Just for fun, Rich Ellis

As we march toward the "100 Avengers" debut party, here's one cover we haven't shown off yet—Rich Ellis!

Enjoy!

Jim McLauchlin

"100 Avengers" bottle DONE! (Almost!)

And so it comes to pass that Hero Initiative's custom New Avengers bottle is in FedEx hands and winging its way to the Windy City! There, artist Tim Seeley will put the finishing touches on it just in time for our debut event featuring all 100 New Avengers #1 covers at Chicago's C2E2 con!

And did we mention the event is sponsored by our pals at Graham Crackers Comics, they of the nine convenient Chicagoland locations?
Way up top, that's…
• The Thing, by Tone Rodriguez
• Iron Fist, by Chris Moreno
• Spider-Man, by Aaron Sowd
Just added…
• Hawkeye, by Tony Fleecs
• Mockingbird, by Mark dos Santos


And of course, tin-can Iron Man by Tim Sale!

Admission to the "Avengers Mansion" debut event gets you one FREE raffle ticket to win this great bottle, and you can buy more tickets at the party as well. Best of luck, and we'll see you in Chicago!

Jim McLauchlin

Things get drawn at bars

It's one of those comic artist rules of life that, for whatever reason, things sometimes get drawn at the bar.

Hero Initiative will be raffling off a custom New Avengers bottle crafted by glass artisan Karlton Hahn at the upcoming Chicago C2E2 convention. Come to our Saturday night unveiling of all 100 New Avengers #1 covers, and you could walk away with it!

Pics of the completed bottle will be posted at a later date, but in the meantime, you can ogle Aaron Sowd doing his magic above, and Tim Sale's Iron Man punching through the sky below.

Enjoy! And see ya in Chicago, huh?

Jim McLauchlin

Iron Man movie at MegaCon

In the evening after your MegaCon day is through on Friday, March 25, we heartily encourage you to truck on over to the Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium Cinema and check out a comics classic—Iron Man!

You can get in to special MegaCon-sponsored 9 PM showing for a mere $5, and your ticket stub will even get you 20% off at Hooter's, and free cover at the Ice Bar. And oh, yeah—did we mention there will be giveaways, and people collecting donations for Hero Initiative as well? Well, there will be.

So to sum up:
Friday, March 25, 9 PM
Iron Man
Regal Point Orlando Stadium Cinema
9101 International Drive
Orlando, FL

The Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium Cinema is RIGHT down the street from the convention center. You don't even have to turn off International Drive! Get you there!

Jim McLauchlin

Roy Thomas, artist! (With a li'l help from his friends!)

We all know Rascally Roy Thomas as one of comics' most gifted and prolific writers. But hey—the dude can draw a little, too!

And so, as Roy is SO very associated with the Avengers, we asked Roy to pencil a cover in Hero Initiative's New Avengers 100 Project. The Rascally One obliged, incorporating one of his signature creations, Ultron! The results are seen above and below.

Speaking of above, no less a stellar light than the amazing Ty Templeton agreed to ink Roy's piece. It was a bit of a homecoming, as Ty noted that the first comic he EVER purchased with his own money was a copy of the Thomas-scribed Avengers #57, the landmark Vision story that featured Ultron as well.

Kinda nice when things like that happen, huh?



Jim McLauchlin

Hero's Archie book availble for order NOW!

Folks,
The stellar Archie: 50 Times an American Icon book is available for preorder NOW in both hardcover and softcover versions! It's scheduled to be in stores by mid-late March, and will also be available at Reed Exhibit's C2E2 convention (March 18-20), and the Orlando MegaCon (March 25-27)!

The book features 50 takes on Archie and the Riverdale gang by a bountiful bevy of great artists including…
Sam Kieth!
Archie legend Stan Goldberg!

And a LOT, lot more!

Grab one today, you'll be glad you did!

Jim McLauchlin

Lady Death sketchcard auctions UP!

The fine folks at 5Finity Productions have commissioned 80 Hero Initiative-exclusive Lady Death sketchcards, and all are up for auction on eBay right now!

Artistic talent includes Joseph Michael Linsner (above), Al Rio (below), Chris Moreno and many more. So check ’em out before the auctions are over!

Jim McLauchlin

Welcome to Avengers Mansion (now in Chicago)

It's finally time to show off ALL 100+ of Hero Initiative's original New Avengers #1 covers! All you gotta do to see ’em is make the trek to the C2E2 convention in Chicago!

Saturday, March 19 in Room 185bc at McCormick Place is when and where the deal goes down, as Hero and Marvel transform the room into Avengers Mansion! This will be the first and ONLY public showing of all the original covers, and many of the participating artists will be in attendance as well to rub elbows and talk comics. And there will be beer!

So be there!

Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, March 18-20
Event: Saturday, March 19, 6-8 PM
Room 185bc

Admission is a mere $5, and gets you a raffle ticket to win a custom-sketched Avengers wine bottle as well. Pics on that to come.

Full details at the C2E2 site.

Get you there!

Jim McLauchlin

John McCrea at C2E2

Hero Initiative is happy to have artist John McCrea as its special guest at Chicago's C2E2 convention, March 18-20! This will make the first time in eight years that McCrea has made an appearance in North America.

In 23 years in the business—yes, that makes him old—McCrea has drawn Batman, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Star Wars, Judge Dredd, you-name-it. John will be at the Hero Initiative booth, #457, all weekend.

And hey—if you buy your C2E2 tickets using this link right here, Hero will even get a percentage of your purchase at NO additional cost to you!

Jim McLauchlin

C2E2 and Megacon ticket sales to help Hero!

All,
Hero Initiative's first two conventions of the 2011 year will be Chicago's C2E2, and the mighty Orlando MegaCon. And YOU can help Hero out when you buy your convention tickets in a TOTALLY painless way!

Just click on the very specific links below, OR use the links in the right column of the Hero Website to buy tickets online. When you do this, the conventions will slide a portion of your ticket purchase to Hero at NO additional cost to you! You just put a few nickels in our pocket, and got yourself into a super-cool event all at the same time.

So. Whatchoo waiting for? You have an index finger, right? Make with the click!

C2E2: http://www.c2e2.com/hero
Orlando MegaCon: https://www.megaconvention.com/shop/partner/hero/

And yes, Virginia: More convention announcements on these shows coming soonly!

Jim McLauchlin

Byrne, Well Done!

Okay, a bit punny in the headline, but one of the "100 Avengers" covers we're most excited about at Hero Central is this one done by one of the masters, John Byrne!

The man definitely pulled out all the stops on this one. Our thanks go out to the wilds of Connecticut, and Mr. Byrne!

We're targeting a cool debut event to show off ALL the "100 Avengers" covers in March. More news as it's available!

Jim McLauchlin

Of Darwyn Cooke and critical joints

Today is a good day at Hero Banking Central, as we just deposited a $10,000 check (!) from our ol' pal Darwyn Cooke from his now-famous "12 Days of Christmas" auctions last month.

Yep, 10 large is a good haul, but wait ’til you hear what Dar has up his sleeve for NEXT year. Think "even bigger," think "even better." And in the interim, next time you see Darwyn, thank him—he deserves it!

The deposit is well-timed, as yesterday was the day 1960s war comics legend Russ Heath went under the knife for knee replacement surgery. We're happy to report that the surgery was a success, and Russ is resting comfortably. He'll need the rest, as rehab is several months long, but if there's one tough SOB who will get through it, even at age 84, it's Russ Heath. Hero has been and will be along for the ride to help Russ out as well, of course.
Meantime, we HEARTILY encourage you to send get-well cards and good wishes to Russ in care of Hero Initiative at:

Hero Initiative
11301 Olympic Blvd., #587
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Jim McLauchlin

Russ Heath photo by Lori Matsumoto

Original Archie #600s...almost done!

There's a mere two weeks left, folks! Bid now on our eBay store before they're all gone!

This week's batch includes Nick Bradshaw, above, and Rachel Ordway, below. Rachel is the 17-year-old daughter of famed artist Jerry Ordway!

And does this mean we're nice and close to the start of the 100 Avengers auctions? I guess it does...

Jim McLauchlin

LAST of the signed Stan's Soapboxes!

The signed-and-numbered edition of Stan's Soapbox: The Collection is almost gone!

We have only TWO left via our eBay store.

And for the budget-conscious among you, there are six left at HALF PRICE with a small corner ding from AtomicComics.com.

Remember, there were only 250 of the hardcovers made, and only 100 of these are signed by BOTH Stan Lee and John Romita.

Last-second Christmas gifts, anyone?

Jim McLauchlin

Darwyn Cooke's 12 Days o' Christmas!

Our ol' pal Darwyn Cooke is playing Santa this Christmas with 12 great goodies going up on eBay with proceeds benefiting Hero Initiative! Best to check his blog on a daily basis over the next fortnight or so for new items.

In the here-and-now: A killer page from Parker: The Outfit (see below)! Check it out! And thanks, Dar!

Jim McLauchlin

Simonson before…and after!

Process junkies of the world unite!

The inimitable Walter Simonson was kind enough to send in scans of both his pencils and inks for his "100 Avengers" cover, and the results are seen here!

And fear not, art lovers: The "100 Avengers" book collecting all these lovely covers will be on sale in May, 2011. Auctions of the originals to start…oh, sooner or later. Let's say March, maybe.

Jim McLauchlin

Graham Crackers Hero Initiative Membership Party!

Big thanks to our pals at the mighty Graham Crackers Comics (did we mention nine Chicagoland locations?) and artist Angel Medina (above) for their help at the Hero Initiative membership party back on Nov. 12 at GC's Plainfield location. A splendid time was had by all, folks in attendance enjoyed 25% off EVERYTHING in the store, and Angel even did free sketches for folks who signed up for Silver level memberships.

And new 2011 members included folks such as Nicole McCue of Aurora, IL (below) and Noah Robinson of Plainfield, IL (below below).

Jim McLauchlin

Wizard #200 Jam cover now up for auction!

Our friends over at ComicArtFans.com are now doing…auctions! And we're helping them launch with an über-cool piece from an all-star lineup of artists that can't be matched!

The artists who did the Wizard #200 cover generously decided to donate the cover to Hero Initiative rather than break out the scissors and chop it up among themselves. The piece features:

Joe Quesada, who penciled Wolverine and the "200"
Steve McNiven, who penciled Spider-Man
Bryan Hitch, who penciled the Thing
And Michael Turner, who penciled the Incredible Hulk

The whole sheebang was inked by Dangerous Danny Miki, and we thank EVERYBODY for their help and participation!

And you can bid on it NOW! Just truck over to ComicArtFans.com. And best of luck!

Jim McLauchlin

Final Unknown BPAL packages up for sale…now!

Get ’em while they're still here!

A mere 27—that's right, we said 27!—packages of BOOM! Studios' Unknown hardcover and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Cat Allingham Unknown perfume are left, and they're for sale on Hero Initiative's eBay page!

Only 100 copies of this great combo that debuted at 2010's San Diego Comic-Con were created, and only a VERY few remain! Buy now and you get BOTH:

• A hardcover edition of The Unknown with an original bookplate illustrated by artist Minck Oosterveer and signed by Oosterveer and Mark Waid. Each copy is a signed-and-numbered edition of only 100 copies!

• A 5ml bottle of Cat Allingham from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. The fragrance features distilled shadows, a bleak desert landscape at midnight: Myroswelia balsam, gaïac wood, obsidian musk, green cumin, patchouli, myrrh, Siamese benzoin, frankincense, champaca, and sand.

Only a few limited edition sets remain at $50! Did we mention it makes a great gift? Well, it does.

Get to Hero's eBay page QUICKLY! They'll likely be gone soon!

Jim McLauchlin

Mid-Ohio auctions for Hero Initiative!

Our pals over at the Mid-Ohio Con were gracious enough to get a buncha top-drawer artists to pony up some great art for Hero Initiative. And they've even gracious enough to auction ’em off via eBay! So check ’em out! Great stuff from Sergio Aragones (above), Matt Wagner (below), Billy Tucci, David Peterson, Todd Nauck, and the ever-popular "many, many more."

And did we mention next year's Mid-Ohio Con will be Oct. 22-23, 2011? Well, it will. Be there!

Jim McLauchlin