Cartoonists confront the pandemic for a good cause in ‘Pandemix’

Dean Haspiel and Whitney Matheson spearhead an anthology benefiting the Hero Initiative.

Dean Haspiel and a group of cartoonists have used their downtime during the pandemic to create an anthology for a good cause.

Pandemix: Quarantine Comics in the Age of ‘Rona is a benefit anthology that’s raising money for the Hero Initiative. Haspiel is editing the book along with Whitney Matheson (USA Today’s Pop Candy blog), as well as contributing a story that features his character The Red Hook.

“When COVID-19 sparked a global pandemic and national quarantines, I worried about my creative colleagues,” Haspiel said. “Many of us lost freelance work, and the comic book industry shuttered for a while. But I felt compelled to rally cartoonists to confront the pandemic and make art out of it. Art that can help comic creators in need.”

The anthology includes:

  • “Supply Chain Superhero” by Josh Neufeld (A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge).
  • “Skin Hunger,” an exploration of the loss of touch by Kristen Radtke (Imagine Wanting Only This).
  • “Iterations of the Apocalypse” by writer Jeffrey Burandt and artist Christa Cassano (Ghetto Klown).
  • “We Are All Doomed” by George O’Connor (the Olympians series).
  • “The Currency of Community” by Dean Haspiel.

Other contributors include Owen Brozman, J.J. Colagrande, Marguerite Dabaie, Jen Ferguson, N. Steven Harris, Ellen Lindner, Whitney Matheson, Morgan Pielli, Dave Proch, Joan Reilly, Frank Reynoso and Peter Rostovsky, who did the cover. The back cover features a Star Wars-inspired image by Mike Cavallaro.

The 56-page digital release will be available July 21. You can find it on Patreon, where you’ll have the choice between the $5 digital anthology or the $20 package, which includes a high-resolution version of Cavallaro’s back cover.

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