Should There Have Been A More Potent Reaction To The Handley Sentencing?

In a fortnight measured by contentious article about Captain America somehow insulting Tea Party advocates, design issues at The Comics Journal, the fact that Meet The Press disrespects editorial cartoonists, and a sprawling chat about what measure of respect we should show Brian Hibbs' reading of Bookscan numbers, an e-mailer to this site who doesn't want their name out there wonders if the entire comics industry has underplayed the chilling value of last week's news that Christopher Handley will be going to jail for receiving comics in the mail and thinking things about them.

I'd say probably, although I think in some traditional structural ways it's understandable: First, it was a story that came out late in the week. Second, the story came in two parts (guilty plea, sentence) over several months and didn't have that bolt of lightning effect as a result. Third, the decision by Handley's lawyer to accept a plea last year made the second inevitable and was deflating in a lot of ways that I think cut into the ease with which folks might have been more purely outraged at the case and its implications.

Still, I think it's good to keep this case in mind, and not let it fade away immediately. I agree wholeheartedly with the statement made by Charles Brownstein here about how and why this thing is a general travesty. I think it's worth reading all follow-up coverage as we catch onto it. And I think it's worth taking in things like RC Harvey's angry editorial here, as well as the 2008 Neil Gaiman post on the matter if you haven't yet. Nothing about such a case should surprise the next time around.
 
posted 6:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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