Ed Snowden, who we deeply respect for his bravery, is possibly the best "celebrity" we can imagine to utilize one of the cornerstone use cases of decentralized technology for an NFT charity auction. Regardless of the collected sum, it was a great success for him and his foundation and we captured the bittersweet taste of his sacrifice in this 1st Gazette's comic strip.

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My initial idea was a humorous version of the Snowden saga mixed with the NFT story at hand. One where Snowden would appear bored while stuck for weeks at the Moscow airport, so NFT minting/auctioning an NFT would be a great distraction to pass the time.

I googled so extensively about Snowden references that I have likely raised red flags, perhaps even made the NSA's watch list. After a brief brainstorming with Red, we decided to expand the story being told beyond just the recent NFT auction.

The opening scene takes place at Sheremetyevo airport, and if you look closely you will see a tiny detail with a prohibition sign saying: "No Cubes allowed".

he next frame, we move inside the terminal and witness Snowden minting the NFT. But where is his famous magic blanket? CCTV cameras are everywhere. He must have super DOGE power, you know, from the sticker on his laptop!

You may have already figured that we aimed to symbolize Turkey's ban on crypto with the man sitting next to Ed. But there is much more to it. Redlion's idea was to use Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe a.k.a Salt Bae as a face reference. That explains his I ❤️ SALT  embroidery. The fact he is personally involved in NFTs is just a fun fact to add seasoning :)

Finally, the thrilling auction is over and we see the winning bid... The massive sum of 2,224 ETH is reflected in Ed's glasses! Yes! 

Here comes the party time! To celebrate the well-earned success with the online community of freedom and liberty defenders as well as decentralization / NFT enthusiasts everywhere!

We know we'll never forget the brave deeds of this exceptional man, who has sacrificed so much of his own freedom for the good of all of us.