MTV's Street Team interviews cartoonist Jeff Smith about decision '08

[Lorien]

Jeff is an old buddy of mine from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He sent this to me this morning because he knew I'd get a kick out of it:

http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A06F00170098EB39/

(if it doesn't pop up right away, just enter "Jeff Smith" in the search box. It's the second video that appears)

Incidentally, the "book party" for Jeff in NYC last week was a fund raiser for the legal defense fund of comic book shop owner Gordon Lee. It's another case of American puritanism gone wild:

Comic book nudity case set for trial Monday
11/04/07
By Mike Gellatly / RN-T

Three years after a child was allegedly given a publication containing nudity in his store, Rome comic book store owner Gordon Clifford Lee is set to go to trial Monday in Floyd County Superior Court.

Click here for a previous story about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund supporting Gordon Lee's defense.

Lee is charged with distributing harmful materials to a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by as long as a year in jail.

The charges stem from a Halloween 2004 giveaway when an employee of Legends Comics in Rome gave a copy of “Alternative Comics No. 2” to two 6- and 9-year-old brothers.

In the comic book, a series of drawings depict a naked Pablo Picasso. The images were used to depict his first meeting with fellow Cubist Georges Braque.

Picasso is depicted in the nude, which, according to Charles Brownstein, executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, is historically accurate.

The CBLDF has been raising money for Lee’s defense in this matter. Judge Larry Salmon is scheduled to hear the case.

Lee was originally charged with six counts, including two felonies in 2004, but during the course of the case all but two charges have been dismissed. He faces two misdemeanor charges and could be sentenced to as long as a year in prison and a $1,000 fine for each count if convicted.

This is not Lee’s first go-round in these type of proceedings. In 1994 a Floyd County jury found him guilty of distributing obscene material.

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=680&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1311980&om=1

Fortunately, on the same weekend of the fund raiser Gordon Lee received some good news:
http://www.cbldf.org/pr/archives/000355.shtml

[Lorien]

1. Can anyone tell me how to embed a video?

I've never tried it before :shrug:

[nemo137]

2. Jeff "Bone" Smith?

Who did the Capt. Marvel (sorry DC lawyers, Shazam) book? Neat.

[Lorien]

3. Yep. Same guy

he's now doing another book of his own called "RASL"; it's aimed more towards adults, and is about a dimension hopping art thief.

We're also trying to get "Bone" turned into a Feature Film for the third time right now. Maybe the third time is the charm?


If you read the "Bone" series you might remember the story arc called "The dragonslayer". It was actually an allegory for the right wing's attacks on Clinton during his last few years in office.

[nemo137]

4. Really? I will have to check that out.

It's been forever since I read them.