This week is mostly a skip week for the major publishers, so some enterprising Indy comic book artists have seized on the opportunity to promote their contributions.  According to the website:

Diamond Comic Distributors announced they will not ship any new comics for the last week of December. This company is the primary distributor of comic books in North America. What some would call a sad week without our favorite mainstream titles, we are calling an opportunity. This vacancy allows independent and small press comic book creators to claim this week as their own.

We challenge writers and artists to self publish new material for this week, and offer it to their local stores. We ask for retailers to take this as an opportunity to showcase local independent talent on the new release shelves. We encourage fans to break from their buying habits and try something new.

Raise your fist and proudly declare that comic books are more than an industry, more than a handful of corporations – it is a creative outlet for independent-minded artists and storytellers. This last week of 2009 belongs to you. Power to the people. Right on.

If you’re on twitter, use the hashtag #indycomicbookweek when promoting your site.

It’s nice to see a grassroots movement take an opportunity to band together and push a cause.  You can check out all the details at http://www.indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.

The Open Press picks up on the story and interviews Canadian comic book artist Von Allan and his contribution for the event that tackles mental health.