"The Sakai Project" Celebrates Character, Benefits Creator

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES THE SAKAI PROJECT

Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of Usagi Yojimbo

The most amazing artists in the world have come together to celebrate thirty years of Stan Sakai’s marvelous samurai rabbit saga, Usagi Yojimbo, in a new oversized hardcover benefit book: The Sakai Project: Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of “Usagi Yojimbo”.

“It has been an absolute pleasure publishing Stan’s work over the years, and recently collaborating with him directly on 47 Ronin,” said Dark Horse’s president and founder, Mike Richardson. “With the thirtieth anniversary of his most beloved creation, Usagi, and in a time of need for Stan and his family, we are honored to publish this tribute to Stan and his work. We are donating all of the proceeds to Stan and his wife, Sharon. We hope you will join us in honoring one of the comics industry’s shining lights.”

The participating artists bring their own interpretations and their own styles to the subject, making this book a one-of-a-kind treasure.

The Sakai Project is produced in association with the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS). All proceeds from this book will go to Stan and Sharon Sakai.

ADAM HUGHES | ALAIN MAURICET | ALEX MALEEV | ALLISON SOHN | ANDY GRENEN | ARTHUR ADAMS | BATTON LASH | BILL MORRISON | BRIAN CHING & MICHAEL ATIYEH | BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | CARLOS D’ANDA & GABE ELTAEB | CHRIS SCALF | DAN PANOSIAN | DAVE GIBBONS | DAVID MACK | DOUG WHEATLEY | EDGAR DELGADO | ERIC POWELL | GABRIEL HARDMAN | GEOF DARROW | HOWARD CHAYKIN | JAN DUURSEMA | JEFF SMITH | JOYCE CHIN | MARK CRILLEY | MATT GROENING | MATT WAGNER | MICHAEL ALLRED | MICHAEL AVON OEMING | MICHAEL GOLDEN | MIKE KUNKEL | MIKE MIGNOLA | OSCAR MARTIN | PAUL GULACY | PAUL RENAUD | PHIL YEH | RICHARD CORBEN | SCOTT SHAW | SERGIO ARAGONÉS | STEPHANIE GLADDEN | TIM SALE | TOM MANDRAKE | TOM RICHMOND | WALTER SIMONSON | WILLIAM STOUT | & MORE!

Industry professionals, Dark Horse encourages your participation! The deadline for art submissions is February 20, 2014. For technical specifications and other information, e-mail Dark Horse at sakaiproject@darkhorse.com.

The Sakai Project will be released on July 23. Pre-order with your local comics retailer.

About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

Fantagraphics Books Seeks Help with Kickstarter Campaign

Fantagraphics Books Launches a Kickstarter Campaign to Help Fund Spring-Summer 2014 Comics Publishing Season

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS IS ASKING FOR READERS' SUPPORT THROUGH KICKSTARTER. HELP FINANCE OUR SPRING-SUMMER SEASON, AND BE A PART OF THE COMPANY THAT HAS PUBLISHED MORE OF THE BEST CARTOONISTS IN THE HISTORY OF COMICS THAN ANY OTHER PUBLISHER.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantagraphicsbooks/fantagraphics-2014-spring-season-39-graphic-novels

Fantagraphics Books is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help finance our Spring-Summer 2014 season of books. Earlier this Fantagraphics Co-Publisher Kim Thompson was diagnosed with cancer and died four months later, on June 19, 2013. Because Kim was such an active part of our company, his death has had repercussions — both emotionally and financially. Kim edited our European graphic novel line and, as a result of his illness, 13 of the books scheduled for the Spring and Summer of 2013 had to be cancelled or postponed. This represents the loss of one-third of the entire season. We have suffered a severe shortfall that will impede our ability to produce next season's books. That's why we're asking our faithful readers and new converts alike to help us recoup — and help finance our 2014 Spring-Summer books through Kickstarter. We are offering a varied list of premium options, from signed copies of the books from that season to a target-shooting trip with Fantagraphics' Publisher Gary Groth.

OUR NEXT SEASON: APRIL-AUGUST 2014
Fantagraphics' Spring-Summer season is comprised of 39 books by a stellar line-up of cartoonists. There are a number of books from names familiar to longtime comics readers — Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Joe Sacco, Drew Friedman, Michael Kupperman, Jim Woodring, Don Rosa, Tony Millionaire, and The Hernandez Brothers. Not to mention any number of other names that could anchor a comics Hall of Fame: Charles Schulz, Steve Ditko, Simon & Kirby, Hal Foster, Carl Barks, Floyd Gottfredson, L.B. Cole, Jacques Tardi, John Severin, S. Clay Wilson, Wally Wood, and more. We also have one of our strongest seasons of original graphic novels ever, including new books from Olivier Schrauwen, Simon Hanselmann, Esther Pearl Watson, Conor Stechschulte, Carol Swain, Lane Milburn, Eleanor Davis, and Ed Piskor.

From The Complete witzend to The Complete Eightball, Buddy Bradley to Megg & Mogg, and Don Rosa's Ducks to S. Clay Wilson's pirates, plus new Peanuts, Donald Duck, EC Comics and Love and Rockets books, our 2014 lineup truly features The World's Greatest Cartoonists.

And that's merely one publishing season of five months; we publish a virtual pantheon of cartoonists every season.

OUR MISSION
Fantagraphics Books has been waving the banner of cartooning for almost 40 years, and we have always believed in the artistic potential of comics — in the medium's power and subtlety; its vast capaciousness and intimate smallness; its ability to transport us to different worlds or express the human heart in conflict with itself; its ability to vivify political and historical events or reveal intimate autobiographical truths; its hilariously vulgar humor, or its moving urban dramas. We strive to find the best and brightest comics from new cartoonists and from the classic archives.

THE PERENNIAL STRUGGLE
Ours is and always has been an intrinsically difficult commercial enterprise, and we have survived due to a combination of great taste, sheer will, good luck, and reasonable business acumen. Still, it has never been easy. Fantagraphics has always been a guerilla publisher — lean and mean. In order to do what we do, we have always kept our overhead low and our lifestyle modest. We publish about 100 books a year with a staff of less then 20 — a level of efficiency unheard of in corporate publishing. We pride ourselves on taking risks, publishing work based on merit, and a commitment to serious artistic standards.

Fantagraphics has never existed comfortably within the traditional capitalist model — ruthlessly competitive, obsessed with growth, and the endless accumulation of surplus money. Our artistic values have always tempered our profitability. Fantagraphics has managed to scrape by, but we realized that with the advent of crowd funding, we are in a position to make an end-run around the most brutish strictures of the marketplace and appeal directly to our readers through Kickstarter. We are asking the public to help us continue this quixotic enterprise. At the end of the day, we cannot rely on anyone but our readers.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantagraphicsbooks/fantagraphics-2014-spring-season-39-graphic-novels

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DC Comics Super Heroes Inspire Fine Art and Tour

From left to right: Movie director Zack Snyder, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee in a May 22 2012 Business Wire photographic image.


Original Fine Art Inspired by the Universe of DC Comics Super Heroes Kicks Off a Multi-City Tour

The “Darkness & Light” Art Exhibit Features an Awe-Inspiring Collection of Pop-Culture and Fine Art Interpretations of the World’s Most Iconic Heroes as You’ve Never Seen Them Before

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment yesterday premiered “Darkness & Light: Art Inspired by Heroes & Villains, Hope & Heroism,” a collection of original artwork inspired by the universe of DC Comics and its iconic characters, including JUSTICE LEAGUE super heroes Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and re-imagined by exceptional contemporary artists from around the world. To celebrate the unveiling of this one-of-a-kind collection, DC Entertainment opened the doors to its new Burbank headquarters at The Pointe with an open house and private reception.

“We work with many of these amazing artists day-in and day-out. With this project, we gave them the free rein to interpret the universe of DC Comics super heroes as they see them in their medium of choice. What we got back was a fascinating collection of visually stunning pieces, each offering a completely unique perspective on these universally recognized characters,” said Brian Deputy, Vice President of Creative Worldwide for Warner Bros. Consumer Products and curator of the “Darkness & Light” exhibit.

The collection, which includes more than 100 original works from artists spanning the globe and ranging in various forms, from graphic designers and painters to sculptors, will also raise awareness for DC Entertainment’s WE CAN BE HEROES giving campaign (http://www.wecanbeheroes.org/).

The participating artists hail from around the globe—as well as within the halls of Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment—and bring their diverse backgrounds, unique artistic styles and perceptions of the universe of DC Comics to this collection. Some key artists involved include Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Martin Ontiveros, Mike Palermo, Nathan Sawaya, Bwana Spoons and Amanda Visell.

The collection includes a piece by Martin Ontiveros called “Order/Chaos,” which depicts good and evil together, rendered in ink and paint on board; Kiyoshi Nakazawa combined various media in his dramatic interpretation of Batman in “A Great Sense of Humor”; working in steel, wood, paper, plaster and resin, Mike Palermo created "Man of Steel" that shows that there is a hero in everyone; Amanda Visell’s piece, “Wonder Woman,” uses paint on board to show this female super hero’s stoic but sexy power; and an oversized original work of art by legendary comics artist and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, which utilizes spray paint and acrylic on canvas to highlight the profile of Batman with a color scheme inspired by the colors of Africa – yellow, green, red and black.

“This distinctive collection unites the comic industry with contemporary artists, highlighting each artist’s individuality and style,” continued Deputy. “The creators each had a deep connection to the characters and worlds of DC Comics and this passion is brought to life and captured for all to see through this incredibly vivid collection.”

Up next, “Darkness & Light” will take to the road with a series of public exhibitions that will continue to benefit and raise awareness for WE CAN BE HEROES, including a showing in San Diego at the premier Michael J. Wolf gallery during Comic-Con International from July 13-15. Additional exhibition dates and locations to be announced this summer.

WE CAN BE HEROES utilizes the iconic JUSTICE LEAGUE to help raise awareness and funds for three nonprofit partners – Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps – who are delivering aid to millions of people in need of critical assistance in the famine-ravaged Horn of Africa. For more information on DC Entertainment’s WE CAN BE HEROES campaign, please visit http://www.wecanbeheroes.org/.

To learn more about DC Entertainment and its iconic characters, please visit http://www.dccomics.com/.


About Warner Bros. Consumer Products:
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

New People to Auction Yoshitaka Amano Originals for Japan Benefit

MANGA/ANIME ARTIST YOSHITAKA AMANO DONATES THREE ARTWORKS FOR A SPECIAL ART EXHIBIT AND JAPANESE DISASTER BENEFIT AT NEW PEOPLE’s SUPERFROG GALLERY

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN Showcases The Artist’s Vibrant Style And Presents A Very Special Live Auction Event To Raise Funds For Ongoing Japanese Recovery

San Francisco, CA, June 14, 2011 – NEW PEOPLE, the dynamic San Francisco entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, is proud to present Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN, a very special pop art exhibition and auction event to fund ongoing Japanese disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN opens inside NEW PEOPLE’s SUPERFROG Gallery on Saturday, June 18th and runs through Saturday July 9th. A special auction event and closing party is scheduled for Saturday, July 9th – the final day of the exhibit – from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Guests must RSVP here to attend. Additional details are available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/arts/yoshitaka-amano-for-japan.

Yoshitaka Amano has donated three striking new brush works on canvas to be auctioned for the tsunami and earthquake victims of Japan. Fully 100% of all proceeds will be received by the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund by JCCCNC (http://www.jcccnc.org/). Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN will further exhibit a range of the acclaimed artist’s works that were originally created as a testament to his childhood love for American pop culture, comics, and automobiles. Reinterpreted with his signature manga and anime-influenced graphic style, these breathtaking and vibrant pieces are boldly coated in auto paint and metallic glitter.

Bidding will be open to on-site as well as text bidding beginning at 12:00pm (PST) on Saturday, July 9th. Bid amounts will be updated LIVE on NEW PEOPLE’s TWITTER page. The Final Bidding Event is scheduled to be held during the closing party beginning at 7:30pm.

All bidders must pre-register to participate. Bidders may register online here or also on-site at the SUPERFROG Gallery. Credit Card information will be attained via phone after registration, along with a Bidder Number that will be used for identification during the auction. The bidder with the highest final bid at the auction’s closing time will attain the painting after payment is verified. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

“Japan still faces many challenges as it works to rebuild its infrastructure and house tens of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake and tsunami,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of NEW PEOPE, Inc. “Yoshitaka Amano is an internationally acclaimed artist in the anime and pop art world and we’re honored to offer the SUPERFROG Gallery as the venue to unveil three of his latest works that will help with such a critical cause. This is a rare opportunity to acquire work by one of the most celebrated pop artists of the last 20 years and one not to be missed!”

Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano is widely acclaimed for his work in animation and video games. He is also renowned for designing the characters for the hit video game, Final Fantasy, as well as for anime films including Vampire Hunter D, Guin Saga, Final Fantasy, and Front Mission.

The SUPERFROG Gallery is a bright and spacious 2,000 square foot exhibit space that is located on the 3rd floor of NEW PEOPLE’s striking contemporary building in the heart of San Francisco’s historic Japantown. SUPERFROG Gallery is a permanent outlet for established as well as emerging artists that draw inspiration from Japanese and Asian pop and modern culture.

NEW PEOPLE opened in 2009 and has become a unique must-see attraction of San Francisco’s cultural landscape. The 20,000 square foot contemporary venue features the latest examples of Japanese popular culture expressed though film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post Street in the city’s Japantown.


About NEW PEOPLE, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, California, NEW PEOPLE, Inc. (http://www.newpeopleworld.com/) offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment (www.newpeopleent.com), a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, GANTZ, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, and THE TASTE OF TEA.

DarkBrain Announces Kickstarter Campaign

Press Release

DarkBrain.com Announces Fundraising Campaign

November 16, 2010: After publishing over 300 pages of web comics since February of this year, DarkBrain.com is about to bring one of its popular stories to a crashing completion. “Mirror, Mirror” is the story of the workplace dominatrix haunted by her dead sister, Mirriam. On the heels of the fifth and conclusive issue, the web comic featuring the voice talents of adult film star Tabitha Stevens has much more story to tell, but the web publisher needs the help of comic fans to continue the series to a second volume.

To raise funds to continue the popular series, DarkBrain.com is launching a Kickstarter campaign beginning November 17th. Kickstarter is a unique website designed to help projects like DarkBrain.com acquire funds that either helps launch projects, or help them continue on. Through a series of pledge incentives, DarkBrain.com hopes to raise $6000, the cost associated with producing one issue of a web comic on the popular web comic site.

For the planned 60-day fundraising campaign, DarkBrain.com is offering the following rewards for pledgers:

• PLEDGE $10 OR MORE: SUPPORTER – Free one month membership and the contributor’s name in the list of sponsors in the sponsor's page IN the comic.

• PLEDGE $25 OR MORE: FRIEND – Free one month membership, a signed photo of Tabitha Stevens, and the contributor’s name in the "Sponsored by" page IN the comic.

• PLEDGE $50 OR MORE: BENEFACTOR - Free one month membership, a free poster, and the contributor’s name in the "Sponsored by" page IN the comic (and link-out).

• PLEDGE $100 OR MORE: CHAMPION - Free six month subscription, three free posters (Mirror posters SIGNED by Tabitha Stevens!), the contributor’s name, link AND a small photo in the "Sponsored by" page IN the comic.

• PLEDGE $250 OR MORE: SILVER - A QUARTER PAGE sponsor's advertisement in the comic itself.

• PLEDGE $500 OR MORE: GOLD - A HALF PAGE sponsor's advertisement in the comic itself! OR appear IN the comic in a cameo shot with art done for the contributor (contributor also receives the original art!) and the contributor can supply his/her OWN VOICE for his/her line.

• PLEDGE $1,000 OR MORE: PLATINUM - A FULL PAGE sponsor's advertisement in the comic itself OR the contributor’s own full-page comic developed by DarkBrain and included IN the comic!


In addition to the Kickstarter campaign, DarkBrain.com has also opened an online store featuring 11 x 17 posters from the various comics DarkBrain produces. In the coming weeks, fans of the web comic publisher will also be able to pre-order THE ART OF DARKBRAIN.COM, a 100-page print publication celebrating the accomplishments of DarkBrain’s first year online. DarkBrain’s new store can be found at http://www.darkbrain.com/.

Fans interested in pledging to DarkBrain’s Kickstarter campaign can do so by visiting http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darkbraincomics/mirror-mirror-6-webcomic-with-art-voice-over-and-m

Beetle Bailey Celebrates 60 Years with Charity Event

Press release:

Commemorating 60th Anniversary of Beetle Bailey, Dean of American Cartooning Mort Walker Supports the Troops with Special Veteran’s Day Strip and Military Charity Auction

Auction Launches November 5, with Proceeds to Benefit Eight Military Charities

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the world’s most recognizable Private and comics pages icon, Beetle Bailey recently celebrated 60 years of military mirth and mayhem. In honor of this occasion, creator Mort Walker is honoring the military with a special Veteran’s Day strip and online charity donations, highlighted by a special auction to help raise money to support U.S. troops.

The special Veteran’s Day comic strip ― part of a monthly anniversary series commemorating unforgettable moments in American military history and patriotic observances with a hilarious Beetle spin ― will run on Sunday, Nov. 7.

In partnership with CharityChoice Gift Cards ( www.ccgiftcards.org), the Beetle Bailey Military Charity Auction at www.BeetleBailey.com offers bidders the chance to win two one-of-a-kind portfolios of Beetle Bailey art prints autographed to the winner and donated by Mort Walker, as well as signed copies of his new book, “Beetle Bailey 1965: Sunday and Daily Strips.” Details of the auction include:

-A signed art portfolio of 15 color prints of the special two-week retrospective comic strip series surrounding the 60th anniversary on Sept. 4, 2010.

-A signed art portfolio of 9 color prints of the “Great Moments in American Military History” series of comic strips. The events according to Beetle Bailey include the “Revolutionary War Fife & Drum Corps” artwork; Memorial Day; Flag Day; July 4; V-J Day; Beetle Bailey’s 60th Anniversary; Gen. Cornwallis Surrenders; Veterans Day; and Washington Crossing the Delaware.

-Five autographed copies of Mort Walker’s new book, “Beetle Bailey: The Daily & Sunday Strips 1965” (Titan Books)

The auction kicks off on Friday, Nov. 5 at 6:00 AM EDT and ends Sunday, Nov. 14 at 6:00 PM EST. Participants simply visit www.beetlebailey.com to start their bidding. The successful auction bidder will be able to designate which of eight different military charities will receive the funds from the auction purchase. Additionally, fans may make their own donations to the military charities.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate and enjoyed by more than 200 million readers every day, Beetle Bailey appears in more than 1,800 newspapers worldwide and online at Comics Kingdom™. It is the third most widely syndicated comic strip of all time.


About Mort Walker
Born in 1923 in El Dorado, Kan., Mort Walker was drafted into the Army in 1943 and was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1946. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1948, and went to New York City to pursue his cartooning career. As one of the world’s most prolific cartoonists, Walker has created nine comic strips during his illustrious career, including Hi and Lois, Boner’s Ark and Sam and Silo, which are still distributed today by King Features Syndicate.

About King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, TV programming activities, newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. It represents some of the most recognizable global brands, including Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor Man, Olive Oyl, Romero Britto. For more information, please visit http://www.kingfeatures.com/.

About CharityChoice and Special Kids Fund
Special Kids Fund was founded 10 years ago as a non-sectarian umbrella fundraising organization for special needs children and at-risk youth. CharityChoice Gift Cards was launched in 2004 as the nonprofit pioneers, and is a leader in recipient-designated charity gifts. We have broadened our mission to include all kinds of charitable causes, creating a new channel for charitable funds for over 150 major and many local charities available on our online list at http://www.ccgiftcards.org/.

Comicpalooza to Benefit Hero Initiative

Press release:

Comicpalooza National Comic Book Live Art Fest to Benefit Hero Initiative

Houston, TX – Oct. 7, 2010– The Comicpalooza National Live Art Fest is a charity event in which comic book and manga artists across the nation will flash their mad art skills to the whole world by drawing, sketching, and painting while the public watches. The gathered comic and anime fans can bid on their favorite pieces of art as they are finished. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Hero Initiative.

The ‘Fest will take place simultaneously in all participating cities on January 22, 2011. These events will be held with the cooperation of arts organizations in each community. Currently, confirmed cities include Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Baton Rouge. Organizations that wish to participate in the Comcipalooza National Live Art Fest may request more information by sending an email to LiveArt@comicpalooza.com. Comicpalooza will accept additional arts organizations as partners in cities until Friday, Dec. 3, 2010.

The Comicpalooza National Live Art Fest is sponsored in part by Blue Line Pro, one of the largest manufacturers of professional comic art supplies.

The Hero Initiative is a publicly supported not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation created to provide assistance to yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

Comicpalooza (Trademark pending) is an annual multi-genre convention held in Houston, Texas, and features comics, sci-fi, anime, horror, steampunk, New Media, film, and celebrities. The next Comicpalooza will be held March 26-28, 2010 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Sponsors for Comicpalooza include the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, FUNimation, and the Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP).

Startling Events, LLC is the organizing events company for Comicpalooza. Startling Events, LLC is incorporated in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Texas.

Comicpalooza National Live Art Fest to Benefit Hero Initiative
Event name: Comicpalooza
Event date: Jan 22, 2011
Convention date: May 27-29, 2011
http://www.comicpalooza.com/
www.twitter.com/comicpalooza
www.facebook.com/comicpalooza

Jerry Robinson at Baltimore Comic-Con

Jerry Robinson & Abrams ComicArts Come to Baltimore!

Jerry Robinson, the legendary artist who created the Joker and many other beloved comic book villains and heroes will sign copies of Jerry Robinson: The Ambassador of Comics on Saturday, August 28th and Sunday, August 29th at 11am at the Abrams ComicArts booth (1503). Jerry will also be in attendance at the 2010 Harvey Awards Banquet and Ceremony.

Launched in 2009 as an imprint of the preeminent art book publisher ABRAMS, Abrams ComicArts publishes a wide array of books on comic arts and artists as well as original graphic novels. Recent titles include The Simpsons Futurama Crossover Crisis by Matt Groening, the Eisner Award-winning The Art of Harvey Kurtzman by Dennis Kitchen, Shazam! by Chip Kidd, and Harvey Award Nominees: Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow by Brian Fies, The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness by Reinhard Kleist, The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga by Helen McCarthy, Secret Identity: The Fetish art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster by Craig Yoe, Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater by Eric P. Nash and Underground Classics by James Danky and Denis Kitchen.

Todd McFarlane Signing Schedule Expands to Benefit the Hero Initiative
Based on the response from his horde of fans and Todd's interest in supporting the Hero Initiative, Todd has expanded his schedule to have signing sessions on Saturday, August 28th from 10:30am-11:30am AND 1:30pm-3:30pm. These signings will be done at booth 2403. In addition, we will have a Todd McFarlane spotlight panel session (room 308) from 12pm-1pm.

The Hero Initiative signing will happen from 10:30-11:30am in booth 2403. The signing will be limited to two items per person, with a required donation of $5.00 toward the Hero Initiative Fund. The second signing time, sponsored by Image, will again be limited to 2 items at no additional cost to the fans.

Second Annual Baltimore Comic-Con Auction
On Sunday afternoon at 3:00, please join us in panel room 301-303 to see our annual art auction. The Auction will feature work by this year's guests of the Baltimore Comic-Con. Not everyone can get in line early enough to get a sketch from an artist at a convention, and this is your chance to walk away with a memory from the show. The material will be on display throughout the weekend in the convention hall.

THIS JUST IN : Our auction will be hosted by the cool guys from the Comic Book Diner podcast, artists Rich Faber, John Gallagher, and Jamar Nicholas, along with their pal and Perhapanauts co-creator Todd Dezago. They promise to make it a fun, lively event. Come on out and join the fun.

Floor Plan Now On-Line
After fielding numerous requests from both guests and attendees alike, the Baltimore Comic-Con is pleased to announce the addition of our floor plan to our on-line content. To view the floor plan, please visit http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/index.php/guests/2010-hall-layout/.

Cancellations:
Unfortunately, Geoff Johns has canceled his appearance at the show this weekend due to circumstances beyond his control. "Marc Nathan puts on an amazing show in Baltimore, one I've been to many times and was really looking forward to attending again this year. I had planned on being there Sunday, and I am sorry that I will not be able to make it out there. I'll see everyone for Baltimore 2011 and the first round of drinks will be on me!"

Additionally, Kenneth Rocafort and Michael Broussard will not be able to join us this year either. They both send their regrets and apologies for not being able to make it.

Added Guests
We are pleased to announce the addition of the following guests to the 2010 Baltimore Comic-Con: Nelson Blake II (Magdalena), Rebecca Buchman (Brightest Day), Alex Eckman-Lawn (Awakening), Kate Glasheen (Hybrid Bastards!), Dave Johnson (Deadpool), Jason Latour (I Am An Avenger), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Dan Panosian (X-Factor Forever), Andrew Robinson (Halo), Dave Rodriguez (Starkweather: Immortal), Val Staples (Criminal), Richard Starkings (Elephentmen), Dirk Strangely (Jim Henson's Legends of the Dark Crystal), André Szymanowicz (Elephentmen), Nick Tapalansky (Awakening), and Mike Witmer (44 Union Avenue).

As always, the latest developments on the Baltimore Comic-Con can always be found at our website (http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/baltimorecomics), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/baltimorecomiccon), MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/baltimorecomics), and ComicSpace (http://www.comicspace.com/baltimorecomicon) pages.

Webcomics Auction for Gulf Coast

Web-Comics Auction To Benefit The Gulf Of Mexico

Web-cartoonists from around the country and beyond have answered Carly Monardo's call for original art donations. The donated artwork is being auctioned off on Ebay with 100% of the profits going to The Colbert Nation Gulf Of America Fund, managed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

The first auctions went live on Monday, July 5th, with new 5 or more artists being added each day. Response has been extremely positive and fans seem enthusiastic to bid on their favorite creators' work. The final set of auctions will launch tomorrow, July 9th (Friday). Each individual auction lasts for a total of 10 days.

Monardo, a color-stylist for Adult Swim's hit series Venture Bros., was inspired to organize the event after seeing how successful her colleague Thomas Bayne's animation auction had been. Bayne's auction (which has already raised thousands of dollars for the Gulf Of America Fund) featured original production drawings from Venture Bros., many signed by creator Jackson Public and members of the show's cast.

The Web-Comics Auction has attracted talents from around the world, including fan-favorites Kate Beaton ("Hark! A Vagrant"), Anthony Clark ("Nedroid"), Christopher Hastings ("The Adventures Of Dr. McNinja), and Michael "Mookie" Terracciano ("Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire). There are even contributions from non-cartoonists, such as Brandon Bird, who was recently profiled in Newsweek for his bizarre celebrity portraits.

The official web-site for the auction has a full list of contributors, a schedule with links to each live auction, and links to additional information on the charitable fund the profits will be donated to. It is located at: http://www.lasagnachildren.com/Gulf

Contact:
Carly Monardo, auction organizer
carly.monardo@gmail.com
917-622-0807
http://www.whirringblender.com/