CBLDF: "When Judge Larry Salmon entered the courtroom shortly after 9 AM Monday, prosecutors declared the case nolle prosse, meaning that the charges that were to go to trial this week have been dismissed. Prosecutors are re-filing under a new accusation alleging that Lee handed Alternative Comics #2 to a six-year-old minor and his nine-year-old brother, instead of solely to the nine-year-old, as has been previously, and repeatedly, declared.

Lee now faces two misdemeanor counts of 'Distribution of Materials Harmful to a Minor' (OCGA 16-12-103). One count alleges he 'did unlawfully … knowingly furnish and disseminate to a minor… a book, pamphlet, magazine and printed matter containing pictures, drawings and visual representation and images of a person or portion of the human body which depict sexually explicit nudity, sexual conduct, and sadomasochistic abuse and which is harmful to minors…' The second count alleges that he disseminated and furnished material containing 'explicit and detailed verbal descriptions and narrative accounting of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, and sadomasochistic abuse and which taken as a whole is harmful to minors.'"

The comic at the center of this is a print version of Nick Bertozzi's The Salon, which was originally published -- and is still available -- as a webcomic on serializer.net. Nick is a Harvey and Ignatz award winner, and an Eisner Award nominee. My standards may be different then the average prosecutor from Georgia, but I don't recall anything that fits my idea of "sadomasochistic abuse" in The Salon.

The wonderful CBLDF has already spent $50,000 fighting this case, and could always use your extra cash ...