Scott says Since DC has big-money lawyers, I'm unsure of how much the CBLDF was involved in this one, but it's probably another good time to plug them regardless.
Originally DC Comics declined to defend Joe Lansdale, Timothy Truman and Sam Glanzman, and they came to the CBLDF who immediately took on the case. Later, DC Comics changed its mind, and defended them through its insurance company, but the CBLDF was certainly there all the way -- and we filed an amicus brief on this current round. Check out http://www.cbldf.org/casefiles/winterbros.shtml for the original case file.
Which leads me to an actual question you may or may not be able to answer. The other day I was in the grocery store and they had the Archie comics in the check-out isle. I couldn't help but notice they retains the "Approved by the Comics Code Authority" seal on them. I didn't think the CCA still existed, they certainly haven't "approved" most of the Comics/Manga I read, and I'm grateful for that.
Thanks
-Scott
The comics code authority is certainly still in existence, but who they are, what they do, and what the current terms of the code are, I do not know (I asked once, when I was working at DC Comics, and no-one there seemed to know either). Here's a link to the original 1950s version version of the Code...
Incidentally --
1) No comic magazine shall use the word "horror" or "terror" in its title.
2) All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.
3) All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.
4) Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.
5) Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.