The current COVID-19 Pandemic has left retailers around the world scrambling to figure out how to survive until comic books start shipping again.
Our Canadian neighbors to the North are coming together with notable comic book artists and writers to benefit their local shops and preserve the audience they have worked so hard together to serve.
The “Be Our Heroes, Canada” is a collaboration between Canadian comic shops and creators to leverage each store’s individual audiences to both build and strengthen the national comic book community and generate income for all.
Organized by Guelph, Ontario’s The Dragon family of stores, along with Ontario retailers Gotham Central, Heroes World, and Cyber City Comix, and will take place through Facebook Live. There will be scheduled slots for creators and stores for fans to check out during the two-day event.
Funds raised through this two-day national celebration of the comic arts will be collected and distributed by the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund, a Canadian-based non-profit organization protecting free speech in the industry, supporting retailers, schools, and libraries, creators and publishers alike.
Jennifer Haines, the owner of The Dragon, said in a press release about the event,
“What started as a conversation between four retailers on how we could cross-promote our shops turned into this idea of a national fundraiser to help preserve Canada’s unique comics landscape. Now more than ever, we need to come together to support one another and provide our respective communities with a way to stay connected, all while protecting retailers that might otherwise fall through the cracks of government funding.”
“Be Our Heroes, Canada” is currently accepting offers of participation among the Canadian creative community, and will announce the full list of participating stores and creators in the coming days. Current participants include Adam Gorham, Andy Belanger, Brendan Fletcher, Casey Parsons, Chip Zdarsky, Dylan Burnett, Ed Brisson, J. Torres, Jason Fabok, Jason Loo, Jay Stephens, Karl Kerschl, Ken Lashley, Michael Cho, Ray Fawkes, Richard Pace, Scott Chantler, Seth, Shawn Daly, Svetlana Chmakova, and Yanick Paquette.
