Baltimore Comicon Raises $6,500 for Fund
October 30, 2002
(excerpt)
A star-studded line up of comics professionals, progresive retailers, and staunch supporters donated $6,500 to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at last weekend’s Baltimore Comicon.
The largest gift came from Phoenix Comics and Toys, whose raffle for a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 generated $2,000 for the Fund. Based in Herndon, VA, Phoenix supports a wide assortment of comics and graphic novels. “We’re really angry about the situation in Texas and wanted to do something to help out,” says Howie Welsch, co-owner of the shop. The raffle attracted hundreds of entrants and the winner was Greg Smith, an 18 year old comics fan from Maryland.
Defender of Liberty George Perez donated half of the money earned from his weekend’s sketches to the Fund. On Friday night Perez was presented with his Defender of Liberty statue at a dinner for the show’s artists preceeding the event. Perez beamed as he accepted the award and restated his commitment to the Fund’s fight to preserve comics’ First Amendment rights.
