The #Creators4Comics charity campaign has succeeded in raising over $430,000 for bookstores and comic book retailers impacted by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic rocking the comic book industry.
Sam Humphries, one of the comic creators behind #Creators4Comics, talked with CBR in an exclusive interview about the charity drive, which allows fans to bid on individual auctions straight from their favorite writers and artists. All proceeds from the auctions go directly to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC), an organization that provides financial support to bookstores and comic book retailers in need. As of this writing, #Creators4Comics has raised $433,166 for donations to retailers in need through BINC in a coordinated effort over a five-day period.
"We did a lot of reaching out to people leading up to the launch of the campaign. When we launched, we had 150 committed creators, which is a great, fantastic number," Humphries said. "What we did not expect is that the vast majority of the auctions came from creators, authors, celebrities or even just fans seeing what was going on and stepping up on their own to meet this challenge to our community."
Humphries also added that the campaign was built so it could scale rapidly. "All they had to do was have a drive and a desire to make a difference," he added. "And that aspect really exploded far beyond what we thought was going to be possible."
Coordinating with Humphries on #Creators4Comics are Kami Garcia, Brian Michael Bendis, Gwenda Bond and Phil Jimenez, with Garcia serving as the "unofficial president," according to Humphries.
For more information on #Creators4Comics, please visit the official website.