In support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September, IAmElemental, creator of the first female action figures designed specifically for children, is bringing its superheroes to the fight against pediatric cancer. The company’s popular Courage Core Power female action figures – modeled on Joan of Arc and embodying Bravery, Energy, Honesty, Industry, Enthusiasm, Persistence and Fear – are being deployed to comfort and inspire children and their families affected by these devastating diseases.
During September, IAmElemental is conducting a Buy One, Donate One program for every Courage Core Power female action figure purchased in the company’s online store. The company will distribute one figure to a child affected by cancer for each figure purchased. The 6.5″ Core Power female action figure, which retails for $24.99, is a fusion of all Elements in Series 1/Courage. She features more than 30 points of articulation and includes removable accessories including a helmet, armor, flaming Energy sword and Courage shield.
IAmElemental’s Series 2/Wisdom female action figures, with ancient Alexandrian STEM pioneer Hypatia as the muse, include Creativity, Ingenuity, Curiosity, Logic, Exploration, Mastery and Oblivion and are scheduled to ship in fall 2016.
Image Comics creator Sina Grace has teamed up with The Lustgarten Foundation to donate all 20 pages of art from Burn The Orphanage: Reign of Terror #1 to support pancreatic cancer research. The series of auctions, titled Compassion vs. Cancer, will go entirely to The Lustgarten Foundation’s efforts in raising awareness for the under-funded and highly-deadly cancer.
With only a 6% survival rate, pancreatic cancer is a lethal type of cancer that affects an average of one in 68 people. No stranger to the loss of friends and family from both cancer in general and pancreatic cancer, Grace sought out the Lustgarten Foundation to brainstorm ways to make a dent in the fight against cancer.
Grace explained, “After losing a friend to cancer last month, I needed to do something bigger than wallowing and worrying. By donating all of the art from my book, I can raise more funds towards great cause and possibly inspire my peers to do the same.”
The auctions all start between $10 and $25, allowing fans of all income brackets a chance to participate. All proceeds from the auctions will go to the Lustgarten Foundation to fund and support research into the biological mechanisms and clinical strategies related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, as well as facilitating dialogue and public awareness for pancreatic cancer patients, their families, and friends.
Burn The Orphanage is a video game-loving action series from Sina Grace, and Daniel Freedman. Issue #1 of the Reign of Terror story arc debuted this week, showing the team of heroes in peril against a corporation that has taken the city under siege.
To place your bid, please visit: http://www.compassionvscancer.com to view all of the auctions, which will remain open until May 17th.
Dark Horse Comics is turning pages for the Children’s Cancer Association with its digital comics. The entire Dark Horse Digital collection, which features over three thousand comics, will be made available for CCA’s program.
The Children’s Cancer Association partners with six Portland-area health care providers, including Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, and others, to offer programs and services free of charge to seriously ill children, teens, and their families. CCA’s programs and resources can now also be found in thirty-three pediatric hospitals across the nation.
Dark Horse Comics is also donating four Apple iPads to the charity for CCA’s use. These iPads will be loaded with Dark Horse content and will feature an age gate for kids twelve and under.
Bob Larkin, whose done hundreds of paintings for Marvel, DC, Fleer and numerous others is in desperate need of help. Bob’s wife, Fran, has been battling various forms of cancer for the past 12 years and the endless medical bills has put an incredible financial strain on the family. Fran is currently recovering from her latest surgery and Bob has become her caregiver 24/7 leaving him unable to take on new work.
Larkin has released a sketch book featuring Doc Savage as well as Batman, Stewie, the Shadow , and a whole host of others and it’s finally come back from the printers this week.The books are square bound, 8 ½ x 11″ 48 black and white pages and are individually signed and numbered by Bob.The paperback edition is $20.00 (plus shipping) and there are two deluxe hard cover editions available that are in short supply.100% of the sales are going directly to the Larkins. You can find out more and make a purchase at www.fantompress.net.
Marvel Entertainment and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are again teaming up to release “pink” covers raising awareness this October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Today they revealed the complete lineup of all-new covers and the original advertorial that will be released during the month.
Additionally, Marvel is proud to unveil a special one page advertorial running throughout its super hero comics in October to raise awareness of breast cancer in men. This advertorial will also be featured on www.marvel.com and distributed via social media channels.
The following comic books, on-sale in October, will feature special Susan G. Komen variant covers:
AVENGERS #31 KOMEN VARIANT by Pasqual Ferry & Chris Sotomayor [on sale 10/10]
CAPTAIN AMERICA #18 KOMEN VARIANT by Dale Keown & Frank D’Armata [on sale 10/10]
CAPTAIN MARVEL #5 KOMEN VARIANT by Joe Quiñones [on sale 10/107]
FANTASTIC FOUR #611 KOMEN VARIANT by John Tyler Christopher [on sale 10/10]
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #526 KOMEN VARIANT by Paul Renaud [on sale 10/10]
THE MIGHTY THOR #21 KOMEN VARIANT by Mike Perkins & Sonia Oback [on sale 10/17]
UNCANNY X-MEN #20 KOMEN VARIANT by David Marquez & Chris Sotomayor [on sale 10/17]
WOLVERINE #315 KOMEN VARIANT by Ben Ang & Edgar Delgado [on sale 10/24]
Andrew Garfield and his girlfriend Emma Stone, who both starred in this summer’s Amazing Spider-Man took Spider-Man‘s motto “with great power comes great responsibility” to heart. Paparazzi were snapping photos of the two while they enjoyed a nice lunch in New York City over the weekend. The two decided to take advantage and send a message supporting a cause they care about.
We just found out that there are paparazzi outside the restaurant we were eating in so… why not take this opportunity to bring attention to organizations that need and deserve it? http://www.wwo.org and http://www.gildasclubnyc.org. Have A Great Day!
The two organizations are Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO) and Gilda’s Club, named for legendary comedienne Gilda Radner, which provides support to New Yorkers living with cancer.
Internationally recognized photographer Nick Saglimbeni launches his heavily-veiled SlickforceGirl project this week. Nearly two years in the making, SlickforceGirl combines Saglimbeni’s brand of glossy, colorful photography with dazzling comic-book-inspired visual effects to introduce a new generation of empowered female heroes fighting to help those in need. To assemble the heroic team, Saglimbeni cast a diverse group of models and actresses from around the globe.
Saglimbeni posted on his blog:
I wanted to showcase a different kind of female hero, and have many ethnicities and backgrounds represented. These ladies may be beautiful, but they use their intelligence and intuition to solve problems, and they are constantly drawing courage from inside.
In step with projects Saglimbeni has created in the past, he is donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of SlickforceGirl artwork to selected women’s charities. This year, he’s chosen Breast Cancer Charities of America’s iGoPink campaign, a cause whose aim is to educate the public about non-traditional breast cancer prevention and treatment options.
“Having worked with so many wonderful women both in front of and behind my camera, I felt that this was a creative way to give back, while drawing attention to worthy causes that help women,” said Saglimbeni. “I’ve photographed several campaigns for BCCA, and I really like their approach to dealing with such a sensitive yet important issue.”
Erica Tullis, Executive Director for iGoPink, stated:
Nick has the ability to bring raw emotion to his artwork, and we are thrilled that he has chosen to shine a light on the fight against breast cancer through his SlickforceGirl project.
Saglimbeni released the first images this week—including fine art poster prints, stickers, and iPhone cases—and he stated on his NickSaglimbeni.com blog that new limited edition collector’s artwork will be released over the coming weeks and months. You can also find out more at SlickforceGirl.com.
Marvel has announced they are teaming up with Susan G. Komen For the Cure in October for a little pink-washing to raise awareness during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They’ll be sporting pink covers on some of their comics (you can see examples below) as well as including educational material in the form of a one page advertisement as well as material on their social networks to raise “awareness” about breast cancer.
Dan Buckley, Publisher & President of the Print, Animations & Digital Divisions of Marvel had this to say:
Marvel is proud to partner with Susan G. Komen For the Cure to support their unparalleled efforts to raise awareness about the risk of breast cancer to both women and men. We’re in a unique position to educate all our fans and increase awareness of the ways to fight—and reduce– this risk of this disease by utilizing our comics and online presence.
Normally, I’d praise a company for teaming up for this type of education program, but Marvel’s teaming up with Susan G. Komen For the Cure is the latest example of their working with less than progressive organizations and companies.
In February, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation changed their grant regulations and those changes seemed to only affect their contributions and working with Planned Parenthood, an organization that’s seems to have come under greater attack from the right in recent years. That decision came shortly after Komen unveiled a new partnership that strengthens its ties to the George W. Bush Institute. The reality was some of the (Republican) higher ups at Komen weren’t happy with Planned Parenthood focusing 3% of their time on abortion services (contraceptive offerings make up more than 33% of its work) and decided to ignore the 97% of their other work helping women, including education about breast cancer.
As you can imagine shit hit the fan, Komen took a dive in donations and support and they backpedaled and refunded Planned Parenthood with a rather poorly thought out statement. The decision makers left the organization as well as some board members, but the damage was done in the public’s eye, especially for me, a progressive who has raised money for Komen and donated to Planned Parenthood. Their actions showed I couldn’t trust them.
Komen has also been accused of “Pinkwashing.” That’s when a company or organization claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease. Many products that Komen puts pink ribbons on actually have pthalates that are hormone disrupters and may cause cancer. I don’t know first hand if Marvel falls into that category (I’d have to imagine pthalates are in some products they sell or have licensed though).
How about Marvel donates some portion from the sale of those comics to some worthy breast cancer prevention causes as well?
But, this post isn’t about Komen, it’s about Marvel and their teaming up with questionable organizations and companies.
To promote The Avengers, Marvel teamed up with Walmart. That was smart in that the store is a leader in toy sales, but, they have an abysmal record in so many ways. We could do entire posts (and there’s entire organizations) dedicated to Walmart’s record, but here’s some of the hits as provided by Walmart Watch:
196,000 is the estimated number of U.S. jobs lost from 2001-2006 as a result of Walmart’s imports from China
The company has written hundreds of press releases and thousands of blog posts, but made little actual progress in reducing the environmental impact of their products.
Walmart’s health care plans fail to cover hundreds of thousands of associates. In 2009, Walmart claimed that 52% of associates were covered under their healthcare plan. The company has refused to disclose coverage rates for its 1.4 million U.S. employees since then.
Walmart stopped offering health insurance to part-time employees (working less than 24 hours per week) in 2012
Taxpayers are forced to provide healthcare for Walmart’s Associates. Hundreds of thousands of Associates and their family members qualify for publicly funded health insurance. Indeed, according to data compiled by Good Jobs First, in 21 of 23 states which have disclosed information, Walmart has the largest number of employees on the public rolls of any employer.
Walmart has reportedly been covering up widespread bribery in Mexico.
The Walmart PAC and the Walton family give big money to politicians who oppose LGBT rights
The value of Walmart to the economy will likely be less than the value of the jobs and businesses it replaces.
Walmart costs taxpayers an estimated $1 billion per year subsidizing low wages and benefits.
Although the company will often cite higher numbers, the average Walmart Associate makes just $8.81 per hour according to a study published by Bloomberg News. An employee who works Walmart’s definition of full-time (34 hours per week) makes just $15,500 per year. That means hundreds of thousands of people who work full-time at Walmart still live below the poverty line.
Walmart was the defendant in the largest class action gender discrimination lawsuit in history, Dukes v. Walmart. The plaintiffs alleged Walmart discriminated against women in promotions, pay, and job assignments. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit in 2011 for technical reasons and many of the plaintiffs are in the process of filing smaller suits.
And that’s just a few highlights of why Walmart sucks. I wonder if Marvel took any of this into account? But then, Marvel isn’t all that great when it comes to creators that have worked for them. You have their ongoing battle with the Kirby family, then their counter suing of Gary Friedrich (the creator of Ghost Rider) who is destitute and whose health is failing and then they scored their movie overseas avoiding U.S. unions… you wonder how “progressive” they really are? Maybe we can ask their buddy, Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg who they’ve worked with a lot over the years on various initiatives?
I think Marvel needs to look around and think that with their great power comes some responsibility. Their words are great, it’s their deeds that need to reflect those more.
The “Komen covers” will appear on Avengers #31, Captain America #18, Captain Marvel #5, Fantastic Four #611, Invincible Iron Man #526, Mighty Thor #21, Uncanny X-Men #20, Wolverine #315.
A couple of days ago, Viper Comics learned that one of their readers, Zachary M., an eight-year-old, was raising money for the St. Baldrick’s Charity by volunteering to have his head shaved.
As they say on their website, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives.
“Zachary had let us know in the past that he was a fan out our books, especially ‘Battle Smash’ and ‘Hero Petz’ and he’d even go so far as to create his own Fan Art for our Editor-In-Chief’s webcomic ‘Cemetery Street.’ When he asked us to help get the word out about his attempt to raise some money, we were completely onboard,” said Jessie Garza, Viper Comics’ President. “You hear all the time about how selfish kids are these days. So when Zachary asked us to help spread the word, we jumped at the chance. We deal with heroes all the time in comicbooks, it’s cool to find someone who takes that on board and tries to get out there and do something good for others. Especially an eight-year-old.”
About Viper Comics:
Viper Entertainment Inc., Dba Viper Comics, has been publishing comic books and graphic novels since July 2003. Our debut title, Dead@17 was an instant hit and was noted as a top 10 Hot Comic in Wizard Magazine. Viper has since released a number of successful books, including Daisy Kutter, a critically acclaimed series that was nominated for a Harvey Award in 2006 and was also noted as a top pick for young adults by the American Library Association. Viper has published over 100 comic books and 45 graphic novels. Viper has had four graphic novels recommended by the American Library Association, The Middleman (TV show on ABC Family), Daisy Kutter, Emily Edison, and Oddly Normal.
In support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September, IAmElemental, creator of the first female action figures designed specifically for children, is bringing its superheroes to the fight against pediatric cancer. The company’s popular Courage Core Power female action figures – modeled on Joan of Arc and embodying Bravery, Energy, Honesty, Industry, Enthusiasm, Persistence and Fear – are being deployed to comfort and inspire children and their families affected by these devastating diseases.
webcomic ‘Cemetery Street.’ When he asked us to help get the word out about his attempt to raise some money, we were completely onboard,” said Jessie Garza, Viper Comics’ President. “You hear all the time about how selfish kids are these days. So when Zachary asked us to help spread the word, we jumped at the chance. We deal with heroes all the time in comicbooks, it’s cool to find someone who takes that on board and tries to get out there and do something good for others. Especially an eight-year-old.”