Media Release -- Image Comics and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund are proud to present LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016, coming this November. Shipping on the eve of the U.S. election, this year's installment of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL is a call to optimism that celebrates real people whose efforts changed the world.

"Our mission was to create a comic that is an honest tonic to the overwhelming negativity that defines our current cultural climate," said CBLDF Executive Director and LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016 co-editor Charles Brownstein. "With the creators in this book, we worked to inspire readers by telling true stories of people who made a difference in the world and who celebrate how each of us can be the change we want to make."

From suffragettes to sports legends, creative visionaries to courageous citizens who took a stand, the subjects of CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016 are brought to life by extraordinary creators. Subjects include:

· Muhammad Ali by Paul Pope (Battling Boy)
· Louise Michel by Bryan and Mary Talbot (The Red Virgin)
· Gene Roddenberry by Dan Schkade (The Spirit)
· Jim Haynes by Joe Keatinge (SHUTTER) and Ken Niimura (I KILL GIANTS)
· Leo Burnett by Larry Marder (Beanworld) and Shannon Wheeler (God Is Disappointed in You)
· Ida Wells by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett (Boilerplate)
· Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges by Ron Wimberly (PRINCE OF CATS)
· Elizabeth Woodhull by Andrew Aydin (March) and Tim Fielder (Matty's Rocket)
· Jane Addams by M.K. Reed (Americus) and Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg

"The first step to changing the culture is to change the narrative," said SHUTTER creator and co-editor Joe Keatinge. "Each comic profiles one person who positively influenced humanity in some way—some big, some small—and in doing so reminds us we're not separated from the world at large. We're part of it. And we can change it."

All proceeds from this benefit anthology support Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's important work protecting the freedom to read, including current efforts to challenge and clarify legislation affecting retailers in Louisiana and California, as well as First Amendment emergencies affecting creators, readers, librarians, and educators throughout the United States.

CBLDF PRESENTS: LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016 Cover A by Nate Powell (Diamond code: SEP160655) and Cover B by Brandon Graham (Diamond code: SEP160656) will hit comic book stores Wednesday, November 2nd. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, October 10th.