Heroes/911 Emergency Relief
Sangiacomo, Michael, “Several projects will help the victims, survivors of terrorist attacks”, Plain Dealer, 22 September 2001, E7.
The comic-book industry is doing its part to support the victims and survivors of the terrorist attacks in New York, where DC and Marvel comics are based: Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Oni and Chaos comics companies, along with a gathering of small independent companies, will produce three separate benefit projects in coming months.
Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said he couldn’t stand looking at the forlorn faces of fellow staffers at Marvel in the days after the tragedy.
“We all wanted to help, we all wanted to do something,” he said. “We gave blood, but we wanted to do more. I knew I could not move rubble. I was a guy with pencils and paper, and that’s when it came to me that there was something we could do.”
“Heroes,” a poster-sized, $3.50 special-edition comic, will depict the true heroes of the attacks: the police, firefighters, rescue workers and everyone else coping at ground zero in downtown Manhattan. It will be released by the end of September. All the artists are donating their work; Quebecor World Printers of Montreal will print the book for free and all proceeds will go to the police and firefighter funds and the Red Cross in New York.
Among the contributors will be Neal Adams, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Garth Ennis, Geoff Johns, Joe Kubert, Adam Kubert, Gail Simone, Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Frank Miller, Alex Ross, George Perez, Jae Lee, Kurt Busiek, Frank Quitely, David Mack and Brian Bendis.
And in a real effort to show that peace among all men is truly possible, Quesada said longtime rival Todd McFarlane (“Spawn”) will be inking a piece penciled by Quesada.
Dark Horse and Chaos Comics will join with Image, Oni and Top Shelf comics companies to produce a graphic novel containing short stories and pinups depicting how the country dealt with the Sept. 11 attacks. The comic will include stories about similar tragedies around the world. The work should be out early next year. No cover price has been announced.
Not to be outdone, Alternative Comics will publish a tribute book to benefit the American Red Cross, said publisher Jeff Mason. “9-1- 1: Emergency Relief” will feature work by numerous creators including Frank Cho, who writes and draws the esoteric newspaper strip “Liberty Meadows”; Guy Davis; Danny Donovan; Will Eisner; Dan Fraga; Marc Hempel; Phil Hester; Tony Millionaire; Gray Morrow; Neil Vokes; and Ashley Wood.
The collection will cost $14.95 and all profits will go to the American Red Cross.