Graphic novels remain at the forefront of the legal debate over what types of material can be made available to minors. Last week in Georgia, the long-running case against comics retailer Gordon Lee went back to court, and a Missouri library board will meet this week to decide if two critically acclaimed graphic novels should be removed from the town public library. Lee went back to court in Rome, Ga., last week to face two misdemeanor counts of exhibition of harmful materials to a minor. The case dates from a 2004 promotional event when Lee inadvertently gave a comic book with nude depictions in it to two minors. Charles Brownstein, executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense fund, said that most of the original charges against Lee have been dismissed and the CBLDF will enter new motions to dismiss the remaining counts.
In a separate incident, the Marshall, Mo., library board of trustees will meet this week to decide whether two autobiographical comics works—Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Craig Thompson's Blankets—should be removed from the public library because of sexually explicit graphics. Amy Crump, director of the Marshall Public Library, said a public hearing was held last week and the board will decide this week. Crump said this is the first time books have been challenged at her library.
Svetlana Mintcheva, arts advocacy coordinator at the National Coalition Against Censorship, compared Bechdel's Fun Home, the story of growing up lesbian with a closeted gay father, to the novels of Dorothy Allison. "The challenge is to educate the public that comics are a valid means of artistic expression," said Mintcheva.
Both the NCAC and the CBLDF have produced materials to help librarians and booksellers do just that. The NCAC worked with the CBLDF and the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom to produce "Graphic Novel Suggestions for Librarians," an informational document on building graphic novel collections and fighting censorship, available as a PDF download from the NCAC Web site (ncac.org). And for booksellers, the CBLDF has produced "The Best Defense: A Retailer Resource Guide," given to retailers who join the organization. The document offers guidelines on dealing with everything from censorship to in-store promotional events.
