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March 2000
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While the CBLDF had no direct involvement in this case, we do think it's damn funny. |
San Antonio was the scene of another controversy over comic subject matter. The incident began when The San Antonio Current reprinted a strip by acclaimed alternative comics artist Dan Clowes. The two-page strip, which originally appeared in Clowes' long-running series Eightball, was a satire of America's obsession with professional sports. It included some fairly graphic depictions of male and female athletes engaged in sex acts.
The strip generated angry reactions from many of the Current's advertisers and distributors. At least a dozen businesses that carried the free newspaper claim to have thrown out all copies of the issue, and several stopped carrying the paper altogether. Some advertisers also cancelled their contracts because they found the comic offensive.
Meanwhile, the stores which continued to carry the paper saw the issue fly off the shelves. Those curious about the controversial strip scrambled to find the remaining copies. "By the time we knew there was a controversy, the papers were gone" said Wade Gerlitz, manager of Half-Price Books. "It obviously got them some publicity." If anything, it appears that actual readership shot up with this issue. While the CBLDF had no direct involvement in this case, we do think it's damn funny.
NEXT: Poké-Mom Vows Revenge, Retailer Arrested>>
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
For additional information, call 413-268-7776 or e-mail the CBLDF staff.
271 Madison Avenue, Suite 1400
New York, NY 10016
800-99-CBLDF
info@cbldf.org
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