SMITH comics editor Jeff Newelt wants to extend a special invitation to our readers to attend the first of many world-wide parties/fundraisers for the Comic Books Legal Defense Fund, a colorful outfit dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for the comics world. The NYC event goes down this Monday, December 10 at The Village Pourhouse and is co-hosted by Newelt, A.D.’s Josh Neufeld, Shooting War’s Dan Goldman, author and SMITH blogger Douglas Rushkoff, and comics guru and man-about-town, Dean Haspiel. Paul Pope (that’s hit Batman comic, above) and Moby will also be in the house for what is expected to be a massive, mind-blowing melding of some of the most amazing talents in the graphic and other arts world. Monday’s fete kicks off CBLDF’s national tour, with parties in Los Angeles, CA, Berkeley, CA, and Vienna, VA. For more on the parties and the CBLDF hit www.cbldf.org, or click the invite on the left.

Paul Pope’s Batman cover from Flickr user renguerra.