October 23 (San Diego, CA): Jim Lee, founder of WildStorm Productions
and one of the comic book medium's most celebrated and popular
artists, is lending his unparalleled talents to support the Comic
Book Legal Defense Fund. Starting November 5 and continuing into
2003, Lee will be spearheading a series of fundraisers that will
benefit the CBLDF's ongoing mission to defend the First Amendment
rights of comic book retailers.
The first auction begins November 5 on eBay, when the Fund offers a
benefit signing by Lee, who will fly himself to the winning comic
book store at his own expense. At the signing, the winning store
will also receive a Jim Lee sketch, followed by dinner with Lee and a
small party of the retailer's guests. Fans attending the signing
will be able to get their first two books signed for free, with
additional signatures and sketches available for a small donation to
the CBLDF. The store will also be profiled in CBLDF News and
Busted!, the Fund's online and print newsletters. The only cost to
the store is their winning bid, which will be a tax-deductible
donation to the CBLDF. All proceeds from this event will benefit the
Fund's casework.
"Retailers need to be able to display and sell all kinds of comic
books without fear of prosecution," Lee says. "The CBLDF is the only
group whose mission is to support retailers when they come under
attack. Comics retailers are always at risk of grandstanding local
authorities who are out to make a name for themselves by busting a
store. It's persecution, and a lot of the time it's coming from some
very well organized forces. The Fund is there to defend retailers
against those forces, so I'm stepping up as a creator to help the
Fund help those retailers in need."
Throughout his career, Lee has been a champion for excellence and
diversity in comics. Fans are wildly anticipating his run as artist
on the iconic series, Batman with writer Jeph Loeb. Their debut
issue, Batman #608, lands in stores today as the top selling comic
book in America and one of the best-selling issues of the year. As
Editorial Director of WildStorm Productions, he continues a decade-
long commitment to bringing audiences great comics by the field's
most innovative creators.
Lee says, "The breadth and diversity of the comic book marketplace
keeps growing every year. If we're serious about continuing that
growth, retailers need to be safe to display, promote, and sell all
of that diverse product. If we don't want the exposure of comic
books to be limited to a retailer's fear of a local prosecutor, then
we need to get behind the CBLDF."
"There's a direct connection between retailers and creators, and I
feel that the creative community needs to support retailers against
prosecution," Lee adds. "By supporting the Fund, we can make that
happen. If everyone that's part of comics does their part and
donates something, even the smallest donation, then each small part
will add up to a gigantic war chest. Ultimately, that's what we
need, because, unfortunately, legal battles are very expensive. With
this auction and the other cool fundraisers we're planning, I'll be
doing my part in helping retailers maintain the freedoms they have."
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 comic book retailers, publishers, and authors.
Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal
Defense Fund at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061 or
info@cbldf.org. More information about the Fund can be found at
About Jim Lee:
Cited at the top of Wizard Magazine's "Top Ten Artists" list for
November 2002, Jim Lee has been a revolutionizing creative force in
the comic book industry since 1987 when he started out as a penciller
for Marvel. After a successful run on the Uncanny X-Men, Lee went on
to draw the best-selling comic book of all time, X-Men #1, which sold
over a million copies. Lee left Marvel to become one of the founding
partners of Image Comics and established WildStorm Productions as his
publishing operation within the Image collective. In 1998, DC Comics
acquired WildStorm Productions. In the ten years as WildStorm's
Editorial Director, Lee has overseen the creation of titles that have
launched a new generation of comic books including Gen 13, Wildcats,
Stormwatch, Planetary, The Authority and many more.