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June, 2008:

11 O'Clock Comics Episode 9

Once more into the breach! Cover your heads as we lead the attack on Stray Bullets and Young Liars, Marvel’s Dark Tower and The Stand, Proof, Kevin Maguire and Batman Confidential, collected editions vs. monthlies, Marcos Martin, comics in lieu of candy for Halloween (Gemstone, Archie, Bone, Shonen Jump, and more), Northlanders from Vertigo, APE Entertainment and Radical Comics, Red Mass for Mars, Whilce Portacio and Leinil Yu, Skaar: Son of Hulk, Star Wars: Vector from Dark Horse, Eternals and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Incredible Hulk movie, depressing sales figures, Joe Kubert, Marvel Vs. DC (again and again and again…) and very little discussion on Final Crisis #2 (though no lack of trying). Bonus! KY Comic Guy turns in his best Neseman roast to date! Google Blobpus.

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Hero Brings Perkins And Hulk To Wizard World Chicago

LOS ANGELES (June 24, 2008) – The Hero Initiative is at booth #1050 at this year’s Wizard World Chicago with Mike Perkins and a ton of talent along with the official launch of the Ultimate Hulk #100 covers!

BOOTH SCHEDULE

Thursday, June 26 (con hours 4:00-7:00)
5:00-7:00: Mike Perkins
[7:00-8:30: Hulk 100 party: Mike Perkins, Joseph Michael Linsner, David Finch, Peter David, Tim Seeley, Arthur Suydam, Angel Medina, Whilce and JoAnn Portacio]

Friday, June 27 (con hours 9:00-6:00)
10:00-11:30: Mike Perkins
11:30-1:00: Humberto Ramos
1:00-3:00: Gene Ha
3:00-4:00: Whilce Portacio
4:00-5:30: Mike Perkins

Saturday, June 28 (con hours 9:00-7:00)
10:00-11:30: Tim Seeley
11:30-1:00: Mike Perkins
1:00-2:30: Adi Granov
3:00-4:30: Gordon Purcell
4:30-6:00: Mike Perkins

Sunday, June 29 (con hours 10:00-5:00)
10:30-12:00: Mike Perkins
1:00-2:00: Ethan van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Aaron Lopresti “Win, Lose or Draw”
2:30-4:00: Mike Perkins

WIN LUNCH WITH CGC EBAY AUCTION

Visit http://qurls.com?i=35563 for a chance to win the ultimate collector and grading/restoration detection experience with CGC with CGC President and Primary Grader Steve Borock. Get the ultimate inside scoop from the grading and restoration experts at CGC, our hobby’s only independent third party certification company. Borock will show just ONE lucky winner how top-flight grading is done and how restoration is detected. The class and lunch will take place on Sunday, June 29 at 12 pm.

WIN LOSE OR DRAW ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29

Win the chance to play Win, Lose or Draw with hot comic book artists Ethan Van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Greg Horn and Aaron Lopresti! Two fans will be chosen to compete with the artists for huge prizes! Tickets for the raffle ($2 for one ticket, $5 for three tickets) will be on sale at the Wizard booth. Raffle will take place at the Win, Lose or Draw Panel on Sunday, June 29 at 1 pm in the Steve Gerber room. You must be present to win and all proceeds go to benefit Hero.

HULK “GREEN ROOM” EVENT REMINDER

As a follow up to the successful Hero Ultimate #100 Spider-Man Project, Hero has procured 100 exclusive, original Hulk covers on Marvel Comics’ recent Hulk #1. All 100 will be on display for the ONLY time at a special gala “Green Room” event at Wizard World Chicago on Thursday, June 26. You can get tickets to this event only at Wizard World Chicago. And your ticket also gets you a chance at a one-of-a-kind Hulk collectible!

The Green Room will be a star-studded event, with talent on hand to include Mike Perkins, Arthur Suydam, Peter David, Angel Medina, Tim Seeley, David Finch, Joseph Michael Linsner and more. Admission is a mere $5, OR $3 if you wear purple pants, FREE if you wear torn-up purple pants! Tickets will be on-sale starting at 6 PM at the door at rooms 4/5. And be advised: ONLY 200 tickets will be sold!

HERO TO AUCTION OFF TEN ORIGINAL HULK #1 COVERS

In the spirit of all things green and purple (or red!), The Hero Initiative brings you yet another fantastic opportunity to own one of the first ten exclusive Hulk #1 covers! The auction will take place on-site at this year’s Wizard World Chicago, which runs from June 26 to June 29. The first ten covers include the following fabulous talent: Chris Bachalo, Tom Brevoort, Michael Choi, Alan Davis, Mike Deodato, Leonard Kirk, Joseph Michael Linsner, Whilce Portacio, Javier Pulido and Arthur Suydam.

Visit http://heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=141 for more information and to view the covers. Proxy bidding will also be available for interested bidders unable to attend Wizard World Chicago. Visit the link for full information on proxy bidding.

SECOND GENE COLAN PRINT AVAILABLE AT HERO BOOTH

The second of Hero’s Gene Colan prints will be available first at Wizard World Chicago, this one featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by the Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. And Iron fans take notice: A heretofore unannounced special variant cover edition of the smash-hit Invincible Iron Man #1 will also be at the Hero Initiative booth. Colorist Stéphane Peru unfortunately passed away while working on Invincible Iron Man #1, and Marvel Comics has created a mere 100 copies with the notation “In Memoriam, Stéphane Peru, 1981-2008” on the cover. All 100 copies have been autographed by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, and will be available for sale by The Hero Initiative.

KRYPTON COMICS HESTER PRINT

Omaha Nebraska’s Krypton Comics will be selling an exclusive Phil Hester comic as a Hero benefit. Hester will be signing on Saturday from 2-4 pm at both the Krypton Comics booth and the Spud’s Emporium booth with 50% of variant sales going to The Hero Initiative! Don’t miss out on the super limited variant cover of The Darkness #1 Krypton Comics/Spud’s Emporium Exclusive Foil Edition!

For more information on Wizard World Chicago, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call or visit www.HeroInitiative.org.

# # # #

For more information, please contact:
Janine Bielski
The Hero Initiative

Hero Initiative Brings Second Gene Colan Print To Wizard World Chicago

Limited Edition, 100-copy Invincible Iron Man #1 also available!

LOS ANGELES (June 18, 2008) — The Hero Initiative will hit Wizard World Chicago in full force June 26-29, with spectacular exclusive product!

The second of Hero’s Gene Colan prints will be available first at Wizard World Chicago, this one featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by the Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. Another 50 prints will be available at a later date, with plans to have them autographed by both Gene Colan and Stan Lee.

And Iron fans take notice: A heretofore unannounced special variant cover edition of the smash-hit Invincible Iron Man #1 will also be at the Hero Initiative booth. Colorist Stéphane Peru unfortunately passed away while working on Invincible Iron Man #1, and Marvel Comics has created a mere 100 copies with the notation “In Memoriam, Stéphane Peru, 1981-2008” on the cover. All 100 copies have been autographed by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, and will be available for sale by The Hero Initiative.

“Wizard Entertainment is fully committed to the Hero Initiative cause and we’re thrilled we could provide a platform and venue to help raise money for this tremendous cause,” said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. “I urge all comic fans to donate to the cause to help out those in need who have helped provide a lifetime of entertainment.”

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call or visit 

With a library of over 5,000 characters built over more than sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios) and publishing (via Marvel Comics), with emphasis on feature films, home DVD, consumer products, video games, action figures and role-playing toys, television and promotions. Marvel’s strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. For more information visit www.marvel.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR ARTWORK PLEASE CONTACT:

Arune Singh
MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

Janine Bielski
Hero Initiative

Hero To Auction Off Ten Original Hulk #1 Covers On-Site At Wizard World Chicago

LOS ANGELES (June 17, 2008) – In the spirit of all things green and purple (or red!), The Hero Initiative brings you yet another fantastic opportunity to own one of the first ten exclusive Hulk #1 covers! The auction will take place on-site at this year’s Wizard World Chicago, which runs from June 26 to June 29.

The first ten covers include the following fabulous talent:

Chris Bachalo
Tom Brevoort
Michael Choi
Alan Davis
Mike Deodato
Leonard Kirk
Joseph Michael Linsner
Whilce Portacio
Javier Pulido
Arthur Suydam

“I’m happy and proud one of my covers is being auctioned off first. I have always loved the Hulk. When I was a kid my father used to call me the Hulk, because I was a big clod who broke everything I came into contact with. Hero is a great cause, and I am glad to help out,” said Joseph Michael Linsner.

Visit http://heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=141 for more information and to view the covers. Proxy bidding will also be available for interested bidders unable to attend Wizard World Chicago. Visit the link for full information on proxy bidding.

Hero plans to auction off the rest of the covers in the near future via eBay, as well as release a book of all 100 covers in December, so keep your eyes peeled at either www.heroinitiative.org or sign up for our Yahoo group at .

In addition, all 100 covers will be on display for the ONLY time at a special gala “Green Room” event on Thursday, June 26. You can get tickets to this event only at Wizard World Chicago. And your ticket also gets you a chance at a one-of-a-kind Hulk collectible!

The Green Room will be a star-studded event, with talent on hand to include Mike Perkins, Arthur Suydam, Peter David, Angel Medina, Tim Seeley, David Finch, and more. A cash bar will be available. But don’t sleep on it! A strict limit of 200 admission tickets ONLY will be sold!

Admission is a mere $5, OR $3 if you wear purple pants, FREE if you wear torn-up purple pants! Tickets will be on-sale starting at 6 PM at the door at rooms 4/5. And be advised: ONLY 200 tickets will be sold!

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call or visit www.HeroInitiative.org.

# # #

For more information, please contact:
Janine Bielski
The Hero Initiative

11 O'Clock Comics Episode 7

Steel sharpens steel! This time around, we talk up Josh Cotter’s Skyscrapers of the Midwest from Adhouse Books, the impact of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Chuck Dixon saga, Young X-Men #1 and #2, Dave Sim’s Judenhass, Caliber and Hercules from Radical, Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Secret Wars II omnibus, the Wildstorm relaunch, Virgin Comics’ Project: Kalki #1 and Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter, the greatness of Doug Mahnke, Grant Morrison Vs. Alan Moore, Batman R.I.P., Fables #73, the power of editors, Southern Knights, and much more! Plus, the Hotline is on fire with messages from Equinox, Andy Jewett, and KY Comic Guy! Vootie!
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11 O'Clock Comics Episode 6

Scattershot ramblings on Transhuman, Dark Horse’s Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus, 1985 #1, Action Comics #865, the first volume of the Noble Causes Archives from Image, Iron Fist, Umbrella Academy, Final Crisis #1, Trinity #1, Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft and Richard Corben, Ultimate Origins #1, the anthology format, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1, and much more! Plus, Carlos Cordova and a time traveler call the Hotline!