books re st r i c t e d. • 1n Alabama

ing eyebrows.This new law wentinto effect during the week of July 7, 2003, and it restricts materials found to be harmful to minors. These materials include comic books, and retailers are in violation.

The Act requires "material harmful to minors to be obstructed from view and segregated in commercial establishments; and for other purposes."

Lawmakers designed the statute to keep magazines such as "Penthouse" and "Playboy" out of the hands of minors, but titles such as "Batman," "Spider-man," and most ·'Manga" were found to be under the violation as well.

Librarians and retailers are now expected to contain "blinder racks."

This means anything from "Sailor Moon" to "Catcher in the Rye" needs to be covered from view.

Once the news of this law broke

They argue that the law is unconstitutional and challenged it.

Chris Finn, the president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression said that the law prohibits a range of publications, "such as works with serious literary and artistic merit."

A trial to test this new law will probably be set up in the near future. So far, views have remained unblocked on this subject of whether the law is constitutional or not.

Until a resolution can be reached, the comic book lovers of Arkansas will be left to search the back rooms and covered racks of local retailers to find the adventure, suspense, and questionable content of their favorite comic heroes.