Official Press Release

Emilio Squeglio/Jerry Ordway Captain Marvel jam; 1981 Superman page by Rich Buckler & Frank Chiaramonte

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Hero Initiative announced today it will hold a Charity Art Auction at New York Comic Con, Feb. 6-8, 2009. The auction will feature original pieces of art from some of the biggest names in the comic book industry, including works by Joe Quesada, George Perez, Darwyn Cooke, Jae Lee, John Romita Sr. and Jr., Steve Rude, Jim Starlin, Walter Simonson, Joe Madureira, and all the Image Comics founders. A total of 128 lots are available in the event, divided into two main categories: a live auction and a silent auction.The live auction, hosted by Hero Initiative Chairman George Perez, will take place on Saturday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET in room 1A14 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and feature 29 major lots. Items for the live auction can be viewed at The Hero Initiative booth, #1865 all day Friday and until 5 p.m. ET Saturday.The silent auction will take place at The Hero Initiative booth. Items for Friday, February 6's auction can be viewed on Friday, February 6. Bidding will close at 5 p.m. ET. Items for Saturday, February 7's auction can be viewed on both Friday and Saturday. Bidding will close at 4 p.m. ET. Note this early time! Items for Sunday, February 8's auction can be viewed all weekend. Bidding will close at 3 p.m. ET.Fans unable to attend the auctions in person can view the items up for bid in a .pdf catalog available for download at The Hero Initiative website at www.heroinitiative.org. They then may bid by proxy by contacting Joe Davidson at yensid4disney@gmail.com. All proxy bids MUST be in no later than Wednesday, Feb. 4, 12 p.m. PT.

"Ultimates 3" #3 page by Joe Madureira; "Ultimate X-Men" #11 page by Adam Kubert & Art Thibert

And another important note: No printed catalogs will be available on-site at the New York Comic Con! Hero strongly encourages bidders to check out the .pdf downloads, and print out their own copies if they wish.Highlights in the auction include Joe Madureira pages from Marvel Comics' Ultimates 3. To date, Joe has sold NONE of his Ultimates 3 pages. This is the first time, and may be the only time, art from this series is available.Proceeds benefit The Hero Initiative, which creates a monetary safety net for yesterday's 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 fans to give something back to the people who have given them so much enjoyment. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 818-997-6114.New York Comic Con will take place February 6-8 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Tickets are on sale at www.nycomiccon.com.About The Hero Initiative

"Ultimates 3" #3 pages by Joe Madureira

The Spirit artwork by Darwyn Cooke

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.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 yesterday's 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.