"Seeds", No Doubt

I just finished reading a preview copy of Ross Mackintosh's Seeds, c/o Com.X, and recommend it -- highly, in fact, especially if your own life has been touched by a deadly disease or the loss of a loved one. So...I highly recommended it to everyone, ya?

Seeds is certainly right up my cancerous, daddy-issued alley. The cancer was mine, but I happened to lose my father suddenly and traumatically in a way that this book manages to tap into in so many ways. Mackintosh expresses many feelings about his relationship with his father in life and death that I either wasn't aware of or didn't know how to express in relation to my own.

As a graphic novelist, Mackintosh's storytelling is tight. His distillation of an incredibly personal yet wholly universal experience down to its most essential, evocative moments makes for a powerful comic experience. His deceptively simple illustrations and script make for a quick read, but also a deep, emotional one.

Ross Mackintosh the writer presents Ross Mackintosh the character as a relatable, likable everyman dealing with the inevitability of mortality. Now this comes with the exception of one awkward spread where Ross discusses plans to make a graphic novel about his experience before the story has even resolved, painting himself as uncharacteristically insensitive and opportunistic. But from the rest of the tale, I suspect that it is safe to say this sequence of events was the truth of his experience, an honest admission that the slow trauma of losing a father to cancer got his creative juices flowing even before dad hit a terminal state. This moment bothered me until I thought back to my own experience and related...which bothered me even more, but with an added layer of appreciation for the book.

Seeds is a very good book. Short, but also priced reasonably for the length. Even if you don't relate to the story (you will), expect to be moved.

Com.X Planting "SEEDS" in April

If you like comics, you might like Com.X. The publisher has a knack for landing strong talent and an interesting eye for diverse, quality work. Cla$$War was the Indy Ultimates. Forty-Five was just ambitious as hell and world-building at its best. And next in the queue for the post-modern superhero company is...

...an introspective autobiography about a family's fight with cancer?

Hrm. Do go on, Com.X marketing summary.

I actually got to discuss the project a little further over e-mail with Com.X co-publisher, Ben Shahrabani, and I found it incredibly endearing how tentative he was about how to approach a story so outside his usual super-powered comfort zone and how exactly to go about promoting the book. I don't think Ben, Com.X, or Ross Mackintosh need to worry about that. The recent success of David Small's Stitches should serve as a fine model for them, and proof that there is definitely an audience for this sort of tale. In fact, the potential audience is probably bigger and more diverse than the one looking for yet another superhero punch-em-up.

I was already on his promotion list from my PopCultureShock days, so Ben didn't even realize that I had shifted gears to Comics Cure. When he mentioned his hope to donate a portion of the proceeds to cancer research, charities, etc, he was thrilled that I could connect him with one of the groups I have been working with over the past few months. (I hope to look back on this and see that I helped foster something that pays off for both parties.)

I have no doubt that Mackintosh approached the terribly personal subject matter with all of his heart and soul. That is his job and this is, of course, his story. But just as an added bonus, it is quite promising for the company putting the book out to be taking such earnest steps to see it through. In such a cynically profit-driven industry, this sort of possitivity and care has to count for something. I look forward to reading the book, which solicits in February Previews and is scheduled to go on sale in April 2011.

New Year, New Cycle

2010 was something, eh? Something different for everyone, sure, and a mixed bag at that. A lot of people lost their jobs. BP crapped in our ocean. And speaking of greasy beaches, that tool from Jersey Shore made five million dollars. But then my cancer scans at Memorial Sloan-Kettering came back clean and I didn't have to do anymore radiation, so 2010 was good to me.

2010 also saw the launch of Comics Cure, which, if you look around at the words and pictures on your screen right now, you know all about. And to start the new year off right, Comics Cure has been invited to host its own team in the MSKCC Cycle for Survival -- an indoor bike relay taking place in various Equinox Gym locations in New York and Chicago in mid-February. The purpose of this annual MSKCC event is to raise funds for rare cancer research, so every team has a fundraising goal leading up to the event.

You can help support the cause by donating to MSKCC through the Comics Cure team page and sharing the donation link with others who might be interested in helping, too: http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR/CycleforSurvival/AG_Cycle_Event?team_id=15371&pg=team&fr_id=1423.

You can also help by joining the team yourself, as a rider or fundraiser. Click "Join Team" at the link above and contact me directly for more details. We have one bike, so the more riders on the team, the easier it will be and the more fun we will have kicking cancer's ass.

We ride at dawn!!!

(Actually...technically, the Comics Cure team is scheduled to ride from 8am to noon on Sunday, February 13th. Bagels and coffee are on me.)

"Birthday Wish" Update--Let's Keep it Going!

My birthday was this past Monday, and even though we haven't hit the specific goal I set (yet) for MSKCC, the Comics Cure group on Causes.com has raised close to $300 and is now almost 70 members strong. The Crowdrise thing is lagging, but has even more potential for getting good geeks doing good, for a wider range of causes and in a fun way. You can still make donations to MSKCC through Comics Cure on both sites and through the sidebar widget here. Every penny goes right to the cancer center. (Why do you think I'm running on Blogger?!)

So let's keep it going! Spread the word about the Comics Cure Call to Action, share tales of your own do-goodery or causes in need (seriously, e-mail me and I will post them), or just go do some good!

Remember: You don't have to wear underwear on the outside of your pants to be a superhero! I hope to have some all-new, all-different ways for you to play hero in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

Bittersweet Blowout!

I was just about to write up a quick post about my regular Wednesday haunt going out of business when I read the breaking news that it isn't...

Cosmic Comics very briefly posted the (would-be) sad news that it was closing its doors at the end of December, and--as a parting gift to the loyal patrons who put up with the sometimes dusty, always eccentric soundtrack and delightfully curmudgeonly owner each week--a clearance sale of 50-80% off everything in the store. But Mark, that lovable crank owner, has since announced that he has finalized a deal to simply hand over his cosmic keys so he and his partner can retire. Cosmic Comics is still profitable (he says), he's just old (I says). So he gets to put his feet up on the porch with a shotgun on his lap, I get to keep my shop 4 blocks from the office, and that blowout sale still stands--only now as a going away celebration!

You know, for 50-80% off, you could probably afford to donate a few comics. I hear trade paperbacks make for fine Xmas presents, in sickness and in health. If you don't already have a beneficiary in mind, here are a few possibilities:

• Donate book to the MSKCC Thrift Shop to help raise money for cancer care and research. http://mskcc.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=soc_support_thrift_shop
• Donate books to RIF and help cure illiteracy! http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29882 
• Donate to help those in crisis through Collectible with Cause. http://www.collectibleswithcauses.org/comic-book-donations.html

...or just buy a few week's worth of books at a deep discount so you have a few extra bucks to give in the new year. You know it feels good.

HOPE Is on the Way!

A while back, I hooked up with publisher Ronin Studios as a contributor to a charity anthology aimed at supporting the comic-creator-centric charity The Hero Initiative. It started as a means to get some more of my own work into print, but as you can see by the site your on and my recent activity, I've clearly taken to the charity aspect of the project.

Well, it's been a (very) long time coming, but HOPE: THE HERO INITIATIVE is finally available for preorder from Diamond Distributors (Diamond Order Code DEC101038). Tell your local comic shop to stock this book and tell a friend or two or more to buy it.

The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 40 creators and their families with over $400,000 worth of much-needed aid! It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

The Hulk Wants You to Get Smootchy With the Charity Crowd!

(Alternate title for this post: "I am Jack's charitable impulse")

Former Incredible Hulk/bi-polar pit fighter/purple rhino, Edward Norton, is promoting his new charitable crowdsourcing project, Crowdrise, and its holiday drive, the Crowdrise Holiday Fundraiser Thing.

Says Norton's HuffPo boilerplate: "Crowdrise is an innovative, crowdsourcing community of fundraisers and volunteers who are raising money for charity and having the most fun in the world while doing it. Whether you're running a marathon, volunteering, or have causes that you care deeply about, create your own fundraising pages on Crowdrise and raise money for over a million charities. Crowdrise also empowers nonprofit organizations to raise money in new ways by turning their grassroots supporters into grassroots fundraisers. Crowdrise is way more fun than anything else aside from being all nervous about trying to kiss a girl for the first time and her not saying something like 'you've got to be kidding me.'"

I like Crowdrise's personality, which offers a fine mix of snark and good intentions. I'll see over time how much I like Crowdrise's functionality, as I carve out a place in the crowd for Comics Cure. You can check on my progress or join the crowd yourself here: http://www.crowdrise.com/comicscure