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April 21, 1999Shedding Light Where Darkness Dwells: the 1999 Defender of Liberty AwardBrian Pulido, president and publisher of Chaos! Comics, will be honored with the 1999 Defender of Liberty Award. This annual CBLDF award recognizes outstanding efforts to promote and protect free speech in the comics community. The Defender of Liberty will be presented by CBLDF treasurer Susan Alston and president Denis Kitchen on April 24 at the Pittsburgh Comicon.
"Comic book literature is a unique American art form," said Pulido, "and I can tell you from experience that the creative freedom found in comics is a rare, precious commodity. We should all be willing to fight to preserve that degree of creative freedom."
True to his words, Pulido has consistently been one of the CBLDF's strongest supporters. "Frank Miller once said something that really hit home," recalls Pulido. "He said that each of us in the comic book industry should start behaving like the heroes we portray. We'd better be ready to stand up or they will take us down. And he was right. Our industry is going through challenging times. We have to rally together." Pulido first became involved with the Fund in the wake of the notorious Planet Comics busts in Oklahoma City in 1996. Inspired by Miller's words and Peter David's columns in Comics Buyer's Guide, Pulido was moved to act. Chaos! Comics organized DefenseCon at "ground zero"--Oklahoma City itself. The convention served as a wake-up call for the industry and a show of support for the Fund's mission. With numerous guest appearances and an all-star art auction, the convention raised more than $12,000 for the CBLDF in just two days. "It just seemed like the right thing to do," said Pulido. In 1997, Pulido worked with American Entertainment to produce an exclusive, signed edition of Chaos! Comics' Chastity: Theatre of Pain #2 as a benefit for the CBLDF. Pulido has also coordinated a number of charity art auctions on the Fund's behalf, including an event at the 1998 Wizard World convention in Chicago that raised more than $3,000. Pulido's even gone to "jail" for the Fund, staging his own arrest by secur-ity guards at the Pittsburgh and Big Apple comic conventions. Fans donated "bail" money to the CBLDF to insure Pulido's release. And whenever he and the Chaos! crew sign at a show, he asks fans to donate a dollar a signature to the Fund. "It's a simple support system for what we believe in." Altogether, Pulido and Chaos! Comics have raised in excess of $25,000 in support of the Fund and its mission. At the same time, they've alerted countless fans and industry professionals about the very real censorship issues which affect everyone in the comics community. "The comics industry is lucky to have someone like Brian Pulido in its corner," said CBLDF executive director Chris Oarr. "He's become an industry leader by making innovative comics that expand the marketplace. And from the first, he and Chaos! have shown their support for the Fund and for free speech. He's a stand-up guy who's always stood up for what he believes in." "When I formed Chaos!," said Pulido, "it was really for me to express what I wanted, how I wanted, and that's always been my mission. When governmental agencies align around one human's opinion, particularly in the face of the First Amendment, that's when it's time to get up in arms. As an industry I think we need to be bolder. There has to be room for all types of material. You walk into a book store, and there's a children's section, and a couple of rows down is Anne Rice writing erotica. Why can't our words and pictures have the same freedom?" Puldio was stunned when he learned he was this year's Defender of Liberty Award honoree. "It was never on my agenda to get any kind of distinction like this," he said. "But to be recognized by the community is just the highest honor. It's one of the most deeply satisfying things in the world. When I found out, honestly, it brought tears to my eyes. It's a real honor just to be up there with that select commun-ity of eloquent speakers, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison . . . For a sawed-off dude from Jersey to get such an accolade, well, I know I must be doing something right here. And I've really just begun what I'm going to do for the Fund. "My proposal to the creative community is a very simple "Buck in a Bucket" program. Put a bucket at the end of your line, and when your fans come up for a signature, ask them if they'd like to donate a dollar to the CBLDF. It's optional, no hassle if they don't. But imagine what kind of impact we could have if we all did it. With a very small effort, I think we could raise an unprecedented amount of money, just during the convention season. And we'll all be supporting our ability to express ourselves. "I'd like to offer a challenge to the entire industry. Ask yourself the question--every comic creator, every color separator, every letterer, distributor, retailer, shop owner, everyone who's involved in this community of comics--in what simple way can I benefit the Fund? If we all get involved, we can make a difference." Read more about the Defender of Liberty Award gala and other events at the 1999 Pittsburgh Comicon here.
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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 Web design and site maintained by Eric Griffith / Squished Frog Productions. |
