Hentai on Trial Article has got me pissed!

rubyeye · Post by **rubyeye** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 12:47 am

This just posted at AnimeNews Network.

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Another article on the Jesus Castillo case is in this week's issue of Las Vegas City Life.

Mr. Castillo, the manager of Dallas, TX-based Keith's Comics, was charged with promoting obscenity and sentenced to a six-month prison term, a US$4,000 fine and probation for selling an issue of an adult manga to a police officer. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund appealed the sentence twice, losing both times, but has decided to appeal to have the case heard by the United States Supreme Court.

The official CBLDF statement on the case is available here

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This is the first time I've heard about this case and It just has me furious at the utter stupidity of it. I used to shop at Keith's Comics; I know the place.

jonmartensen · Post by **jonmartensen** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 12:54 am

And that it all started because some lady got in a huff about the price of a pokemon comic book.

Asshat, pure and utter, Asshat.

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 1:03 am

Don't some Christians (i.e. the ones who would quote Bible verses in letters to the editor) have problems with Pokemon anyhow?

But yeah, that sucks hard. I hope the guy wins.

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 4:07 am

freedom of speach is like money some people have more than others, america needs to remember the ammendments, what the hell is happening to our freedom of speech. so he sold toon-porn, was the cop of age? at least he wasn't selling to kids. our rights are being raped everyday, and we do nothing about it

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 7:27 am

OMG those bastards. I can not believe that they are doing this to that poor man, WTF! I certainly hope this gets taken care of in the Supreme Court!

Chaos Angel · Post by **Chaos Angel** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 2:45 pm

I suppose it's only a matter of time before all American comic books are reduced to Archie...

Sad, sad, sad...

Yes, I agree, 'tis bullshit. If he wasn't selling it to minors, then he did nothing illegal.

SS5_Majin_Bebi · Post by **SS5_Majin_Bebi** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 6:13 pm

what a crock of shit!! Fuckin uptight assholes stickin therre shit where it isnt wanted! I hope the comic dude wins, and then sues for wrongful prosecution!

My_Nemesis · Post by **My_Nemesis** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 7:32 pm

What the hell is this BS. Selling an adult comic to an adult and getting arrested for it. That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? My god some people are stupid.

jonmartensen · Post by **jonmartensen** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 7:46 pm

It's not that he did sell a pornographic style magazine to an adult, it's the content of the comic. In order for something of that nature to be sold there was to be more to it than just pronaographic pictures. Playboy and Larry Flint's magazine came under such scrutiny when they first came out. Why do you think there are also articles in those magazines.

In the trial they are contesting that content of the magazine crosses a line (I don't know what that line is though), and the defense is saying that the content of the magazine can not be judged on that single issue alone, it is a series and has enough content to be legally sold.

Both sides have a case, and without knowing how much content a magazine must have, and how much that comic does have, it's hard to say whether or not the law was actually broken. Although, the way the prosecution has presented their case, I would think that the magazine doesn't cross that line and they are rellying people's general distaste for that which is different.

kthulhu · Post by **kthulhu** » Tue Feb 11, 2003 9:18 pm

jonmartensen wrote:In the trial they are contesting that content of the magazine crosses a line (I don't know what that line is though), and the defense is saying that the content of the magazine can not be judged on that single issue alone, it is a series and has enough content to be legally sold.

The issue, as I see it, is that he runs a comic store that caters to all ages (fine). He also sells printed material of an adult nature, to adults (fine, legally). However, some of that printed material of an adult nature is in a format that is normally associated with children (i.e. comic books). To some closed minds, he is pushing (or tricking kids into reading) pornography on kids by selling it in a comic book format.

What he is in trouble for is not selling pornography. He is in trouble for "corrupting minors", because some close minded types have a beef with him.

But yeah, I hope he wins, and if he does, I hope he sues the newspaper that printed that letter so many times for defamamtion and trouble.