One paragraph says it all:
"So, if you are planning a trip to China anytime soon, be prepared to give up on many apps and websites that you use, as they are either blocked by the firewall or unusable due to API calls to such websites."
Back in 2010 (?) I was told that the old WordPress CBO had been checked and passed by the Chinese authorities as being "safe". But politics and the world keep changing. CBO tries not to!
On the old CBO I used to get people comment about Cinebooks The 9th Art censoring nudity in its reprints of Franco-Belgian comic albums. Firstly, these changes were all made with the approval of the artist involved.
It was not some puritanical streak in Cinebook just doing this because they wanted to spoil some sad boys glimpse of a naked breast. The European artists involve draw figures -men and women- incredibly and I love the style they use. However, I do appreciate that Cinebook is operating in an international market and some of the countries in that market have strong "decency laws" so topless woman =your book just aint getting on that market. Yes, yes, yes -we are all anti-censorship but different cultures have their own rules and taboos. And before someone who has not checked "About" at the top of the page and knows nothing about me writes, once more, that I'm a pro censorship person let me add that I wrote two best selling "erotic comics".
Having a towel drawn around the top of a naked woman in a book does not destroy the story, plot, twists, etc.. Why should comic lovers in one country not see a great series because one of the books has a topless woman in it? Personally, I'd leave it in but being a publisher means you have to think more carefully about your product and how it is going to sell....or why it will not sell.
Apart from the more joky "Free Scotland" post on CBO last year, I avoid politics. At times it is very tempting to post a personal comment -especially in recent weeks. But I hold back. Yes, this is MY blog but I ignore and delete nasty comments (so many people think that getting arguements going will boost their blog hits which is quite sad). I ignore politics because I would prefer to make CBO a safe comic haven. When I did veer off this course and comment on news events on the old CBO I got a couple of responses. Responses to blogs are rare so I paid attention:
"Oh no. All this dark stuff going on and I thought CBO would be a safe place to get away from it!"
and
"Depressing. All this nastiness going on in the world and my safe comic haven is drawn into it!"
I took those comments to heart and remembered them. Look at any blog or even You Tube -positive comments are rare because the mindless morons who find they can anonymously (no such thing if you are on the internet) write expletives, nasty insults and much more with no repercussions.
Now, will I stop being outspoken about comics and the media? NO. That would be -forgive the image- me castrating myself. You know, there must have been a better metaphor than that. Anyway, to hold back on comments about the medium would make this a pointless blog -I might as well publish all DC and Marvel Press Releases!
But what I will continue to do is prevent CBO from becoming home of my personal political opinions. They are boring. People want to get away from all that dreck. I could launch a political tirade on North Korea, China, Japan, Iceland (come on -they must have done something....whaling!) but why? I write and draw and publish comics. I think anyone interested in comics deserves to have a blog they can go to that they can get away from all of that.
Life is depressing enough.
I try -TRY- to be as family friendly as I can. I even made that Christmas resolution to no longer attack miserable comic book personalities. Let 'em wallow in it. And our poor comic regulars from China are now suffering because of politics and all they want is to read about comics. CBO is just about comics and not airing political views.
My blog. My rules.
So...
中国请回来！
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