Why The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Exists
NPR: Comic-Book Store Owner on Trial for Nude ImagesMorning Edition, August 14, 2007
Listen to this story... by Susanna Capelouto
Gordon Lee, owner of Legends Comic Book Store in Rome, Ga., goes on trial this week over whether he willfully gave a comic that depicted nudity to a child. His store took part in a downtown trick-or-treat celebration three years ago. Instead of candy, Lee handed out free comics. One of them had two drawings showing painter Pablo Picasso moving about his studio in the nude, his genitals clearly exposed. Lee was arrested a week later. The case worries the comic book industry, which fears limits on artistic expression.
Susanna Capelouto reports from Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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I don't think this guy should be thrown in jail for a year and fined $1,000 for what was clearly an accident. I'd question Lee's judgement for handing out anything other than a Disney, Archie, or Harvey comic on Hallowe'en (especially if you haven't read it), but I don't think a court case or yet another call for a ratings system is necessary. Take the comic back, apologize to the parents, and you're done. Thank goodness the CBLDF is around to help out!
Labels: comic book legal defense fund, comic industry, comics, georgia, gordon lee, news, nudity, ratings, rome
posted by Jeff Pidgeon at
9:45 AM
4 Comments:
I agree that Dot, Richie Rich, Sad Sack, Baby Huey, Archie or any of the Disney titles would have been a far better choice.
But since the story doesn't say anything about the age or gender of the child, I wonder if the parents and legal authorities would have made such a big deal if the nudity depicted was female or the child aged 10 vs. one age 4?
The drawing doesn't sound like it was "pornographic" in anyway, simply nude. Was the child really traumatized? And, why is a nude breast more acceptable in art than genitals?
The distribution of the comic book was probably an innocent mistake ... and if the store owner didn't bail out after a night or two in the pokey, then I'd say a year in jail and $1,000 fine was already overkill here.
As judge, I'd simply tell the defendant to apologize to the parents and child, agree to be more cautious in the future, and dismiss the case.
I also agree that he should have been handing out younger reader titles. But there was a worse case in Texas where a comic book store was sentenced to 180 days in jail and a $4,000 fine for selling an adult comic book to an adult. The state's argument was that comic books are for kids.
http://www.cbldf.org/pr/archives/000146.shtml
The kids were both boys - their ages are mentioned in the radio story (the first link is to the sound file).
I don't think the irate folks involved are going to see any comic book as art, so I'm not sure how well that argument would work.
Plus, remember the Janet Jackson halftime wardrobe malfunction flap - breasts aren't that much more acceptable, even accidentally viewed in a dance number for a pretty brief amount of time.
Yeah, that's so true. It's sad that some people react this way.
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