Drops in The Bucket

From HuffPo.

Alice Pyne is 15 years old and has terminal cancer. This is her bucket list.

Brutal, brave, and inspiring.

Rebooting Batgirl -- Literally -- Leaves Oracle Fans Scratching Heads and Drawing Protest Pics [UPDATED]

DC's upcoming line-wide relaunch of new #1s -- The DCnuniverse -- has certainly got the comic community talking. The controversial move by one half of the Big 2 will certainly lead to a sales spike when the market is flooded with 52 first issues of rebooted or brand new series, ranging from half-a-dozen Bat books to a new line of horror-tinged titles billed as "DC Dark." I only read one DC superhero comic regularly at the moment -- Green Lantern -- so the publisher is sure to make a few extra bucks off of me as I check out the new offerings. They'll also tap into potential new and return readership by offering every title in their catalog online, day and date of print release.

But despite the fresh start for bored or continuity-fatigued readers, and new opportunities for the company to make money, the DCnuniverse has also upset a portion of the DC devoted. I don't mean the long-time readers worried that all of their beloved continuity is getting flushed, nor do I mean the comic retailers bracing for lost revenue when a segment of clientelle happily retire their bag-and-board longbox lifestyle and migrate to 100% digital collecting. The loudest contingent of DCnu naysayers are the fanboys and fangirls of Barbara Gordon -- the wheelchaired watcher known as Oracle, who once-upon-a-time wore the cape and cowl of Batgirl. DCnu is rebooting Babs right back into prime crimefighting form in her own Batgirl #1.

Journogeek Andy Khouri of ComicsAlliance covers the controversy in detail here, with assorted links and a quote on the matter from Batgirl #1 writer Gail Simone.

THAGOMIZER Debi Linton deconstructs the badness of the bad idea here.

Wheelchair-familiar redheaded ubergeek Jill Pantozzi offers more than two cents on her frustration over the de-iconizing of Oracle here.

Current top-blog on the Comic Blog Elite toplist, DC Women Kicking Ass, had something to say about this kick in the ass of Oracle fans here.

And, of course, the redditors are on the case.

My favorite reaction to the Batgirl reboot is the Oracle Fans Unite tumblr (covered in some detail by ComicsAlliance here), where fans of current continuity Barbara Gordon are asked to show their displeasure over the DCnu change by celebrating the paralyzed heroine in pictures. Comics Cure usually asks you to give money to a cause, but I encourage you to simply give your own take -- pen to paper, or whatever -- on Oracle for the OFU movement.

It is unfortunate that DC appears to be taking away an important piece of pop culture -- the former Batgirl paralyzed by a bullet written from the Joker's gun by Alan Moore in The Killing Joke, and pulling herself up like a true hero, and in the most human way, to become a major behind-the-scenes player in the fight against crime in Gotham and beyond. Batgirl is fun and cute and peppy, and looks great on lunchboxes and in cartoons...but it was Oracle who showed people with (and without) disabilities that, despite any odds, they too can make a difference. They can be superheroes.

To be fair, it would be worse if Simone and DC just killed Oracle, and you can't rightly judge any comic story on prerelease hype alone. For all we know, issue 2 of the DCnu Batgirl will reveal that the person in the costume is an android, and wheelchair-bound Babs is still in her tower working a remote control.

But for now, it just doesn't feel right. Simone famously coined the term "Women in Refrigerators," a specific reference to the literal shoving of a generic girlfriend character into a refrigerator in order to help push the new-at-the-time character of Kyle Rayner to embrace his destiny as a Green Lantern, which became the catch-all term for the perceived abuse, degridation, and general disregard for female characters in mainstream comics. So I guess when the fridge is all filled up and there's no place to put the disabled, you just have to hit the reset button. :(

UPDATE: Possibly the last word on this matter until Batgirl #1 actually comes out, Pantozzi cuts through the noise with Simone about the controversy on Newsarama here.

Making Art Out of Illness: Dana Heffern Has the ANTIDOTE for Type 1 Diabetes

A friend of mine needs your help -- and your old medical supplies -- to help complete her "Antidote."

Dana Heffern worked for over a decade as a decorative painter; interior designer; and scenic artist on top-selling and award-winning Broadway productions such as Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Color Purple, and Mamma Mia. She has since moved from working on the Great White Way to working on an MFA at Goddard College in Vermont. She also volunteers as a diabetes mentor in Spectrum’s Youth & Family Services program supporting young people with type 1 diabetes.


For her latest project, Heffern's medium is her disease and all the accoutrements of life as a type 1 diabetic.

Herself a type 1 diabetic, Heffern has been awarded a scholarship from the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), which will help fund "Antidote," a performance art piece that discusses the difficulties of living with type 1 diabetes.

In addition to visual pieces created for the show (see sampling of works in progress below), the central performance piece of "Antidote" will be a dinner party of sorts designed to project the difficulties, dangers, and frustrations of the type 1 diabetic's diet to non-diabetic guests. The work will go live at Goddard College on July 26, 2011.

You can read an interview the artist gave to diabetes lifestyle blog Living In Progress about herself and her work, and you can even help with the creation of "Antidote" yourself! While the project is partially funded by the AHEAD scholarship, Heffern has to cover the majority of expenses herself, so she is asking for donations of any used and unused diabetes management supplies -- such as unused test-strips and syringes, the leftover plastic parts from Minimed infusion sets, empty insulin bottles, reservoirs, tubing, etc. -- that she can incorporate into the show.


Mail supplies
and support to:
Dana Heffern
P.O. Box 9244
South Burlington, VT 05407

Hey, Comics Cure--what does this have to do with comics and geek culture?
Okay, you got me! Dana Heffern is not a comic creator. She's not an illustrator by trade, nor does she make craftwork superheroes or modelling-clay action figure accessories. But she is an artist -- and comics are art. So there's your relevance to this site. Disease does not discriminate, so Comics Cure won't either. Besides, the idea of turning illness into artwork, as Heffern does in "Antidote" may very well inspire you to do the same. Comics certainly offer a fine medium to draw (or write) out the demons of disease -- your own or those of someone close to you.

New Number Ones

Not about charity, fundraising, cancer, or my own work. Just a quick word on comics...

If DC Comics wants to relaunch an entire line of books with new #1 issues, let's just hope they're as good as the new #1's that kick off every self-contained storyline in the ongoing Hellboy saga. If either of the Big 2 are looking for the comics model of the future, they need only look to what Dark Horse has been doing for years with HB and BPRD -- short-run miniseries with an ongoing continuity and expanding mythology. The stories stand alone, but long-time readers are rewarded with the richer epic adventure unfolding.

And hot damn, the Francesco Francavilla variant cover to the latest #1 (The Fury #1, pictured) is nice.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

3rd Annual "Superheroes for Hospice" Event Calling for Comic Donations and Thrifty Fans in West Orange, NJ

I wrote about this event last year. They're back and more motivated than ever to raise big money for the Saint Barnabas Hospice. Check out the PR below to find out how you can help:

+++

Comic Book Sale Scheduled in West Orange

Essex County, NJ - Superheroes for Hospice will host its 3rd annual
summer Comic Sale on Saturday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the
Saint Barnabas Health Care System Corporate Office located at 95 Old
Short Hills Road in West Orange, NJ. The show will benefit patients
and families served by the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care
Center (SBHPCC), an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care
System.

The sale will feature more than 300 boxes of a large selection of
comic book genres. Graphic novels and artwork will also be available.
Comic book creators and sketch artists will be in attendance to
discuss their work, sign books and sketch your favorite characters.

Superheroes for Hospice was launched in 2009 by SBHPCC Volunteer
Coordinator, Spiro Ballas. His concept for the project is simple:
people donate comic books for a tax-deduction statement, fans get
comics at a nice price reduction, and hospice benefits-a win-win for
all involved. To date more than $10,000 has been raised.

For more information about the sale, or to make a comic book donation,
please contact Spiro Ballas, at sballas@sbhcs.com or 973-322-4866.

+++

Be sure to "like" Superheroes for Hospice on Facebook, too.

In addition to the call for donations and collectors, Mr. Ballas would love to hear from comic creators -- writers and artists of yesterday, today, and even tomorrow -- available to sign books at the event. Superheroes for Hospice is, in many ways, the perfect opportunity for all corners of the comic book community to come together and do some good.

Help "One and Done" Anthology Make a Killing for Charity

I had the pleasure of speaking with Jay Katz, head honcho of InvestComics, about his upcoming anthology, Deadly Tales: One and Done. Jay picked my brain a bit about charity leads and directing proceeds from the book to different beneficiaries. He even offered me a spot in the book (which I gladly accepted, thank you very much)! At the time, InvestComics had yet to work out the details to making the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund their beneficiary, so we kicked around some other "good cause" possibilities. CBLDF is a fine and noble organization sworn to defending free speech and artistic freedom, so Jay and his team have a great cause to champion with their cool concept. Hooking up with CBLDF was a great idea and I wish them all the best of luck with the book.

BUT...

I had a great idea, too. (Not in any way an official part of InvestComics's plan, the guidelines for the One and Done anthology, or the CBLDF fundraising model. My idea is my own. Consider it the Comics Cure bonus plan!)

Small-press comics don't make a whole lot of money. (This is not the "great idea," but it has been my experience and the frustrating experience of plenty of other far more prolific, ambitious, and successful indie creators. It is what it is. That's why there's a BIG two and a small rest.) So I was concerned about a promise to donate "100% of profits" to charity from a book that may not make much, if any, profit. It would be a shame to let all of the hard work and genuine good intentions--in this case, of Jay, his IC partners, and every artist who contributes to the book (self included)--amount to a few pennies in the pot for the chosen cause.
This is not to say in any way, shape, or form that I think One and Done is a bad bet. It could very well be a big money maker for CBLDF. It's the concept of approach to charity comics in general that I want to revisit here, and this book is a killer opportunity to try something new.

In this age of Kickstarter comics and DIY empires, any writer or illustrator contributing to a fundraising project could (and dare I say should) give more than their words and pictures to their cause du jour. Small press comics rarely make a profit, but if every contributor on a "charity" book were to approach their effort like some people approach marathons or bike races or even bake sales, it could change the game entirely.

If creators were to treat their participation in charity books like a sponsorship drive--soliciting contributions from friends and families and employers (who might even offer matching contributions!), shooting for an ambitious fundraising goal of hundreds or thousands of dollars--even the tiniest small-press book otherwise destined for the discount bin might help make a significant difference for those in need. More than 100 creators will be involved in the creation of One and Done. What if they each set a modest goal of raising $100? What if they were more ambitious and less modest, setting the goal at $500 or $1000? What if they simply spread the word that they are supporting CBLDF through this anthology and want others to help you?


I'm like a living "before" photo, yet last year I was able to raise nearly $4000 for cancer research, with some humble e-mails to the right people and a few hours on a stationary bike alongside some like-minded do-gooders. That particular event raised over 4 million. Couldn't we take that same approach with the marathon that is making comics? It is a hell of a lot harder to create a comic book than it is to ride a bike for a few hours. (Try it, bikers!)

Deadly Tales: One and Done is going to be a cool book--especially MY page! It's a solid concept that should make for both an excellent read AND an exciting creative challenge for any creators who participate. And CBLDF is a major force in the comic industry, which should help attract the big names needed to draw the big sales needed to raise some big funds for the cause. But I dare you and everyone involved or looking to be involved with the book to add this new dimension to the charity angle and make it a huge fundraising success before a single page is printed.
My original recommendation to Jay was a little different than this. I suggested that he require that contributors make their own donation (at the time, any amount to any cause they wanted) and show the receipt or other proof that they did so in order to be considered for the book, and then list the cause each contributor supported as part of the credits for the book. It was more about twisting people's arms to be active in their charity. Forced fundraising may have been ill-advised, but credit earned is credit deserved. So I invite anyone who chooses to donate to CBLDF (or any other charity) while working on or otherwise supporting this book to drop by Comics Cure for their virtual pat on the back. And if this grand experiment in suggestive giving doesn't work for you, well, it's just one and done.

Here's What You Do:

1. Check out the Official One and Done Press Release and One and Done Submission Guidelines so you understand the project and know what/when/how to contribute.
2. Ask your friends, family, etc, to support your efforts on the book with a donation to CBLDF
3. Support the organization yourself by purchasing a membership -- just $25 for the basic 1-year membership, plus premiums if you get a higher level membership.
4. Tell your local comic shop about the project and, when the time comes, be sure to tell them how to preorder copies.
5. Share your progress -- here, on Facebook or Twitter, or in the InvestComics community -- to help rally others around the effort.
6. Tell a great story! Make this anthology worth it for everyone.

Now get to it!

Help the Kids of Joplin Escape

Tornado-devastated Joplin, MO, is not without its heroes. Specifically, the proprietors of Joplin comic retailer Hurley's Heroes have been living up to the example of their product during their community's harrowing time. First they put out notice that they were safe and open for shelter and support. Now, the heroes of Hurley's Heroes are sending out a call to the comic community to help them help their family, friends, and patrons find a sort of escape from the traumatic surroundings.

It will be days at least, maybe weeks or longer that people are forced to live in shelters, without the comfort and calm of home. For many, there is no home left. So Hurley's Heroes is asking for a very specific type of donation to help provide peace and calm and even a little levity to the dire circumstance: comics!

All-ages books are the order of the day--anything to help the kids stuck indefinitely in shelters. Books can be sent to Hurley's for distribution around Joplin. Send packages to:

Hurley's Heroes
1515 w 10th
Ste.c
Joplin, MO 64801

You can also find Hurley's on Facebook to send virtual care packages of well-wishes and moral support. And, of course, as this horrifying tornado season unfolds across the heartland, there are a number of ways to support the relief efforts in Joplin and across the midwest, like donating to the Red Cross or supporting local and regional missions.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9