obscenity_laws

=Obscenity Laws=

What's the Big Deal?
In a time where there are numerous different types of comics on the market, the range goes from child-appropriate material up to graphic novels with content that may be deemed inappropriate for children. Certain moral guardians that patrol these comics tend to view them as nothing more than picture books with a lack of both literacy and artistic worth. The very word 'comics' are generally assumed by the mass public as being only for kids, thus tightening the grip of obscenity laws around comics. The isssue becomes with comics as it is with movies - parents cannot be around at all times to watch out for what their children are buying, so they require a governing body to decide what their child will and will not see when they go to the local comic store. This in turn causes a huge problem for comic book retailers. If any obscenity at all in any comic book is regarded as inappropriate and far too obscene for a kid to read, then they retailers of that particular comic can have any number of things happen to them.

Potential Danger
The idea of a community standard comes into play here. The views of a particular community can either be very for having more relaxed laws in relation to the comics allowed to be sold, or they can be incredibly harsh in getting them thrown out. A few of the legal ramifications include the potential negative affect on the retailers financial situation. If the comics are no longer allowed to sell, then any number can be pulled from the shelves. This has the potential to greatly hurt the owner financially. Another ramification would be the aesthetic of the comics themselves. Word will travel back to the creator of the comic, and he/she will have to alter their future comics or possibly even the one that has already been released so that it is deemed appropriate to sell. This compromises the integrity of the text itself. Finally, on a personal level, several stores have been shut down and owners have been forced out of business due to the community not being happy with the level of comic that they were selling.

Busted
One mad in Dallas, Texas was arrested and charged with two counts of obscenity for selling adult comics in the adult section of his comics store. Jesus Castillo was sentenced to 180 days in jail, and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. The judge lightened the sentence to just 1 year probation. However, this has been occurring more and more frequently as the social guidelines for what the mass audience wants in comic texts changes.

What's Being Done?
Due to the largely arrogant public perception that comics are for little children, the above case won. That was the prosecuting attorney's argument. Children are the ones we, as adults, believe to be the ones buying those comics with those wildly in appropriate pages all over it. Comics status in the public eye can very easily rise or fall, and it is important to keep it up nice and high! A legal defence fund has been established on line for comic's producers and retailers in case they encounter some of their own comic trouble. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund ([|www.cbldf.org/timeline/index.html]) has been established so that donations are made to help cover the comic shop owners should they encounter a situation like this.