Green Lantern and Wonder Woman artist Liam Sharp has joined the Comicbook United Fund project to support independent US comic shops, offering this terrific new art featuring Death’s Head II.
Artist, editor and publisher Jim Lee, and many other comic creators, have been doing their bit for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation in support of comic retailers and booksellers for over a month. Utilising the hashtag #Creators4Comics, the fundraising initiative – which has so far raised over $950,000 – aims to benefit American comic book stores struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, many unable to open because of lockdown restrictions.
Any creator can participate via Twitter, and can run their own individual auctions by tweeting under the hashtag #Creators4Comics, offering everything from signed comics to artwork to unique events and experiences.
Twitter users scroll through the auction items under the hashtag and reply to individual item threads to place their bids. The winning bidder donates directly to BINC and submits the proof of donation to the auctioneer to claim their item.
All proceeds go to the Comicbook United Fund, a special relief effort managed by BINC created by the ForgeFund, a comics retailer charitable foundation formed by Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, along with funding from the comics community via #Creators4Comics, artist/DC publisher Jim Lee, and DC Comics.
The phenomenal sales of Death’s Head II, written by Dan Abnett, building on the critical success of earlier projects such as the original Death’s Head, Dragon’s Claws and The Knights of Pendragon, helped Marvel UK establish an albeit brief but memorable niche in the direct sales market in the early 1990s.
Sadly, the collapse of the market brought an end to the project, not helped by management mis-steps in the London office regularly cited by editors who saw the company’s decline and were victims of its implousion – but not before the Genesis 1992 project spearheaded by Paul Neary helped launch the careers of many great creators in the US publishing arena.
Liam posted images of the art here on Twitter – and work in progress on his terrific Death’s Head II piece on Facebook.
“Almost 30 years later, I don’t think I’ve ever designed another character that topped Death’s Head II!”, Liam enthuses. “He just works. The blind luck of youth I guess!”
That, and, as I said many times back while editing Death’s Head II, great art helps!
• Keep an eye on Jim Lee’s eBay.com storefront for just some of the art to go up for auction – and you can also view past items sold for this fundraiser through Jim here
• Find more art offered in support of comic shops through the hashtag on social media #ComicBookUnitedFund – or visit www.creators4comics.com
Because of charity regulations, funds raised through this project can only legally be used to support US retailers. (Bleeding Cool reported on 23rd April that BINC is looking into the possibility of serving communities outside of the US in the future)
• In the UK, the Book Trade Charity is offering assistance to comic shops. Comic book stores in the UK and Ireland should download this claim form, and anyone interested raising money for British or Irish comic book stores should get in touch with them
• Canadian creators have started a similar appeal for Canadian comic book shops as #Canucks4Comics, funding the work of Canadian non-profit Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
• Marvel UK: “Genesis ’92” – Looking Back and What Might Have Been
A guide to both published and unpublished projects from Marvel UK
• Flashback: The Dawn of Marvel UK’s “Genesis 1992” Project with Liam Sharp, Bryan Hitch and more
Before Marvel UK’s “Genesis 1992” characters first spread their wings in their first US format books and weekly British comic Overkill, Editorial Director Paul Neary and I put together a promotional booklet promoting the characters, printed on the office photocopiers, but given ‘special’ cover by Liam Sharp and sold at the United Kingdom Comic Art Convention (UKCAC) in London, in September 1991, for just 10p.
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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