to your bravery and we are truly sorry. We vow to be better. We've begun the search for

2726-566: The mini-public, which are then discussed in their meetings. One of the first forms of such deliberative assemblies were " citizens' juries " developed in the United States by Ned Crosby at the Jefferson Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Citizen juries are small representative samples of several dozen participants that meet for several intensive days. Citizens' assemblies are usually larger than citizen juries with

2784-500: The object. Down with form. Idea is everything,'" which led him to "create comics where idea was everything". Removing the human figure, he "came up with something that would work in comics: the Bean figures", and began "goofing around with these figures". Revising and refining his characters through "political cartoons on Watergate and so on, that were published in my college newspapers using these Bean characters", although he came up with

2842-459: The organization taking the unprecedented move of releasing former employee Shy Allot from a non-disclosure agreement signed in 2010 so that she could come forward with her experiences". CBLDF issued a statement on June 29, 2020: We respect the decisions that Paul, Katherine and Jeff have made to leave the Board. We realize it will be a long path to earning back the trust of our members, supporters and

2900-435: The population on their policy preferences together with face-to-face deliberation. The sample (usually several hundred) is surveyed in advance and then is provided briefing materials on the issue, and arguments for and against various policy proposals. They then participate in a face-to-face process in which experts with different policy orientations make presentations, and participants discuss the issues among themselves and with

2958-438: The population which enables the identification of majority opinion. Its main goals are to improve public involvement and influence, as well as the transparency and efficiency of government projects, laws, or regulations. Public consultation usually involves notification (to publicize the matter to be consulted on), consultation (a two-way flow of information and opinion exchange) as well as participation (involving stakeholders in

SECTION 50

#1732787287377

3016-431: The potential underlying complexity, Marder suggests that "it's harder to describe it than it is to read it". He also calls it "an ecological romance ... a self-contained fairy tale about a group of beings who live in the center of their perfect world [and are] obsessed with maintaining its food chain", a self-described "really low concept!" Equally, he says, "the reader has to invest a certain amount of mental energy to follow

3074-518: The resurrected series, which would also be collected by Dark Horse. Marder was involved with "the DLG – Direct Line Group – which [was] a coalition of fifteen retailers that was put together by Gary Colabuono of Moondog's ... [as] an opportunity for the large chain retailers to have a forum to discuss their problems and pool their resources to figure out how they can best help themselves in [comics'] new marketplace". Marder, speaking in 1992/3 suggested that "distributors are ... not focused much on helping

3132-707: The seal in merchandise through licensing agreements, with proceeds from the licenses benefitting the CBLDF. The CBLDF works independently and with coalitions to defend against unconstitutional legislation. CBLDF works with the Media Coalition, along with: The American Booksellers for Free Expression Group at ABA , Association of American Publishers, Inc. , Authors Guild , Entertainment Software Association , Freedom to Read Foundation , Motion Picture Association of America, Inc ., and Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. They were active plaintiffs against internet filters in libraries and more recently in 2012,

3190-477: The sense that there are many levels of complexity the reader can draw from the story, but the surface level is accessible enough for children to enjoy it, which is something that took me completely by surprise. In April 2008, at the Stumptown Comics Fest , Marder announced that he would resurrect Beanworld with Dark Horse Comics "sometime early next year [2009]". Diana Schutz was set to edit

3248-552: The views of self-selected activists and individuals or organizations who have an interest in the issue at hand.  A growing trend, especially in Europe and the Commonwealth countries, is for citizens to meet for an in-depth deliberation on an important policy issue and deliver their conclusions to the government. The groups that meet are usually representative samples and are thus called "mini-publics."  Representativeness

3306-585: Was president of Image-co-founder Todd McFarlane 's action figure arm, McFarlane Toys from 1999–2007. Marder served as President of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund , a non-profit organization founded in 1986 chartered to protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community, from 2010 to 2018. The following feature work by Larry Marder. Beans by other artists and references to Marder/Beanworld appear in at least

3364-472: Was reported to police without leading to an arrest... Brownstein, who characterized the incident as "a stupid, drunken prank, of which I'm ashamed," remained in place with the CBLDF following what was described as an independent investigation carried out on behalf of the organization. Polygon reported that "multiple comics creators", including Brian Michael Bendis , Al Ewing , Pia Guerra , and James Tynion IV , "announced they would no longer be working with

#376623