Humble Bundle Releases a Must-Read Collection to Benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Aside from a library card or a comiXology Unlimited subscription, there aren’t too many opportunities to sample a wide array of comics from different publishers at a low cost—even Humble Bundle’s most common comics collections are divided by publisher or franchise, for those of us eager to catch up on Valiant’s shared universe, or IDW’s Transformers comics. Starting today, though, curious readers can nab a “Must Read” collection from Humble Bundle that spans comics as different and diverse as Lumberjanes, Saga and Attack on Titan, all in support of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, or CBLDF.

“Humble Comics Bundle: Start Here!” features over 40 comics and graphic novels from publishers including BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, Image Comics, Kodansha, Top Shelf and more, spanning America, Europe and Japan.

“It’s incredible to recognize that so many of the most well-loved and popular titles in comics have been banned and challenged,” CBLDF President Christina Merkler said in a statement. “Seeing books CBLDF has stood up for like Saga, Bone, Barefoot Gen and Love & Rockets in this bundle is a strong reminder that the freedom to read can’t be taken for granted.”

While the CBLDF has occasionally drawn criticism over the years for some of the causes it has chosen to take up, it remains the premiere non-profit organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comic medium. Since 1986, the CBLDF has provided legal aid, education and advocacy on behalf of creators, retailers, publishers, librarians and even readers. Per Humble Bundle’s mission, consumers will be able to specify a percentage of each “Start Here!” collection cost to donate to the CBLDF.

“CBLDF has gone to bat for my readers and fellow artists time and again over the years,” Fun Home cartoonist Alison Bechdel added. “Thanks to their support, books like Fun Home are available to readers who wouldn’t otherwise see themselves in their community’s libraries. Thank you, Humble Bundle community for supporting their work!”

World-famous author and CBLDF Advisory Board chair Neil Gaiman, who appears in the above promotional video alongside Bechdel, also praised the partnership: “Thanks to the support of the Humble Bundle community, CBLDF is realizing our long-term goals of creating new legal support for creators at risk domestically and around the world. We’re building more resources to help students, educators and librarians use comics in education, and defending their Free Expression rights—all at no cost to those who need our help.”

The Humble Bundle: Start Here! kicks off February 13th at 2:00 p.m. and runs through March 1st at 1:00 p.m., Eastern time. For more on the available titles, visit the Humble Bundle website.