Charlie Hebdo

Sarah McIntyre, the author and illustrator of popular children's books including Jampires, There's A Shark In The Bath, and You Can't Eat A Princess, has presented an inspiring response to the massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo earlier this week. On her Twitter account she declared, "Let 2015 be the year more people from around the world take up cartooning/comics to tell their stories." Cartoonists responded to the deaths at Charlie Hebdo -- which included the deaths of five of their peers -- with cartoons that encouraged defiance and free expression. McIntyre took the idea one step further, encouraging people who have never expressed themselves through cartoons to see this as a moment to stand up and tell their stories. On her Livejournal she offers advice on how to get started.

Wednesday's attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo left twelve people dead, including nine of the magazine's journalists. Five of those journalists were cartoonists. Though the manner of Charlie Hebdo's satire was often of a quality and tone that many would find distasteful, there can be no argument, no pretense, that violence and murder were an appropriate response. Cartoonists, satirists, and commentators have the right to free expression, and should be held accountable for their views in ways that do not threaten their lives or safety. Cartooning has long been one of the most vibrant and incisive forms of public commentary, and that tradition should be celebrated. In that spirit, ComicsAlliance has compiled a collection of some of the responses to the Charlie Hebdo massacre by cartoonists and illustrators; cartoons that acknowledge the tragedy and represent defiance in the face of fear.

At least 12 people, including ten journalists and two police officers, are reported dead in an attack by gunmen on the Paris offices of left wing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo ('Charlie Weekly') on Wednesday morning. Le Parisien reports that cartoonists Stephane 'Charb' Charbonnier, Jean 'Cabu' Cabut, Georges Wolinski, and Bernhard 'Tignous' Verlhac are among the dead. Charb was also the magazine's editor-in-chief. At least ten more were injured in the attack, with five said to be in critical condition. The same magazine was firebombed in 2011 following the publication of a satirical cartoon featuring the prophet Muhammed.

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