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March 2000
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The letter attacks the comic shop for the "dynamics of deception" it employs to lure innocent children into the store. |
A retailer in southern Texas contacted the Fund following the publication of a fire and brimstone letter in his town newspaper. Beginning "Be thee not deceived!" the letter attacks the comic shop for the "dynamics of deception" it employs to lure innocent children into the store. According to the letter's author, Pokemon is the tool by which children are entrapped in a "den of iniquity" where they are exposed to comics with "unwholesome themes and exceptionally sensually alluring covers." After a lengthy tirade, the letter concludes: "Yes, they are comics, not magazines. What young child would pay a lick of attention to a magazine! But put your trash in the form of a comic book and, voila, you've got them!"
The
retailer remembers this letter writer's visit to the store quite well,
and the comics to which he objected were mainstream superhero titles from
DC, Image, and other publishers. In a rage that the owner refused to immediately
remove this "filth" from the premises, the customer attempted to convince
all of the store's patrons to leave immediately.
The letter appeared in the paper shortly thereafter. Surprisingly, the same letter was reprinted again a few days later. When asked why he had printed such a venomous letter twice over the course of a week, the paper's editor claimed that it was an honest mistake. Then he printed it again.
The CBLDF advised the retailer not to respond to the letter in print. Instead, several of the store's regular customers, including a Baptist minister, came forward with letters of their own in support of the store. While the Fund continues to monitor the incident, no further developments have occurred. Given the writer's histrionic tone, it is uncertain what impact, if any, the letter had on the store's patrons and sales.
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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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