October 14, 2020 – GIVE COMICS HOPE, the new charitable initiative announced last month, today sent out a call for public donations and revealed the first round of high value, unique items donated by industry professionals for the first of two upcoming charitable auctions. The initiative was created by and headed by comic book industry veteran Bill Schanes and designed for all members of our community to rally together to provide vital aid to comic book stores, the heart and roots of our vibrant comic book community.
As previously announced, GIVE COMICS HOPE’s initial charitable efforts will be focused on two auctions designed to raise an initial slate of funds to be distributed to comic book stores in early 2021. GIVE COMICS HOPE is calling on publishers, creators, retailers, fans, convention organizations, printers, media, and indeed every member of the community to unite together and give back to comic book shops by donating premium collectibles from their personal collections to two upcoming charitable auctions.
The first auction will be conducted by Heritage Auctions, the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer, for all received donations with an estimated value of $500 or more to take place between Wednesday, October 28, 2020 and Wednesday, November 11, 2020. The initial auction will include donations from industry insiders including cover art from The Walking Dead donated by Image Comics partner Robert Kirkman, paintings by legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz, Star Wars original art by award-winning artist P. Craig Russell, original art from New Mutants #88 by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, original art from X-Factor #55 and Amazing Spider-Man #326 signed by New York Times bestselling artist Colleen Doran, original art from “Sunset in Sunshine City” by legend Will Eisner, one-of-a-kind memorabilia from film and television like Tim Burton’s Batman, Breaking Bad, Supergirl, and Saban’s Power Rangers, and many, many more. Public donations for the first auction are due by Sunday October 11, 2020.
“Comic book shops are our local community centers, a safe place, a place where like minded fans gather on a weekly basis to pick up all of the latest and greatest comic books and related products” says Bill Schanes, founder of GIVE COMICS HOPE. “Nothing compares to this eye widening, jaw dropping, sensory overloading shopping experience! Now is the time to give back… Dig into your collection and select 5 items you feel have a perceived value of $100 or more for each item. The more you donate, the more funds will be available to give to your local comic book shop.”
The second auction will be conducted by Jesse James Comics/Comic Book Shopping Network in partnership with eBay. All public donations with an estimated value of $499 or less will be offered through public auctions and “Buy It Now” opportunities on eBay between Wednesday, November 11, 2020 and Friday, December 11, 2020. Public donations for the second auction are due by Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
GIVE COMICS HOPE has partnered with the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to assisting comic retailers and booksellers, to oversee the management and disbursement of the funds raised by GIVE COMICS HOPE. The initiative will take no organizational fees, and will only deduct any actual, direct costs incurred from the funds raised. Since its inception, Binc has provided over $9 million in financial assistance and scholarships to more than 9000+ families. Support for the Foundation’s programs and services comes from all sectors of the book and comic industries. The Foundation was imagined and built by booksellers and proudly continues to be their safety net. In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the book and comic industries came together in an extraordinary way allowing Binc to help 2,191 booksellers, comic retailers, and stores with $2.7 million in urgently needed assistance.
Additional information regarding GIVE COMICS HOPE, including details on how to donate, ideas for what to donate, suggestions for how to support the initiative without a collectible donation, and testimonial videos, are available at www.givecomicshope.org. The GIVE COMICS HOPE logo was created by Craig Yoe of Yoe Studio. The GIVE COMICS HOPE website was designed and is managed by Gary Smith of AtPlay Creative.
For continuing news on GIVE COMICS HOPE and its auctions, stay tuned to www.givecomicshope.org and follow @givecomicshope on Instagram and Facebook, and @comicsgive on Twitter.
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