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After The Party… Free Speech At San Diego Comic-Con With The CBLDF

After The Party... Free Speech At San Diego Comic-Con With The CBLDF

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is running its annual CBLDF Comic-Con Welcome Party and Silent Auction tonight, co-sponsored by Oni Press, The Nacelle Company, and Mad Cave Studios, with GlobalComix, Kickstarter, and Raremarq at the Westgate Hotel terrace, 1055 Second Ave from 8pm to midnight. You might have noticed it on the Huge Bleeding Cool San Diego Comic-Con Party List. But ot's not just party, party, party, the CBLDF has a booth #1629 and panels looking at the latest cases in comics censorship…

• Comics on Trial, Thursday, 7/24/25, Noon – 1PM, Room: 11
  The recent surge in censorship has once again made comics and creators the subject of court cases, public tribunals, and threats of arrest. In this panel, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Jeff Trexler, CBLDF board members Dale Cendali (Kirkland & Ellis) and Bob Wayne, and 2025 Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame inductee Phoebe Gloeckner will discuss the latest developments and what to expect as we move closer to a landmark Supreme Court ruling on book challenges.
• Free Expression and the Multiverse of Merchandise, Thursday, 7/24/25, 1-2pm, Room: 11 
  Print and digital storytelling are not the only ways that the comics community finds meaning in pop culture—toys, fashion, statues, and a wide array of other licensed (and sometimes unlicensed) products are equally important means of self-expression. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Jeff Trexler, Professor Susan Scafidi (Fashion Law Institute), Tony Kim (Hero Within), Jen King (Space Cadets Collection Collection), and Britton Payne (attorney who has worked with DC Comics, Warner Bros Animation and Nickelodeon) will discuss cutting-edge issues in the many worlds of merch, such as censorship, expression, and collectibles; cosplay and anti-drag laws; the impact of trade wars on access to geek-culture products; and new laws that ban the use of comics characters in advertising.
• Dealing with Disaster, Friday, 7/25/25, Noon-1pm, Room: 11
  Censorship is not the only threat to free expression through the comic arts. From natural disasters and economic crises to cancellations and government crackdowns, this Comic Book Legal Defense Fund panel with Jeff Trexler (CBLDF), Andrew Aydin (three-time Eisner Award-winner, March, Run, Appalachia Comics, CBLDF), attorney Gamal Hennessy (The Business of Independent Comic Publishing, The Business of Freelance Comic Book Publishing, Comics Experience), Britton Payne (attorney who has worked with DC Comics, Warner Bros Animation and Nickelodeon), and award-winning creator Amit Tishler (contributor to Mad Cave's new L.A. Strong charity comic) will examine seismic risks and how to survive them.
• Owned: Comics Copyright and the Public Domain, Friday, 7/25/25, 1-2pm, Room: 11 
  How do the boundaries of intellectual property rights in comics relate to free expression? This Comic Book Legal Defense Fund panel will navigate core issues in comics copyright today, from what can be done with books and classic characters entering the public domain to Ghiblification and the debate over making all IP freely accessible for use by new technologies. Panelists include Jeff Trexler (CBLDF), Dale Cendali (Partner and Copyright, Trademark, Internet and Advertising Practice Group.Chair, Kirkland & Ellis; CBLDF) Joseph Illidge (writer, editorial director, CEO, Illuminous; CBLDF), former DC Comics Senior Vice President and creator Bob Wayne (CBLDF), Professor Orly Lobel (Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law), Professor Betsy Rosenblatt (Case Western Reserve University School of Law), and Professor Ben Y. Zhao (Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago).
• Hard Traveling Heroes: Creative Freedom and the Global Comics Community, Saturday, 7/26/25, Noon-1pm, Room: 11
  Comics have become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, but what do new barriers to trade and travel mean for comics creators, companies, and fans? The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Jeff Trexler, comics industry legend and Comic-Con International Inkpot Award winner Bob Wayne (CBLDF), Freeman Award winner and Eisner nominated creator Ryan Estrada (co-author, Banned Book Club), and Mark Zaid (national security attorney and comic book historian) will explore such important issues as the evolving visa landscape for comics creators; comics censorship in international travel; emerging legal risks for the creators of memoirs and graphic novel journalism; First Amendment exemptions from tariffs and sanctions; and the illusive privacy of U.S. mail.
• New Trends in Comics Censorship, Saturday, 7/26/25, 1-2pm, Room: 11
  The new year has brought new challenges to the comic arts. To what extent have graphic novels and manga become a primary target of the book ban surge? Could mandatory ratings and new risks for comic shops be on the horizon? How is the new wave of censorship affecting creators, and what can you do to make a difference in your community? Join the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Jeff Trexler, Moni Barrette (comics librarian/2023 Eisner Awards judge), attorney Gamal Hennessy (The Business of Independent Comic Publishing, The Business of Freelance Comic Book Publishing, Comics Experience), and Britton Payne (attorney who has worked with DC Comics, Warner Bros Animation and Nickelodeon).

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