The trial has begun this week for Gordon Lee, a comic store owner in the foothill town of Rome, Georgia who faces two misdemeanor charges of distributing harmful materials to a minor on Halloween night three years ago. The smut in question? An issue of “Alternative Comics” that features the harmlessly nude figure of Pablo Picasso at right; Lee’s lawyer will argue that this historically accurate depiction of the Spaniard’s first meeting with fellow painter Georges Braque (historically homo-erotic, now that you mention it) is protected by the Constitution. The mother of the 6 year-old and 9 year-old boys who brought home the comic book ain’t buying it, and would rather see Lee thrown in the slammer for a year than accept his apology. We love the contradiction inherent to the fact that those same boys will someday be encouraged to punch “Latina” into YouTube and drool over the softcore that ensues, but are corrupted the minute they see a doodled dick. Play on, Pablo!

Man faces trial for distributing comic books depicting nude Pablo Picasso [CourtTV News]
Image [Google]