Has the trading ended?

Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort reaches the end of "Take My Trade" with a coveted copy of Fantastic Four #1! Or does he? Tune in, True Believers!

Jim McLauchlin

Dan Brereton remains cool as all hell

Dan Brereton's Wolverine.
Man, I think that's all you need to know!

Jim McLauchlin

Vegas, Batwoman, Vegas!

It ain't just 99-cent shrimp cocktails and all the keno you can lose at! Vegas is also the place to get your Batwoman on!

The stellar creative team of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams double-down with TWO Las Vegas store appearances on July 11 to promote Detective Comics. Early risers or late blackjack players should head to Alternate Reality Comics from 11 AM to 2 PM, while later shifters can shift to Comic Oasis from 4 PM to 7 PM. Either way, YOU win, and the stores are doing Hero Initiative fundraisers as well, so get ye there!

Jim McLauchlin

NEW Hero T-shirt debuts at 100 Bullets party!

And lo, there shall come…a new T-shirt design!

Folks smart enough to buy a VIP ticket to the 100 Bullets: Last Shot party July 11 at Meltdown in L.A. will get, as part of their VIP package, a T-shirt. And it's your choice. The 100B shirt seen above, or the NEW Hero T-shirt, uh, also above.

Crazy visual hyperkinetic you-gotta-be-there bonus: The Hero shirts will be pre-made and ready for you to pick up. The 100B. shirts will be live screened ON SITE . Tell ’em what size you need, and the crew from Blue Rooster Art Supplies will make it RIGHT before your eyes. It's kinda like going to the taco truck and ordering lunch. I like mine with lots of cheese, and just a smidge of guacamole.

VIP tix holders also get super-cool 100 Bullets shot glasses, and one hair plucked from the beard of Brian Azzarello. He's got a lot to spare.

And if you're so lame you don't make the scene, the new Hero shirts will also be available at The Beast Men Call San Diego.

Jim McLauchlin

Wolverines keep rolling: Bret Blevins!

The supremely talented Bret Blevins has made his contribution to "The Wolverine 100 Project!" Look on it, and drool!

Jim McLauchlin

HeroesCon 2009

HEROESCON 2009

Well another HeroesCon has come and gone and yes it is sad but on an up note we did have a great time for all and a special thanks to Shelton and Dustin for always being there for us and supporting the Hero Initiative. I really enjoy this show because of what it is all about which are the fans and keeping it real and all about the comics and the creators. This is one of the most family friendly shows you will ever attend.

Of course we had the spectacular George Perez at the booth all weekend signing and drawing sketches as you can see in the pictures below.

I still think this guy is some kind of robot because he keeps going like the energizer bunny.

Of course George is always doing his on raffle drawings as seen below. It is a couple of minutes long but everyone as you can tell had a great time. Robot I'm telling you Robot!

Now on to some other special people that also made this happen Steve Epting, Chris Moreno, Roy Thomas, Dick Giordano, Matt Fraction, Mark Waid and a brand new friend to the cause Chris Samnee. You can drop by and meet Chris at WW Chicago in August and he does some spectacular art.

I am always supported by some really great volunteers at the booth in Charlotte and these guys are always working above and beyond what they have to and I really appreciate this a lot. Below you will see a picture of the booth with everyone involved and plus a few friends. Special thanks to Lynette, Tony, Gary, Dave and Mike for doing a great job and if I forgot anyone please forgive and just remember I am old and the mind is just not what it used to be.

So again another successful show and my thanks to everyone involved and I look forward to doing it again.

Below is a short video of the convention floor area from the area above as you go in.

Chris

Hero Comics will make you cry tears of sweet joy

Part—just part!—of the three-ring circus that is Hero Comics is five pages of droolingly cool work by the inimitable talent that is Arthur Adams. To set your taste buds on fire, we proudly trot out this Thing v. Hulk Marvel Feature cover recreation, with pencils and inks by Adams, colors by hue-master Tom Smith.

And of course, our pals at Marvel Comics are graciously allowing this piece's inclusion in the book.

Did we mention Hero Comics, debuting at San Diego, 32 all-new, no-ads pages? We just did? Okay, then.

Get you some!

Jim McLauchlin

100 Bullets + Tequila!

Oh, there will be more announcements and goodies, but if you're smart and get your 100 Bullets tickets, you'll also get this freakin' amazing custom 100 Bullets shot glass!

VIP tickets entitle you to:
• Programming with writer Brian Azzarello and cover artist Dave Johnson
• Access to the 100 Bullets art gallery
• Free food!
• Valet parking
• Open bar!
• Commemorative T-shirt
• Live music from the incomparable Nina Storey!
• A chance to hang-and-bang with the beautiful people from L.A.'s comics, artistic and literary communities.

It's all going down Saturday, July 11 at Meltdown on Sunset in the mighty L.A.

The Rev. Dave Johnson is responsible for the 100 B. art seen here, of course. Custom glass etching my the master, Karlton Hahn.

Jim McLauchlin

Periscope…up!

The mighty crew at Portland's Periscope Studio has completed their "100 Wolverine" covers! Pictured above, clockwise from 12 o'clock, that's: Jeff Parker, Dustin Weaver, Steve Lieber, and Colleen Coover.

You can get nifty-swell close-up views of these covers and more here. So whatchoo waiting for? SNIKT!

Jim McLauchlin

Nina Storey at 100 Bullets Meltdown party!

We're stoked.

The AMAZING singing talent that is Nina Storey has signed on to be our torch singer at 100 Bullets: Last Shot, the rollickin' 100 Bullets sendoff at Meltdown Comics July 11. Only a few tickets still remain, so we suggest you get you some!

And to hear more from Nina, check out:

www.myspace.com/ninastorey

Jim McLauchlin

Spidey at 600, you at Comic Outpost!

For those of you in the SFO staying home and avoiding the maddening crowds of San Diego, please allow us to set your social calender for Wednesday, July 22:

The Comic Outpost at 2381 Ocean Ave. is having a killer Spidey #600 fest benefiting the Hero Initiative. Details above, and you can DEFINITELY look for some John Romita Sr. original art, and a massive wall displaying every issue of Amazing Spider-Man from #1 to #600.

We suggest you show up, or Aunt May just might never make you wheatcakes for breakfast again!

Jim McLauchlin

Dangerous Danny and the Process

Dangerous Danny Miki, straight outta the 909, has ponied up his Hero Initiative Wolverine cover, and even showed us a bit behind the curtain with his handsome photo ref, and work-in-progress pencils. Click the pic for a WAY lerger version.


Final version below, and it's a beaut!

Jim McLauchlin

Unfinished symphony, Dave Simons

Very unfortunately, artist Dave Simons passed away last week. Dave was in progress on a page in Hero Comics at the time. He had sent in the script, but had not started drawing the page yet.

Dave's script will still appear, as part of what will now be a tribute page in the book. Hero's Charlie Novinskie, a friend of Dave's, will write a remembrance on that page as well.

We present Dave's script here as well, as a bit of an "unfinished symphony." Both this blog post and the page in the book happen only on the advice and consent of Bette Simons, Dave's sister and next-of-kin. As you read it, we ask you keep both of them in your thoughts.

A nice pic of younger Dave at the bottom as well.

Jim McLauchlin

(Dave Simons)
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

PANEL 1
We see a dramatic shot of THE DEVIL. My version looks more like a hot-rod devil, the kind of thing Robert Williams would draw.
CAPTION 1
That's usually who it is in those jokes. It's the kind of tale told over the second or third cocktail, the joke about what you want and what you get in your deal with the devil.

PANEL 2
INT. BAR, angle on DAVE, age 18 and wearing U.S. Coast Guard dress uniform of the period, with a drink and a cigarette, looking smug.
CAPTION 2
In these tales, the letter of the contract is always granted, but never the intent.

PANEL 3
NIGHT, EXT. CITY STREET, on DAVE, now in his early 50s, sitting on a stoop and looking at the cigarette in his hand, dejectedly.
CAPTION 3
Thirty-five years later, and I still did not have lung cancer or gum cancer. What I did have was esophageal cancer (look it up).
CAPTION 4
Thanks to serving my country in my youth, my medical expenses are well-covered. What's not are my living expenses. I'm in the odd position of being able to work, but not being able to work enough to pay my bills.
CAPTION 5
Hero Initiative has been invaluable here. When the wolf is at the door, Hero Initiative has been there to pay the rent. Many times. That wolf, he does get hungry.

PANEL 4
INT. STUDIO, on DAVE hunched over a drafting table and feverishly drawing away in a cramped studio space.
CAPTION 6
For now, I do what I can. Some days are better than others. It's tough to find the time and energy, whenever I can, I draw,
CAPTION 7
I know now I made a deal with the devil. I just didn't know I'd be rescued by angels.

Steve Dillon in Manhattan, June 24!

Steve Dillon is clinically proven to be one of the ten nicest guys on Earth. He'll also be at Jim Hanley's Universe on Wednesday, June 24 on the Hero Initiative's behalf. Swing by and say "hi!"

For address, directions and whatnot, try the Jim Hanley's Universe Website.

Jim McLauchlin

Hero Memberships: Out with the 2009, in with the 2010!

Okay, call me hokey, but I’m a big believer in providing value for a dollar. Even if, as is the case with Hero Initiative, we’re a charity.

Now don’t get me wrong—we love what is known in the business as the “unsolicited donation,” that $50 check that shows up in the mail or the $10 outta nowhere that someone drops in the donation jar at a convention. We’ll take that all the live-long day, gladly. And we appreciate the hell outta it.

But we’re also not blind to the put-it-in-quotes “economy being what it is today.” Folks just don’t have the disposable income they had a year or two or three ago. And as we like to provide value for the dollar, we believe you should get full value out of a yearly Hero Initiative membership. So that said…

We are closing 2009 Hero memberships effective June 30, 2009. Bottom line, we’d just kinda feel badly taking your money for a yearly membership when you’re only there half a year. Now by NO means does this mean the membership program is going away! Quite to the contrary we’re already formulating 2010’s membership plan, which should be quite a humdinger. And if you are interested, we do encourage you to sign up NOW and before June 30, as…

• All 2009 members will get a discount on renewing their 2010 memberships!
• If you sign up on-site at Wizard Philly and Charlotte Heroescon, both June 19-21, there will be special incentive for you to sign up!
• 2010 will feature different premiums, and additional special members-only events at conventions and so on.

So there you be, folks. The clock is ticking. Don’t let it run out on ya!

Jim McLauchlin

S. Clay Wilson: Gettin' Better

We’re happy to report that legendary underground comix creator S. Clay Wilson is gettin’ better. Lorraine Chamberlain, S. Clay’s girlfriend and legal conservator, dropped some photos on us. Up top, left-to-right, that’s Paul Mavrides, Wilson, R. Crumb, and Spain Rodriguez. Spain has also been instrumental in helping out Clay and Lorraine.

Sayeth the Chamberlain: “I thought you'd like to see a couple of pix I took last week when Crumb, Spain and Mavrides visited him in the hospital. We had a lovely visit, and took him out nearby for coffee after having a picnic lunch Spain brought to the ward.
“I'm hoping he will be stabilized in the next few weeks. I hope to get him home by his birthday in July.”

Hero is fortunate enough to have slid some legal, financial, and technical help the way of Lorraine and Clay. And we think it would be a damn good idea of YOU continue to fund the S. Clay Wilson Special Needs Trust at: http://sclaywilsontrust.com/

And left-right, below, there’s Spain, Wilson, Lorraine, Crumb.

Jim McLauchlin

Hero Comics Hub page!

Folks,
Hero Comics will be about the swingin'est thing to swing since all those monkeys escaped the zoo and took over that vine factory. We've just established a Hero Comics "Hub" page on our Website, where we'll have links, previews, and you-name-it. Check it out.

And the SINGLE most important thing you can do: Scream at your local retailer that you think this is cool as heck, and you want a copy! It's in the June Previews for items shipping Auguest, 2009. Order code: JUN090950

Jim McLauchlin

Matt Wagner Grendel cover; Hero Comics!

Folks,
The full details on Hero Comics are here, and here's a piece of the puzzle that just rolled in yesterday—Matt Wagner's 100% kickass Grendel cover, as colored by maestro Dave Stewart!

Remember, Hero Comics, 32 pages of great and all-new material. Debuts San Diego con, 22 JUL, and in stores 29 JUL. August-ship Diamond Previews, 090950. If I was you, I'd get a copy. Seriously, I would!

Jim McLauchlin

2009 Free Comic Book Day recap!

Well, it’s in the books, and a splendid time was had by all!

Our pals at Collector’s Paradise in Winnetka, CA had a bountiful bevy of great creators (including Mark Waid and Marc Guggenheim, above, in a David Dearmore photo), and their beat goes on, as Hero-benefit auctions are still running via eBay.

Up Sacramento way, ace Hero vol Jason Waters beat the Hero drum to raise some bucks, and A-1 Comics of Sacramento even matched funds!

South Bay Hero vol Susan Weyl took care o’ business at the Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, where there was face-painting (below) and all kinds of gimcracky!
Meltdown Comics on the Sunset Strip played host to Tim Sale, who raised many hundreds of bucks for Hero with great drawings.

4-Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga kicked out the jams with raffles, rides, and all kinds of events.

On Los Angeles’ all-charity Big Sunday, Countdown and Robin writer Adam Beechen even got into the spirit of things with “Heroic” photos, this one with girlfriend Mindy.

Thanks to all, kids!

Jim McLauchlin

Bring card, get book!

Folks,
On that most joyous of all days, Free Comic Book Day, you should bring your Ralphs Rewards card to:
Collector's Paradise
7131 Winnetka Ave.
Winnetka, CA 91306
www.ComicsAndCards.net

or

The Comic Bug
1807 1/2 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
www.TheComicBug.com

If you do so and sign up your Ralphs card for the Hero Initiative, you'll get a FREE Mike Wieringo What If? book. You MUST bring your card, or you can sign up for a new one if ya don't have one! You CAN'T do it with phone number like you can do at a Ralphs store!

Long story short, Hero is part of the Ralphs Community Contribution program. Sign up your card with us, and Hero gets a nickel or two every time you shop at Ralphs with your card. It costs you, the consumer, NOTHING! It's all Ralphs taking dough outta bologna profit margins and putting it into comics, so DO IT!

Or if you wanna do in the comfort of your own home:

1) Sign in to Ralphs.com with your email and password
1a) If you have not created an account, create one now! Takes about 60 seconds!

2) Go to:
https://customer.ralphs.com/ManageCommunityRewardsStep1.aspx

3) Complete the three-step process; When signing up, our NPO # (non-profit organization #) is: 80680, and we're under our corporate name, "A Commitment To Our Roots." Don't let it throw ya!

And that's that.

In the immortal word of Elvis, thankyewverramuch.

Jim McLauchlin