As usual, the Hero Initiative will have all sorts of activites and signings at New York Comic-Con. They’re auctioning off a super-duper VIP package which you can bid on here. They’ll also have a Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane Look-a-like contest, judged by John Romita. Cheesy and corny? You bet, but it’s for a good cause.

Ladies! People who aren’t Ladies! The comics social event of the season is now the fashion event of the season as well, with the first-ever GWEN AND MARY JANE LOOKALIKE CONTEST at the New York Comic Convention April 18-20! So dig out those go-go boots, and we’ll all have to face it, Tiger—We’re about to hit the jackpot!

And a man who oughtta know will determine who’s belle of this ball! Legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr. will judge the contest! John is the FIRST artist EVER to draw Gwen and MJ, so make sure your getup is spot-on!

“I look forward to trying to choose which blonde and redhead most resembles Gwen Stacy and MJ Watson at the New York Con April 19th. It’s bound to be tough work, but someone has to do it,” joked John Romita Sr.

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The Hero Initiative, a charity formed to help creators in need, announces a new initiative starting with a print by Frank Cho tyat was to have been signed by Cho and Steve Gerber before his death:

So it was with alla that in mind that we concocted FOOG, TOO! or “Friends Of Ol’ Gerber,” too. (Your miraculous Interweb will tell you all you wanna know about the original FOOG if ya wanna look it up.) We were gonna create several Gerber-centric products under the FOOG, TOO! banner that would help fund Hero (and thereby, also help Steve out financially in his convalescence). The first outta the gate was scheduled to be this super-cool Frank Cho Howard-and-Beverly print seen here. Working with our pals at Marvel, we got some new Frank Cho/Jason Keith art, and got these suckers printed up. Frank and Steve were slated to sign ’em, and ¡voila! Instant fundraiser product.

The prints will be available at the HERO booth or via AtomicComics.com.

We’re way behind in our Wondercon news, but we had to post some updates to the plans for The Hero Initiative. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have been addedto the list of those signing at the booth. SAT., 23 FEB from 1 PM-230 PM. The rest of their schedule can be seen:
here.

In other exciting Hero Initiative news, they are bringing back the dunk tank for MegaCon! With Joe Q in the seat of danger. “Brand New Day” lovers, line up now!

Finally, and even more importantly, over on the late Steve Gerber’s blog, (which is being maintained by Mark Evanier), Paul Levitz suggested the best way to remember Gerber would be to make a donation to The Hero Initiative, which was founded to help comics creators — who typically are often without health insurance or retirement plans — in Gerber’s name. It’s a fantastic idea and you can do so here.

The CBLDF, MySpace and Meltdown comics are teaming up for a wrap party for Y THE LAST MAN. Creators Brian Vaughan and Pia Guerra will be there, and Joss Whedon will deliver homilies. There will be speeches and exclusive prints. Attndence is limited to 140; VIP tickets for the event are $100; standing room only $25. We will be there in spirit only, alas. Details below.

On January 30, 2008, one of the most acclaimed comic book series of the last decade, Y THE LAST MAN, concludes with issue sixty. The series and its co-creators, writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra, have received widespread acclaim, in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon and Entertainment Weekly and on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” To celebrate the end of the series, MySpace Comic Books (http://www.myspace.com/comicbooks), the comic community of the world’s most popular social network, and Meltdown Comics, the renowned Los Angeles-based comic book shop, today announced a first-of-its-kind event for the comic book industry: Y: THE LAST PARTY.

Taking place on February 8th at Meltdown, the party is a benefit for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and a celebration of the internationally acclaimed comic book series. Joss Whedon will appear in person to toast Y: The Last Man co-creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. All proceeds from this once-in-a-lifetime event will benefit the First Amendment work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). Since 1986, the CBLDF has defended the Free Expression rights of comics booksellers, artists, and educators throughout the United States by funding top legal counsel in criminal cases and leading important education initiatives.

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Buzy FoL prexy Val D”Orazio announces the Friends of Lulu “Design-A-Lulu” Initiative:

We at Friends of Lulu are looking for a few good artists (oh, heck, actually we’re looking for tons) to donate their talent to Friends of Lulu’s Design-A-Lulu Initiative, a fundraising and increased public awareness effort in which we ask artists to dream up their own interpretation of our Lulu mascot.

If you can find the time to help Friends of Lulu by contributing your own unique “Lulu” design, we would most appreciate it.

Instructions in the link.

Courtesy of Steve Prue for teamrockstarimages.com here’s some photos from Monday’s CBLDF Member Appreciation Holiday Party. It was a star studded event, as the above photo shows, with everyone from Moby to Molly Crabapple in the house for festivities and some fundraising.

The action shifts to Berkeley on SATURDAY, where Comic Relief hosts a party for the Fund’s Bay Area members. The first 50 card carrying or new CBLDF members through the door will receive a special Fund gift bag. Plus, every CBLDF member coming to the party will get a 10% discount on purchases made during the party, with Comic Relief matching those purchases with a 10% donation to the Fund. Creators Erik Larsen, Derek McCulloch (signing free previews of Displaced Persons), Jimmie Robinson, Shepard Hendrix, and more to be announced will be sketching and signing autographs for Fund supporters. The Comic Relief Party will start at 6:00 PM and run until 9:00 PM

If you’re looking for last minute gifts, check out the CBLDF website which has signed books, prints and T-shirts .

Wednesday, December 19, the party moves to Los Angeles, CA at Golden Apple Comics , whereBrian K. Vaughn, MF Grimm, Christos Gage, Rob Schrab, Gerry Duggan, Rantz Hoseley, and Dan Panosian there., and more will be on hand to sign autographs and create sketches to benefit the CBLDF. The event will also boast door prizes, a special gift bag for the first 50 card carrying or new members, plus 10% off purchases made during the party by current or new CBLDF members, with Golden Apple matching those purchases with a 10% donation to the Fund! The Golden Apple party will begin at 6:00 PM and end at 9:00 PM.

Newly shorn Dan Goldman has his party pix here. More pics in the jump! PLUS even more pics at the new CBLDF MySpace page. Go friend ‘em up!

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Tonight, come celebrate comics and the First Amendment, while reveling alongside an all-star line up of creators! The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s NYC Holiday Member party, co-hosted by JahFurry, begins promptly at 7pm and continues until 11pm, with plenty of fun in between, including a live comics jam, raffles and door prizes, live jazz-funk by Avi Bortnick, delicious vittles, and more comics stars than you can shake a sketchbook at. Location: Village Pourhouse, 64 3rd Ave @ 11th St.

Instead of buzzkilling lines for sketches, guests can take advantage of this unique assemblage by getting a CBLDF HOLIDAY JAM SHEET for a $50 donation, which they can then fill with original on-the-spot art from as many artists as they can corral.

Confirmed guest creators include: Kyle Baker, Paul Pope, Moby, Alex Maleev, Douglas Rushkoff, John Lucas, Rick Spears, Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld, Nick Bertozzi, Michel Fiffe, Molly Crabapple, Nikki Cook, Dan Goldman, Anthony Lappe, Andy MacDonald, Arvid Nelson, Jen Tong, Ryan Roman, Kevin Colden, Alec Longstreth, Vito Delsante, and Ulises Farinas, and Paul Azaceta.

Throughout the night, the Fund is giving a way a host of great door prizes, including gift certificates at partner stores Forbidden Planet, Jim Hanley’s Universe, and Midtown Comics. The Fund is also raffling off prizes including an Arthur Suydam signed Marvel Zombies hardcover, full signed sets of Strangers in Paradise, Liberty Meadows, Invincible, and much more.

The first 50 Members to attend will take away a fantastic gift bag that includes a limited edition signed Paul Pope print, collectible preview editions of Jungle Girl, Superpowers, Infinite Horizon, and Displaced Persons, a variant cover of Sinbad: Rogue of Mars #1, a DJ Spooky sampler CD, a Will Eisner graphic novel and additional signed CBLDF prints!

While having fun, partygoers can get some holiday gift shopping done at the fundraising table, boasting a wonderful assortment of signed graphic novels, comics, and original art.

So, come to the Village Pourhouse and bring your CBLDF member card or sign up at the door to be a part of this unforgettable night for comics!

For more info or to join: http://www.cbldf.org/pr/archives/000344.shtml

PR:

Come celebrate comics, support the First Amendment, and toast a host of guest creators out to thank you for supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at the CBLDF Member Appreciation Holiday Parties !

Throughout December, the Fund is hosting parties in New York City, Los Angeles, CA, Berkeley, CA, and Vienna, VA featuring comics stars, incredible jam-packed gift bags, door prizes, auctions, discounts & more! Admission to all parties is free for card-carrying CBLDF members, or those who join or renew at the door.

The first party will be in the CBLDF’s home base of New York City on December 10 at the Village Pourhouse , co-hosted by JahFurry . Confirmed guests include: Kyle Baker, Moby, Paul Pope, Alex Maleev, John Lucas, Rick Spears, Dean Haspiel, Molly Crabapple, Dan Goldman, Josh Neufeld, Michael Fiffe, and many more. Features live music by jazz-funk artist Avi Bortnick to accompany an all-star art jam! Come get autographs, enter for great door prizes, bid on exclusive art, and mix with comics’ brightest stars. In addition, the first 50 attending members will receive a special gift bag, stuffed with great comics, including a Will Eisner graphic novel, Preview editions of Jungle Girl & Superpowers, provided by Dynamite Entertainment , plus gifts from partners Forbidden Planet , Image Comics , Jim Hanley’s Universe , Midtown Comics , and MoCCA . The Fund is offering advance reservation tickets for members at http://cbldf.safeshopper.com/24/cat24.htm?290 or sign up at the door!

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SPACENIGHT - A TRIBUTE TO BILL MANTLO - DEC. 6th » Floating World Comics:

Thursday, Dec. 6th, 6-10pm. Show runs through Jan. 1st.

This December our First Thursday show is a tribute to my favorite comic character of all time, ROM Spaceknight, and the man who brought his adventures to life, Bill Mantlo. There will be over 100 contributors including: Jeffrey Brown, Sal Buscema, Guy Davis, Renee French, Simon Gane, Ken Garduno, Brandon Graham, Maureen Gubia, Kevin Hooyman, Corey Lewis, Al Milgrom, Jeff Parker, Ron Rege Jr, Zack Soto, Peter Thompson, Gordon Wiebe, Danijel Zezelj and more! A silent auction will be held for original art, and 11×17” poster prints of every contribution will be available for a suggested donation of $5 or more.

Wizard World Texas is in two weekends, and the Hero Initiative has the kind of benefit we like — one which involves potential embarrassment and flailing about.

The Hero Initiative, the charity that helps older comic creators in medical or financial need, will be making its appearance at WizardWorld Texas, Nov. 16-18 at the Arlington Convention Center. And some select artists in attendance will risk all to raise funds for Hero.

WizardWorld will have a mechanical bull on the convention floor, and artists Tommy Castillo (Detective Comics), Phil Hester (The Darkness), Angel Medina (Sensational Spider-Man) and Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies) will all have special “Hero Initiative-no bull!” donation jars. All four artists will accept donations for Hero all day Friday and Saturday until 3 PM, and the artist who raises the least will have to ride the bull AND draw a sketch while doing so! You can show your support to keep your favorite artist off the bull by visiting them and dropping a few bucks in their jar.

“As a ‘gentleman of large carriage,’ I’m particularly interested in staying off this infernal contraption,” said Phil Hester. “See me at my table or the Top Cow booth and spend a buck to save me from this horrific fate. Don’t do it just for me. Spare yourself the indelible image of my gelatinous frame flying to flinders before your very eyes.”

“I am so gonna outraise Phil Hester, just so I can see his gelatinous frame fly to flinders,” said Arthur Suydam. “If necessary, I’ll sell a kidney. I have two, I think.”

“We are always thrilled to be involved with Hero Initiative and are very excited to see which of the generous and brave artists end up in the saddle late Saturday afternoon. The ride is sure to be a highlight moment from Wizard World Texas,” said Vice President and Associate Publisher, Rob Felton.

For a complete list of events, guests, activities, ticket prices and times, visit www.wizardworld.com.

The eagle-chested warrior will spearhead a benefit for victims of domestic violence, just like a hero should, and Octber 28th will be Wonder Woman day in portland, OR.

Wonder Woman debuted in American comic books during World War II, and was the super-heroic star of a popular television series in the 1970s. Now, for the second year in a row, the heroine serves as a star-spangled symbol for a charity benefit for Portland’s most protective domestic violence shelters — Raphael House and Bradley-Angle House — and the Portland Women’s Crisis Line. Excalibur Comics will host “Wonder Woman Day” on Sunday, October 28th from 1pm to 6pm. The free all-ages event will include a trio of comic book creators signing Wonder Woman comics and special art prints, as well as a silent art auction with over 150 of the world’s top artists contributing original art, plus raffles, costumes, rare memorabilia, and more!

Additionally, a second “Wonder Woman Day” benefit will take place on Sunday, October 28th, in Flemington, NJ, at Comic Fusion. This East Coast event will benefit Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey!

Some key points:
• Portland’s Mayor, Tom Potter, has declared October 28th as “Wonder Woman Day” in the City of Roses.
• Portland’s first Wonder Woman Day in 2006 raised over $15,400 for two Domestic Violence shelters
• Last year’s event was filmed for a half-hour documentary series, FANatical, shown on Canadian national television.
• October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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James Sturm writes to alert us to a worthy donation for a good cause:

Garry Trudeau has generously donated a Doonesbury strip to auction off in conjunction with his October 22 appearance at CCS to help raise money for the school. From what I understand, his strips rarely make it onto the market and have gone for $1000 when they do.

If you want more info or to bid, go here.
This is, btw, an extremely rare public appearance by Trudeau, and tickets for the lecture are already sold out. A few $500 tickets for dinner remain — info on how to reserve one in the above link. Kudos to Trudeau for supporting the CCS — based on what we’ve already seen from students at the cartooning school, this is going to become an important force in comics.

PR:

Starting October 1, ComicBookShelf.com, one of Northern California’s leading online graphic novel retailers, will be giving back to the comic book industry by donating a percentage of every sale to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative.

“I’m passionate about comics, and I know that the field as we know it wouldn’t be what it is today without the work of The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Hero Initiative,” said ComicBookShelf.com President Dan Shahin. “These two groups are watching out for the legal rights and well-being of our field, so I’m proud to give back for all the important work that they do by donating 10% of every sale placed on ComicBookShelf.com-5% to each organization-between now and the end of the year.” Shahin added, “To make an even bigger difference, we’re going to double that donation between now and November 1. As always, shipping is 100% free with no minimum purchase, making it easy to shop and support the comics community at the same time.”

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Wednesday’s New York memorial/fundraiser in tribute to the late MIke Wieringo was a great success as pros and fans packed Flatiron Joe’s, but just as importantly the various auctions and sketch-a-thon raised $4000 for the Hero Initiative and the ASPCA. Occasional Superheroine has a report on the doings here, Hero Initiative reports here.

There’s also a new eBay auction to benefit these two charities:

Much-beloved comic artist Mike Wieringo passed away on August 12 of a heart attack. Many artists immediately did Wieringo tribute pieces, and many wished to donate them to charity. As Mike was a lover of both comics and animals, Mike’s family elected to donate them to The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA. These pieces are being auctioned at: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZheroinitiative. All proceeds will be split between The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA.

A total of eight pieces are being auctioned, most featuring Mike’s signature characters from his series, Tellos. Artists include Frank Cho, Jeremy Dale, Jamie Snell, Nate Lovett, Paul Renaud, Francis Manapul, Tom Beland, and Hero Initiative Board member Jim Valentino. There’s even a Mike Wieringo original donated by Filip Sablik of Top Cow Productions.

As corny as it sounds, Mike was a person who touched everyone who came in contact with him, no matter how briefly. Please keep the memory of this kind and talented man alive for these two very worthy causes.

PR:

To honor Mike Wieringo and celebrate his life, a special festive event has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30 pm in Manhattan. This event, coupled with a Newsarama.com eBay Auction, is open to all fans. There will be a number of writers, artists, and contemporaries of Mike’s at the New York event, with several artists doing sketches on-site. Attendees can buy sketches form artists on site, and per Mike’s family’s wishes, the proceeds from this event will be split between The Hero Initiative and the ASPCA.

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WE haven’t had much to say about the recent Chicago con, because no one did: by all accounts most folks were exhausted. However good times were to be had, and The Hero Initiative’s Jim McLauchlin has some memories and photos like the Millar/Jenkins showdown above:

• The greatest thanks are reserved for Paul Jenkins, who worked his balls (billiard balls, that is) off all weekend, and Michael Turner. Turner, sporting what he calls his “stylish new walk,” showed up to challenge Jenkins to a best-of-9 9-ball tournament on Sunday and gamely hung with the master. Final was 5-3, and you could see the flopsweat marshalling on Jenkins’ brow. Turner’s right leg ain’t what it used to be, but he can still play. It was great to see Mike get out and have a little fun shooting some stick, and I hope he enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having him there.

A word on challenging Paul Jenkins at pool: do so at your own risk!

What a combination – Paul Jenkins and a pool table! Join The Hero Initiative as we kick off Wizard World Chicago with what is sure to be the con’s most talked-about event!

Come to booth #140 to challenge Paul Jenkins at pool for $30 (100% of which will go to support the men and women Hero serves)! If you beat Paul, you can win fabulous prizes! In addition, once a day, we’ll also have:

• THE BIG DIRTY! Instead of $30, a fan can challenge Paul to a single game for $500, and possibly with a $1000+ prize package!

• THUNDERDOME (Two men enter, Paul Jenkins leaves!) Other pros will challenge Jenkins for some crazy stakes! Joe Quesada, Michael Turner and Mark Millar are all in, and Jenkins will even shoot BEHIND HIS BACK against Quesada to even things up!

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Booths 3848 and 3850 is going to knock your socks off at this year’s San Diego Comic Con International! The Hero Initiative is being generously sponsored by GameTap, the ever-expanding playground of video games from the arcade classics to console and PC hits. SDCC runs from July 25-29, 2007 so don’t miss out on any of the following awesome booth and convention activities!

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Just a reminder that the new FoL Anthology, THE GIRLS’ GUIDE TO GUYS’ STUFF will be on sale at the show.

They are here, and they are BEAUTIFUL!

Be sure to come see us at our booth, #832, at the San Diego Comic Con and meet some of the contributors to this great anthology!

Remember our Lulu Awards that celebrate the women of the comics industry? We hope you do! The 2007 Lulu Awards are being held Thursday, July 26 at 8:30 p.m. in room 10 of the San Diego Convention Center. We’ll have snacks and light refreshments all thanks to Minx, DC Comics’ new teenage girl-oriented line, our gold sponsor for this event. We are suggesting a $5 donation per person, and each donor will get a raffle ticket to win a copy of the hot-off-the-presses Girls’ Guide to Guys’ Stuff!

The CBLDF, Image, NYCC, Scholastic and Cartoon books are teaming for a big bash on Thursday night and it’s sure to be one of the hottest parties of this year’s San Diego. PLUS, the firsdt 300 guests receieve a gift bag which will include a copy of Jeff Smith’s RASL preview — with only 2200 of these printed, we suspect this may just be the hottest book at the show. Check the link for pictures of more of the swag.

CBLDF’s Comic-Con Welcome Party: Exclusives, Original Art & More!

Kick off the year’s biggest comics show in style at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Comic-Con Welcome Party on Thursday, July 26 at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego. Sponsored by Image Comics, New York Comic-Con, Cartoon Books and Scholastic Grafix, the Comic-Con Welcome Party is presented by the CBLDF in association with Prism Comics. Join top artists for a night under the stars where you’ll receive an amazing gift bag, witness an exclusive meeting of the Drink & Draw Social Club, and preview the Fund’s amazing Comic-Con auction. The CBLDF Welcome Party starts at 7:30 PM on Thursday July 26. Admission is a $10 donation for CBLDF Members, and $20 and up for non-members.

The first 300 party guests will receive a gift bag featuring over $50 in great items, including

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Hero Initiative is sponsoring another Marvel vs DC softball fray, and you can buy a ticket OR go on Ebay to bid for a spot on one of the teams.

Join The Hero Initiative for the second annual Marvel Vs DC Softball Game on Thursday, July 26 at 3 pm at San Diego’s Morley Field. Players such as Joe Quesada, Humberto Ramos and John Romita Jr. will be battling Jim Calafiore, Adam Hughes and Dan Jurgens softball style to see who will win the coveted Stan Lee Trophy!

Travel to the game in style and buy your roundtrip transportation tickets now. All ticket proceeds benefit The Hero Initiative.

Or bid NOW for a spot on either team!

Go to here to win a spot on the Marvel Softball Team.

Go to here to win a spot on the DC Softball Team.

Oh my lots o’ stuff:

This is the big one! The CBLDF holds its biggest auction of the year at Comic-Con, and this year brings some amazing one-of-a-kind items to raise money for free speech! This year’s items include original art by Jim Lee, Jeff Smith, Todd McFarlane, Paul Pope, Neil Gaiman, Brian Bendis, Jim Starlin, David Lloyd, Juan Santacruz, Terry Moore, and many, many, many more! Click here for a full illustrated preview!

You will need a bidder number for this auction, which can be obtained, along with a full auction list, at the CBLDF booth #1831 or at the start of the event.

The CBLDF is also accepting pre-bids online.

Online bids will be accepted starting Monday, July 16 until Friday, July 27, 10:00 PM PST. All bids must be emailed to info@cbldf.org with “CCI SD AUCTION BID” in the subject line. Be sure when bidding to use the item name as it appears on the website.

This is not a silent auction bidding system. All bids placed online will be used as opening bids during the live auction on Saturday, July 28. In the event there are multiple bids on the same item, the highest bid will be the one accepted.

Bid amounts placed online will not be disclosed before the item is auctioned. Winning bidders will be notified by email the week following the convention. Payment is expected within 7 days from said email.

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What is it with the boats behind the convention center thing? Seems to be this year’s hot trend:

Bid NOW at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300129989278 to win the ultimate opportunity to hang with Stan Lee on a yacht on Friday, July 27, 2007 at this year’s San Diego Comic Con International! Six winners will receive:

-Photo and face time with Stan aboard the Illusion TV Yacht, which is anchored in the beautiful San Diego Marina right behind the convention center.

-Two of your own personal comic books signed by Stan Lee and then certified by CGC with the prestigious Signature Series label.

-Lunch prior to meeting Stan Lee courtesy of Hero Board Member/CGC President Steve Borock. Lunch will be with Steve and System Of A Down’s Drummer Extraordinaire and life long comic collector, John Dolmayan.

The Hero Initiative will also be adding a page on their website that commemorates the event. This special page will feature the winners with the scans of their Stan Lee CGC Signature Series books along with their photo of Stan Lee and their name underneath the picture. Think of it as worldwide “bragging rights” to show of to your chat board/ my space/ comic space/ and other friends from where they live to any place in the world!

This fantastic opportunity takes place on Friday, July 27. Lunch at the Marriott Hotel next to the Convention Center will run from 12:30 pm-1:30 pm and you will meet Stan Lee from 2:30 pm-3:15 pm.

The fine print: Your two items for signing by Stan Lee need to be received by Hero no later than Wednesday, July 18 so we can have Stan Lee sign them and get them finished by CGC prior to the convention. You will receive your items at the event.

Images featured on the auction’s page are not up for auction but only examples of what you will win. This auction is non transferable and is for the winners only – no additional guests are allowed.

For more information on San Diego Comic Con International, visit http://www.comic-con.org/cci/index.php.

To see the amazing 35’ Illusion TV Yacht, which seats 10-12 people and was generously donated by Illusion TV, visit http://www.seaforthboatrental.com/sailboats/boats/large-catalina350.php.

For more information on CGC’s Signature Series, visit www.CGCComics.com.

Jim Lee sends An Open Letter to my fellow professionals and comics fans…:

…Right now, I’m asking you to join me in supporting the CBLDF’s work on this case. To date they’ve spent nearly $80,000 defending Gordon, and they expect the trial to cost another $20,000 on top of that. To ensure that they have the cash on hand for Gordon’s August trial, and to shore up their reserves for what could be a very litigious Presidential election year, they need our donations now.

Please join me in supporting the Fund by making a donation of cash, original art, high-grade comics, or even some of your time (like I did in 2003 when I did a signing at Defender of Liberty recipient Chuck Rozanski’s Mile High Comics as part of a CBLDF benefit auction). It’s up to those of us who rely on comics for our living to stand behind the Fund in protecting our own. The Fund needs all of our support to win this case, where a conviction won’t just harm Gordon, but its precedent could affect all of our livelihoods.

More in link. Jeff Smith is also giving and wants you to as well!

A couple of notes related to the late (and dare we say great) Dave Cockrum. Longtime friend Clifford Meth tells us that Cockrum’s widow Paty has approved the creation of The Dave and Paty Cockrum Foundation, a scholarship fund for a worthy cartooning student. Details are forthcoming, but Joe Kubert is coordinating the establishment of the fund, and the scholarship will probably be to the Kubert School.

Meanwhile, Meth notes that the hardcover Cockrum tribute book is currently available through Bud Plant and Aardwolf Publishing. It will be solicited in the July Previews. “It’s beautiful and contains 128 pages (the paperback was 88 pgs) with lots of new contributors, including George Perez and Tom Spurgeon. Some copies have original Dave Cockrum art tipped in,” says Meth.