Insider Art establishes fund for female, non-binary comic retailers

Female creators unite to help raise funds for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with a planned anthology, auction and more.

As shelter-in-place orders continue to impact businesses of all shapes and sizes, an all-star list of female comics creators have come together to support female and non-binary comic book retailers.

Jen King, owner of Space Cadet Collections in Texas, will administer The Insider Art: Female Comic Book Retailer Fund, which will raise money in three key ways:

  • A digital comics anthology, details on which you can find below.
  • An Insider Art fabric: Two fabrics will beavailable in the coming months via Spoonflower — one featuring cat art by noted comic book professionals, and another by a host of young female artists.
  • An auctions of exclusive artwork, signed prints and various collectibles: King, who is also host of CBSN, her Comic Book Shopping Network FaceBook Channel, will run auctions, live on FaceBook and on eBay, to raise money.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to acknowledge the female comic book retailers who are on the front lines every day, spreading the good word about our favorite medium,” said former Vertigo and Black Crown editor Shelly Bond, who helped put the project into motion. “Over 50 female comic book creators have donated their time and mad skills to support female retailers who have lost incredible amounts of money due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Support comics retailers by buying this ‘Love and Rockets’ shirt

Sport some Gilbert Hernandez artwork while helping out a good cause.

Fantagraphics is offering a new T-shirt to raise money for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or Binc.

“Ripped straight from the pages of Love and Rockets Vol. IV #8,” the new shirt features artwork by Gilbert Hernandez:

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Oni Press, DC, Binc unite to announce new fund for comics retailers

The Comicbook United Fund will provide one location to make contributions to support comic book shops and their employees.

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or Binc, has announced the launch of the Comicbook United Fund, a dedicated relief fund designed to provide financial assistance to comic shops and their employees. Both DC Comics and the Oni Press-Lion Forge Publishing Group joined them in the announcement, with both offering funds to the organization.

The idea isn’t new — last year, the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group ​teamed with Binc to create the “Forge Fund.” It provides ​monetary support for comic retailers and their employees during times of hardship, like during Hurricane Harvey. The company continues to donate 5% of proceeds from their titles to the fund, and so far have donated $100,000 to the Forge Fund, which is operated by Binc

“The comic industry has a long history of banding together to protect and promote the art form we all love. We hope that this incredible action from DC will inspire a new wave of generosity and support for the great number of individuals and shops struggling through these times,” said James Lucas Jones, President and Publisher of Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. “Comics is an expansive community that still feels like a close-knit family, and these efforts feel like we are helping family members.”

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Creators 4 Comics is raising money to benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation

Creators have begun to host Twitter auctions that you can find via the hashtag #Creators4Comics.

Several comic book creators have banned together and created the initiative Creators 4 Comics, in an effort to raise money to benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (binc), which supports both independent bookstores and comic shops.

“#Creators4Comics is a group of comic creators who are coming together to help save comic book retailers and independent bookstores by holding online Twitter auctions to directly benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC). BINC is taking applications now and they will start providing direct aid to stores at the end of April,” their site reads. The effort was started by Kami Garcia, Brian Michael Bendis, Gwenda Bond, Sam Humphries and Phil Jimenez.

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Support The Nib in their summer fundraiser

After losing funding, political cartoon site The Nib is back — but needs your help.

After losing funding support from First Look Media, The Nib has returned as “an independent comics publication” that relies on reader support. That’s where you can help.

The popular editorial/long-form nonfiction comics site is running a fundraiser to “re-establish our regular lineup at The Nib and pay for web design costs of a new site while going independent.” They’re hoping to raise $15,000 before the end of August.

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Athens cartoonists create anthology to benefit Patrick Dean

A new issue of ‘Bezoar’ will benefit the cartoonist, who was diagnosed with ALS earlier this year.

Bezoar is a minicomics anthology put together by a group of Athens, Georgia-based comic creators with a monster theme. With two issues under their belt, the crew decided to use the third issue to help raise money for cartoonist Patrick Dean, who was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in June.

Joey Weiser explains on Tumblr:

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‘Believe her’: ‘Lazarus’ team launches new T-shirt to support RAINN

Greg Rucka and Michael Lark show their support for the U.S.’s largest anti-sexual violence organization with proceeds from a new T-shirt.

Lazarus creators Greg Rucka and Michael Lark have created a new T-shirt to support RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.

The shirt features the comic’s main character, Forever Carlyle, drawn by Lark, with the phrase “Believe Her” underneath.

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Lemire creates charity print to honor Gord Downie

Proceeds benefit the charity the Tragically Hip frontman helped found and support, the Downie Wenjack fund.

Jeff Lemire teamed up with Gord Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, last year for a multimedia project that told the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, an Ojibwa boy who died of exposure and hunger back in the 1960s. The Secret Path included poems, songs and a graphic novel, with proceeds from sales going to The Gord Downie Secret Path Fund.

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Derington covers ‘Redneck’ to benefit Houston charity

‘Doom Patrol’ artist Nick Derington creates a variant cover for ‘Redneck’ #7 to help raise money for the Houston Coalition for the Homeless.

Two Texas comics creators have come together to help out the Houston Coalition for the Homeless, which continues to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Skybound and Donny Cates, writer of Redneck, have enlisted Doom Patrol artist Nick Derington to create a variant cover for issue #7 of the Texas vampire comic. Check it out below:

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Mignola, Stewart, Dark Horse support Hurricane Harvey victims with special print

Limited Edition Hellboy print will be available at this weekend’s Rose City Comic Con, with proceeds going to the Houston Food Bank.

Portland may be a long way from Houston, but comic fans attending this week’s Rose City Comic Con can lend a hand to people in Texas by purchasing a limited edition Hellboy print by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart.

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‘Redneck’ shirt benefits hurricane relief in Houston

Proceeds will benefit the Houston Coalition for the Homeless and their efforts to support their flooded city.

With the Gulf Coast and other parts of Texas facing heavy rain and flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Skybound’s Texan vampires from the comic Redneck want to show their support. Not through blood donations, but via a limited edition shirt you can buy off the Skybound website.

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Comics Lowdown: The future of MAD Magazine

Plus: New superhero universe Catalyst Prime, comics to fight fake news, Jillian Tamaki, Rico Renzi’s color palette, and more!

What’s up with MAD Magazine? Mark Evanier lays out a brief history of MAD, which has been part of DC Comics for a long time (it’s complicated!), and updates us on its current status, which is… not good. Like pretty much all print magazines, MAD has been struggling for a while, although Evanier thinks editor John Ficarra has been doing a bang-up job. When the rest of DC packed up and moved to Burbank, California, a while ago, the MAD staff stayed, but they are moving out of their New York office at the end of this year, and DC has not been forthcoming with any news about what will happen next, beyond the fact that the magazine is moving to Burbank and only one staffer, a production artist, will be going with it. The February 2018 issue will be the last one produced by the Usual Gang of Idiots. DC has not made any announcements about what happens next, but Evanier suggests following the blog of artist Tom Richmond, one of the most frequent contributors to the magazine, for updates.

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