If buying an entire comic shop on eBay is out of your price range, this might be more your speed: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman is auctioning off his art studio, with some of the proceeds going to benefit the Hero Initiative.

Technically it’s not his whole studio, as that’s attached to his house, but it is all of the contents contained therein. That includes his drawing table and chair, 600 DVDs, original art, action figures, rare T-shirts and a whole bunch more. Check out the video up top to see him give a tour of the studio. Eastman will also make an appearance at Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles on Jan. 4 to count down the end of the auction.

Right now the bidding is at just over $4,000, with eight days still to go.

Golden Apple Comics

The owners of Golden Apple Comics have decided to exit the comics retail business and have put the Los Angeles-based comic shop up on eBay for $679,000.

According to the listing, owner Sharon Liebowitz is nearing retirement and wishes to divest herself for personal reasons. Her son, Ryan, general manager of the store, “is excited about the prospects of continuing his career that he put on hold in 2005 to run the family business.”

The sale includes the company logo and website, their customer database, various physical assets like computers and furniture, and more than $300,000 in existing inventory and collectibles. As a bonus, the shop is located right across the street from the world-famous (and awesome) Pink’s Hot Dog Stand, and the new owner will have great upstairs neighbors.

Check out the listing for more information. The details on what’s for sale are in an image, and if it won’t load for you on eBay, you can find it here.

Justice League #3

Sales | The comic book market was up more than 19 percent in November when compared with the same period last year, with comics up 23 percent and graphic novels up 12 percent. So far this year the comics and graphics novel market is up 1.87 percent versus the first 11 months of 2010. If December cooperates, this could be the first up year for the market since 2008.

DC Comics was once again the top company in terms of market share. The company took six of the top 10 spots on Diamond’s Top 100 Comics list, with Justice League #3, Batman #3, Action Comics #3, Green Lantern #3 and Marvel’s Point One #1 making up the top five comics of the month. Batman: Noel took the No. 1 spot on the Top 100 Graphic Novels list. [The Comichron]

Publishing | IDW Publishing has promoted Chief Operating Officer Greg Goldstein to president, with a focus on new markets and acquisitions. He joined the company in 2008 from Upper Deck. [ICv2.com]

Creators | Ron Marz is selling signed copies of comics he wrote, with plans to use the money he makes to buy toys for his area Toys for Tots program. [Messages from Marz]

Creators | Darwyn Cooke is again hosting “12 Days of Christmas” art auctions to benefit the Hero Initiative. [Almost Darwyn Cooke's Blog]

Frankenstein #4

Creators | Frankenstein writer Jeff Lemire says to expect a twist in Issue 7 of the DC Comics title: “You can’t sustain an on-going with monster battles. Monsters beating up monsters every month is really fun for like five or six issues, but it gets stale and formulaic to keep repeating it. The fun and interesting thing to do is to shift the tone around that time, halfway through the first year. We’ll still have the action and the adventure and the sci-fi concepts, but I’m going to focus a lot more on Frankenstein himself, his past, where he came from and how he became how he is. Build him up as a character and give some depth to him. I want to expand who this guy is and the role he plays in this larger New DC Universe. So I really needed to shift the tone in somewhat of a more serious direction. The readers need to know who Frank was and why he’s important and why they should care about him before going back to the big action stuff again.” [Paste Magazine]

Creators | The BBC’s Nick Higham talks to Art Spiegelman about Maus and MetaMaus inside Gosh Comics in London. Eddie Campbell then uses the location of the interview to have some fun. [BBC]

Digital comics | Johanna Draper Carlson reviews the iPad version of Jason Shiga’s choose-your-own-adventure tale Meanwhile: “Instead of having to be careful to visually follow the right path, the app handles all the mechanics for you, allowing you to focus on the art, story, and choices. Even when you’re reading in a sequence, you move from panel to panel via a yellow highlight, tapping whenever you’re ready to move on.” The iPad seems like the natural medium for this particular work. [Comics Worth Reading]

Digital comics | Artists Doug Hills, Joshua Hale Fialkov and Gabriel Hardman discuss how they deal with the challenge of presenting double-page spreads in digital comics. [Graphicly blog]

Exhibits | Curator Martin Brauen discusses an exhibit at New York’s Rubin Museum that features “the most complete collection of comics related to Tibet ever assembled.” [Salon]

Commentary | Comic Book Resources’ Kiel Phegley reviews a comic he found in a cereal box, General Mills Presents: Justice League #1: Unstoppable Forces. [The Cool Kids Table]

X-23 #20

Sales charts | Responding to an iFanboy article that speculates on what titles Marvel might cancel next, Men of War and Viking writer Ivan Brandon makes the case against sales charts and the subsequent analysis of them each month: “There’s an ongoing debate, for a bunch of years now. There are numbers that circulate every month, inaccurate numbers, people track them, people use that flawed ‘data’ to comment on what they see as the progress or decline on the list. A lot of comics professionals are against this, for a lot of reasons. In my case, for my books, the books I personally share copyright on … my reason is, and no offense to anyone out there: My income is none of your business. Just as your income is none of mine.”

Tom Spurgeon offers a counterpoint: “Sales information seems to me an obvious positive, not because it reveals the bank accounts of creators, but because what sells and to what extent is basic information about a marketplace, and the shape and potency of a marketplace seems to me a primary item of interest for anyone covering that marketplace. It’s foundational to our understanding of how things work and why. Certainly this information is already manipulated to brazen effect by companies with something to put over on customers; I have to imagine this would become worse under a system of no information at all being released.” [Ivan Brandon, The Comics Reporter]

Habibi

Awards | Craig Thompson’s Habibi is one of five finalists for the French comics organization L’Association Des Critiques De Bandes Dessinées’ annual Prix De La Critique. The winner will be announced Dec. 5. [The Comics Reporter]

Creators | Mike Mignola, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson and several other creators are selling illustrations of classic Universal Monsters on eBay to raise money for 6-year-old Aidan Reed, who was diagnosed last year with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [Newsarama]

Creators | Laura Sneddon profiles Watchmen and V for Vendetta writer Alan Moore, who talks about creating The Ballad of Halo Jones, one of the first non-superhero women to headline her own series: “There wasn’t a single – I mean, I was annoyed – there wasn’t a single girls’ comic in Britain … I thought, well if you do more stories that are aimed at women, you’ll get more women reading the comics. It would seem fairly simple and straightforward, but there was a lot of resistance.” [The Independent]

Eduardo Risso

Creators | Artist Eduardo Risso discusses his career and craft in along interview conducted by Michal Chudolinski at the International Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz, Poland. [Comics Bulletin]

Creators | Mike Costa talks about his work on Blackhawks and G.I. Joe: Cobra. [USA Today]

Manga | Shaenon Garrity explains Chobits, the CLAMP series about a world in which humans can own robots with personalities — persocoms: “Chobits is the strangest of beasts: a difficult, complex, thought-provoking T&A manga. Ultimately it chooses to have its cheesecake and eat it too, raising a host of challenging questions only to leave them unanswered so as not to spoil the romance.” [Anime News Network]

Digital | Remember when your mom threw out all your comics? Digital comics saved the day for one reader who accidentally destroyed her cousin’s comics collection. [Teleread]

Commentary | Rich Clabaugh looks at Fantagraphics’ first Carl Barks collection, “Lost in the Andes.” [Christian Science Monitor]

Comics | Bob Temuka looks at some forgotten superhero titles from the 1980s and 1990s. [The Tearoom of Despair]

Blogosphere | The Panelists, a blog devoted to analyzing individual comics panels, is disbanding. The writers, all of them well regarded in the comics community, are simply too busy doing other things. [The Panelists]

Women of Wonder Day

Returning this year “with a new name and an expanded mission,” the event formerly known as Wonder Woman Day is now Women of Wonder Day. This year the event will expand to a third location on Oct. 30 as a part of its mission to raise money for domestic violence programs.

The three events will occur at the following shops, where you can bid on art, meet creators and more:

• Excalibur Books in Portland, Ore. with special guests Joelle Jones, Kelly Sue DeConnick and more.
• Comic Fusion in Flemington, N.J. with Jamal Igle, J.K. Woodward and more.
• Heroes and Fantasies in San Antonio, Texas with Benn Dunn and more.

In addition, there’s an online component, and you can bid on artwork and other items on eBay — including the chance to appear in a Brian Michael Bendis comic book.

You can find the complete press release after the jump.

*****

Women Of Wonder Day 2011
October 30, 2011
www.WomenOfWonderDay.com

Returning for a SIXTH year with a new name and an expanded mission!
Images of the World’s Most Iconic Heroines Will Help Benefit Domestic Violence Prevention-Intervention Agencies in Oregon, New Jersey, and Texas!

Portland, Oregon, October 14, 2010 — In October 2006-2010, five annual Wonder Woman Day events raised over $110,000 for Domestic Violence programs in Portland, Oregon and Flemington, NJ. The five-year combination of auctions of over 1,100 original art pieces, plus collectibles, autograph signings, and photo opportunities garnered spectacular turnouts and four Portland Mayoral Proclamations!

This year, the event will take on a new name and an expanded mission! On October 30, 2011, the new Women of Wonder Day — again as a part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month — will take place, returning to Excalibur Books in Portland, Oregon, and Comic Fusion in Flemington, New Jersey, as well as at Heroes and Fantasies in San Antonio, Texas!

This year’s contributions for auction include not only artwork featuring heroines from the world of comics — Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, Storm, Michonne from Walking Dead, Leetah from ElfQuest — but also from the world of media as well, including Lisbeth Salander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hermione Granger, and others! Plus, TV series such as Glee, Nikita, Big Bang Theory, Castle, and others have donated special items as well! And the all-ages events will include artists and writers signing autographs at each event, as well as costumed characters with whom you can take photos! And in Portland, white-hot writer Brian Michael Bendis is auctioning off a role in one of his upcoming comics!

Some key points:
• The website for Women of Wonder Day is WomenOfWonderDay.com
• Over 250 pieces of original artwork and collectibles will be auctioned between the three Women of Wonder Day events. All art is posted to view at the event and at WomenOfWonderDay.com
• Portland’s Mayor, Sam Adams, has officially declared October 30th to be “Women of Wonder Day ” in the City of Roses.
• Previous Wonder Woman Day events have raised a grand total of more than $110,000 to benefit survivors of domestic violence and their children. 100% of all proceeds went to the charities.
• October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• Producing the annual event for the sixth year is best-selling author and DVD documentary director Andy Mangels, who is also the curator of the online Wonder Woman Museum, and one of the world’s top experts on super-heroines.

Details about the three events follow:

Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon
Sunday, October 30, 2011 – noon-6pm, FREE
An ALL AGES celebration and benefit for domestic violence prevention-intervention agencies! Proceeds of the event will benefit Bradley Angle, one of Portland’s leading domestic violence agencies. The free all-ages event will include local and national artists signing comics and special edition prints, as well as a silent auction of original art and collectibles. There will be costumed super-heroes, pirates, and science fiction characters on-site, raffles and prizes, and more.

Andy Mangels is chairing the Portland event, with Debbie Fagnant and Bradley Angle’s Rebecca Norman. “Women of Wonder Day is so special to our agency,” says Norman. “For the last six years, it’s not only been a key part of how we fund our domestic violence programs, but it’s also become a day that brings a different kind of energy and excitement into the work we do. Women of Wonder Day helps us reach out to an audience that might not know our services are available or might have wanted to get involved with charity work but never knew how. And the new format of the event just increases the potential to spread awareness–it means we’re going to be able to celebrate even more heroines, and involve even more fans!”

“In 2010 alone, more than 40 Oregonians lost their lives due to domestic violence, which brings the number of victims since the downturn of the economy to over 100. During Domestic Violence Awareness Month and on Women of Wonder Day, we remember that countless men, women, and children continue to live in unsafe situations and fighting for survival–and we celebrate everyone’s potential to be a hero. How can you be a hero? Tell a friend or family member who you believe might be experiencing domestic violence that they deserve to be safe and help them find resources like Bradley Angle; bid on one of the amazing pieces of original comic book art that we’re auctioning off on EBay and at Excalibur Comics during Women of Wonder Day; and bring your family to the event and talk to your kids about what healthy relationships look like. You can be a hero, too!”

Bufkin the Hero

If you read Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham’s work on Fables, you know the real star of the show isn’t Bigby or Boy Blue or even Flycatcher — it’s the little winged monkey Bufkin. Buckingham captures his majesty in the above print, which has a very small print run for a very small hero.

Only 25 were created, and five of them will be given away to the winners of the Hero Initiative‘s “Meet Willingham and Bucky on the yacht” auctions. Five fans will get to chat with the duo about Fables, get the print and ask one question that the creators will answer with “no hokum, no equivocation, no bush-beating and no balderdash.”

Another five will be given away at the Fables panel at the San Diego Comic-Con to the folks who ask the five best questions. How the remaining 15 will be distributed has yet to be determined, according to the Hero Initiative’s Jim McLauchlin.

Artist Mitch Breitweiser and his wife, colorist Bettie Breitweiser, are raising money for Brittany Delarosa and her three kids, who recently lost their husband and father. The duo reached out to several comic creators to donate original artwork to be auctioned off or sold. Currently up for bid is the above piece by Chris Samnee, and they’re also selling pieces by Peter Krause, Andrea Furtrelle and (coming soon) Phil Hester.

Go here to check out all the artwork.

Alter Ego #105

Earlier this year Michael mentioned the limited edition print that the Hero Initiative was selling to help raise money for artist Josh Medors, who has a rare form of spinal cancer. Now that original art, which is also the cover to Alter Ego #105 and is a re-creation of the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #33, is being auctioned off on eBay. Go check it out and place a bid for a good cause.

Grendel cover proof

Late last year a huge batch of production art, proofs and other items from defunct comics publisher Comico was listed on eBay. Comico co-founder Gerry Giovinco, now with CO2 Comics, questioned whether the seller, Coyote Surplus, had the right to sell it.

“It always was Comico policy to return all art to the creators. If there is art that was not returned, we are in total agreement that it should be returned to the rightful owners of the work. If you are a creator that believes your work could be among this lot, we would suggest you fight to get it back,” he said on the CO2 blog in December.

So whatever happened to the big batch of Comico production art? In a post titled “Finder Keepers,” Giovinco offers an update on the art and other items — they’ve been purchased by Collector Haven in Arizona. Photos of many of the items can be seen at comicoart.com.

According to a post on the site, Collector Haven bought more than 2,500 pounds of production artwork:

If you have been following the story of the Comico Art auction that was listed on ebay you may have noticed the blogosphere buzz about the mystery lot came to an abrupt end on December 1, 2010. With no additional mention of it again until we put up this website dedicated to the Comico Production Art Archives. The story picks up again on April 6th as the Comico Production Art Archives arrived in Arizona and now has a new home at Collector Haven Comics.

Fate decided to bring this fantastic collection our way, when we are in the middle of setting up a new store, and have the Phoenix Comicon right around the corner to prepare for. The art archive weighed over 2500 pounds and consists of thousands of pieces of production art from the legendary Comico Comics. We will release more information about what is actually in the collection as we begin the process of cataloging it and uploading the auctions to our ebay store. This is an exciting time for us as we were also big fans of Comico and being able to share this fantastic experience as it unfolds is one of the reasons we set up this site.

Looking through the images they’ve posted is like looking back in time at Comico’s publishing history, with artwork from Grendel, Rocketeer, Elementals, Evangeline, Robotech and many more.

Giovinco posted his correspondence with Collector Haven owner Rick Funk, where he asked Funk to return the artwork to its creators. “Regardless of how Coyote came into possession of the material, the right thing would be for at least the original art to be returned to the creators. I know I would like mine returned,” Giovinco said in his letter. “You and Collector Haven have a unique opportunity to do something that publishers like Marvel and other dealers who have sold art that they acquired from publishers like Dell and Gold Key have historically declined to do. Do the right thing and help place those works where they should have been a long time ago, back in the hands of the creators to which they belong.”

Many of the pieces are already being listed on eBay; you can see them by going to Collector Haven’s auction page.

Akira by Dustin Weaver

The artists associated with Periscope Studios regularly post some pretty awesome artwork on their sketch blog, to the point where you kinda have to wonder how they could make it even more awesome. Which they have.

Last week Dylan Meconis, Colleen Coover, Dustin Weaver and several more of their artists created pieces that they’re auctioning off on eBay to benefit Peace Winds Japan, an organization providing emergency relief efforts in the earthquake and tsunami-ravaged country.

“I had pretty much told myself that I wouldn’t be participating in many more Periscope sketch challenges for a while because I need to be focused on work,” Weaver wrote on his LiveJournal. “But when the idea of doing a Japan week was suggested I was immediately on board. There are probably a lot of artists who feel this way, but for me this is a chance to give a little back to a country that has given me so much. Many of my greatest artistic inspirations are Japanese.” Weaver’s piece, above, should look familiar to fans of Akira.

You can find all the pieces up for auction on the studio’s eBay page.

ROM by Sebastián Fiumara

I mentioned last month that Floating World Comics was putting together a second art tribute/fundraiser for writer Bill Mantlo, asking various artists to draw ROM, Spaceknight. The auctions are now live in eBay, and you can find more info by going there directly or by going to the Spacenite 2 blog, which has links to all the auctions.

Wolverine by Dan Panosian

Brigid did a round-up yesterday of various holiday gift-giving suggestions, so I thought I’d follow suit with some that I’ve seen lately.

• The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is auctioning off original art by Paul Pope, Eric Powell, Gabriel Hardman, Tom Fowler, Dan Paosian and many more, as well as lunch with Chew writer John Layman in New York next week.

• I remember shoveling a whole bunch of quarters into the X-Men arcade game back in the day; my friend Mike and I beat the game as Nightcrawler and Wolverine. If you have an Xbox fan in your life, they too can fight the Blob, Magneto and more in side-scrolling action, as the game will be available on Xbox Live Arcade Dec. 15. The PlayStation Network, unfortunately, won’t get it until February, so you’ll have to find something else this holiday season for the PS3 fan in your life. Joy to the world! The game will hit the PlayStation Network Dec. 14!

• Khepri Comics is selling Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s Atelier, a comic they created to sell at conventions.

• Comics creator Ben Towle has a 20 percent off sale going in his web store, where you can purchase original art from books like Midnight Sun, signed copies of Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean and superhero commissions.

• IDW continues their “12 Days of Comics” sale over on their website. Today’s special deal is Star Trek comics.

• Brendan McCarthy points out that Albert Moy is selling a whole bunch of McCarthy’s original art.

• Brian Fies is offering a signed bookplate to anyone buying Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? as a gift this season.

• Two cartoonists whose books I recently read and really, really enjoyed — Eleanor Davis & Drew Weing — have a web shop with all sorts of cool stuff for sale. Let me recommend Set to Sea by Weing and The Secret Science Alliance by Davis. (Via Flog)

• And finally, more free Christmas cards … this time by artist Jeffrey Brown, featuring cats!

Wonder Woman Day artwork by Chris Samnee

This Sunday brings two events, one on each coast, that celebrate Wonder Woman and give back to a couple of good causes — the fifth annual Wonder Woman Day. Folks in Portland, Ore. can head to Excalibur Comics, while Comic Fusion hosts an event in Flemington, N.J. Both events will feature comic artists, costumed characters and silent auctions that, respectively, benefit the Bradley Angle, one of Portland’s leading domestic violence agencies, and Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey.

The event, spearheaded by Andy Mangels, also has an online component — you can bid on Wonder Woman artwork on eBay, including the above piece by Chris Samnee and pieces by Ethan Van Sciver, Tom Yeates, Guy Davis, Steve Lieber and more.

You can find the complete press release after the jump.

*****

Wonder Woman Day V – October 24, 2010
All-Ages Events Spotlight World’s Most Iconic Super-Heroine While Benefiting Domestic Violence Prevention-Intervention Agencies in Portland, OR and Flemington, NJ

Brandishing Amazon bracelets and a golden lasso of truth, the star-spangled super-heroine Wonder Woman debuted in American comic books during World War II. In the nearly seventy years since, she has become one of the most recognizable female icons in the world, thanks to thousands of published adventures and a popular television series in the 1970s that became an international phenomenon. Now, for the fifth year in a row, the mythological champion is embraced as the iconic symbol for a charity benefit for multiple domestic violence prevention-intervention agencies.

Building on Wonder Woman’s legacy and the life-saving work done by the heroic workers of the non-profit groups, Excalibur Comics in SE Portland will host the fifth and final Wonder Woman Day on Sunday, October 24th from noon to 6pm. The free all-ages event will include local and national artists signing comics and special edition prints, as well as a silent auction of original art contributed by more than 200 of the world’s top artists. There will be costumed super-heroes and science fiction characters on-site, raffles and prizes, rare memorabilia, a karaoke tent, and more. The Portland event will benefit Bradley Angle, one of Portland’s leading domestic violence agencies, as well as multiple domestic violence programs throughout the area.

Additionally, a second Wonder Woman Day benefit will take place on Sunday, October 24th, in Flemington, NJ, at Comic Fusion, as part of their “Super-Hero Weekend.” This East Coast event will benefit Safe in Hunterdon, a domestic violence shelter in New Jersey. Comic creators will sign and sketch, and costumed characters will be available for photos.

Some key points:
• Almost 300 pieces of original artwork will be auctioned between the two Wonder Woman Day events. All art is posted to view at the event and at www.WonderWomanMuseum.com
• Portland’s Mayor, Sam Adams, has officially declared October 24th to be “Wonder Woman Day” in the City of Roses.
• Previous Wonder Woman Day events have raised a grand total of more than $89,000 to benefit survivors of domestic violence and their children.
• The first Wonder Woman Day event was filmed for a half-hour documentary series, FANatical, shown on Canadian and Australian national television. Additionally, the event has been filmed for an upcoming worldwide documentary.
• October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Producing the annual event for the fifth year is best-selling author and DVD documentary director Andy Mangels, who is also the curator of the online Wonder Woman Museum, and one of the world’s top experts on the famed super-heroine.

“Whether they are fans or casual purveyors of entertainment, people worldwide recognize Wonder Woman as an iconic female symbol of peace, strength, equality, and honesty,” Mangels says. “Her story transcends the comic books she appears in or her animated and live-action adventures; the visual symbols of her costume and her ideals are known across the globe. During the Wonder Woman Day events, both fans and the general public have an opportunity to celebrate the character and the people who create her adventures; they also have the opportunity to be heroic themselves be helping raise money for the incredibly important and life-changing domestic violence organizations! Generous and talented comic book and animation artists all over the world have created art featuring the ‘Amazing Amazon’ for auction, and local groups representing costumed characters from the world of comics, fantasy, and science fiction will make the experience unforgettable.”

Rebecca Norman, Director of Development for Bradley Angle, is thrilled to be a part of the fifth Wonder Woman Day. “At Bradley Angle, we walk side by side with survivors through some of their toughest moments to offer them options for safety, empowerment, healing, and hope. Wonder Woman is the perfect symbol of the strength, courage, and resiliency we witness every day, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about this year’s event. The outpouring of support and artistic commitment to this event over the past five years is humbling — over 200 individuals giving their time and talent to support our community – now that’s heroic!”

Stacy Korn, co-owner (with Bill Meccia) of Comic Fusion, in Flemington, New Jersey, is co-producing the East Coast version of the event. She says that, “We at Comic Fusion are excited about this year’s Wonder Woman Day. We are pleased to be working alongside Andy in bringing this event to the East Coast, and to our community. It is fitting to draw on the power of the most famous super-heroine of our time to bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault. We are also so grateful to the ‘Wonderful’ artists for their generosity in their donations. If you are in the area, there are plenty of great raffle items and costumed heroes to pose for pictures with!”

This year, the Wonder Woman Day event will feature an online component as well, as multiple items from the Portland art auction will be concurrently available on eBay. “One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the art auctions and other activities during Wonder Woman Day go to the domestic violence programs,” Mangels stresses. “To date, over $89,000 has been raised; we hope this year to break the $100,000 barrier and show our communities that heroes do live among us.”

The Eternal Smile

In the comments section of one of our posts last week, someone pointed out that comics creator Derek Kirk Kim is selling off some of his original art from The Eternal Smile, the Eisner-winning book he did with Gene Yang, in order to pay for an unexpected bandwidth fee for his website.

“I’m in a financial crunch right now, so I would really, really appreciate the support,” he wrote on his LiveJournal. “Besides everything else, I got linked on reddit last month and got hit with a fat bandwidth fee which I can’t afford.”

You can check out all the auctions here.

Stand Up To Cancer, a charity that raises money for and promotes cancer research, has several auctions going right now that might be of interest to comic fans … not the least of which is the above life-size Silver Surfer statue.

“One of only 400 pieces world-wide, the statue incredibly depicts the ‘Sentinel of the Space-ways’ featuring the Silver Surfer on his legendary surfboard and striking a classic pose. The statue measures almost 8ft (7ft x 11) and weighs approximately 250 lbs. The Silver Surfer himself is in excellent condition, but minor wear appears on the surfboard and back drop,” the description reads.

In addition, they’re also auctioning off a walk-on role in the new Spider-Man film, tickets to see the Spider-Man Broadway show (and meet Bono and the Edge from U2), the chance to be immortalized in a DC comic and a visit to the set of the next Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn. That last one is up over $40,000.

The auctions end tomorrow, when a few new ones will go up … including tickets to the season premiere party of the Simpsons. You can find all the auctions here.

In late 1939, DC and Fawcett, coveting this title, each raced to get its own ashcan version printed and a copyright secured. Each succeeded in printing an ashcan, but DC beat Fawcett to the punch, ever so barely, and gained the copyright to Flash Comics. The title became one of DC’s mainstay Golden Age series, and, later, in 1956, the prime namesake character, The Flash, was instrumental in launching the Silver Age. This COMIC was acquired from long-time Golden Age DC Editor/Production Manager Sol Harrison, who was an excellent custodian of the rare copy.

If that’s not enough to make you take out a second mortgage, then your nerd cred is due for a checkup.

Of course, the 5 mil is only the Buy It Now price; the seller will consider the best offer. Eli at Comic Attack, who found this listing, did a bit of research and determined that the comic had already been up for sale once, with a winning bid of US $4,950,990, but the sale didn’t go through; apparently (amazingly) the would-be buyer had trouble coming up with the scratch. Or maybe they just woke up the next morning and came to their senses.

Wizard #228 (Secret Jam Cover)

Like he’s done previously with characters in Kick-Ass and Nemesis, writer Mark Millar is once again auctioning off the opportunity to name one of his characters. This time around Millar is offering the naming rights to the young boy who transforms into Superior, star of the upcoming comic of the same name by Millar and artist Leinil Francis Yu.

The auction will once again benefit a special needs unit in a school where his brother, Dr. Bobby Millar, has been raising money for a new mini-bus.

“It’s amazing how much the Nemesis one made compared to the Kick-Ass one,” MIllar said on his forums. “We made about sixteen hundred bucks on the Dave Lizewski name (which went towards the school itself), but a whopping $17,000 (£10,000) for Nemesis and the first steps towards their mini-bus a few months back. This plus some private donations means they now have £10,000 left to get what they want: Not too shabby considering they only started raising this dough after Easter this year.”

“Stephen King did this a while back and it’s great. A reader gets their name in a book, I get a real name for a realistic wee character and some special needs kids get something they were needing. Perfect.”

You can place your bid on eBay.

• Before the show begins the CBLDF is auctioning off lunch with DC’s CCO, Geoff Johns. There are about two days left on bidding, and it’s already over $500.
• The CBLDF’s onsite art auction is scheduled for Saturday night; you can preview the artwork here.
• They’re holding three parties during the con, the details for which can be found after the jump, but I thought it was worth noting that comics retailer Things from Another World has a contest going for tickets to “Scenes of a Graphic Nature,” at the Soda Bar on Saturday, July 24. You can find more details here.

*****

Comic-Con is here! CBLDF is celebrating the country’s largest gathering of comics and pop culture fans with massive slate of events! Three parties, Six Live Art Events, an unforgettable auction, the best selection of signed graphic novels at the convention, and amazing exclusives await! Read on to see what the CBLDF has in store for you at Comic-Con!

Great Donation Rewards at CBLDF Booth 1920!

From the start of Preview Night to the closing moments on Sunday, CBLDF has an amazing array of signed graphic novels, art prints, t-shirts, and other surprises for you at Comic-Con. Our inventory of signed graphic novels includes more than 200 titles and includes hot titles autographed by creators including: Geoff Johns, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Jill Thompson, Stan Sakai, Frank Miller, and many, many more! Stop by the CBLDF at booth 1920, right across from DC Comics and claim one of these amazing donation rewards!

Exclusives!

The CBLDF is proud to debut two amazing exclusives at Comic-Con. First up is an all new Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab fragrance “Liberty Leading The People,” inspired by the famous Delacroix painting embodying the ideals of liberty. We also are proud to produce a brand new, signed CONAN print by Darick Robertson, commemorating his cover to Liberty Comics 2010, coming this fall from Image!

Parties!

This year CBLDF brings you THREE amazing parties to celebrate Comic-Con! CBLDF Parties attract the cream of the comics crop, and at each event you can expect to meet and mingle with art stars at work and play. CBLDF’s Comic-Con parties are open to everyone, whether or not you have a Comic-Con pass, so bring your friends and celebrate comics and Free Speech at any of these events:

Wednesday night it’s Drink, Draw, Dance! a pre-con party, presented by Ale Garza and CBLDF at The Office! Attending artists include Joe Benitez, Mark Brooks, Francis Manapul, Micah Gunnell, Ale Garza, Sean Dietrich, Oliver Nome, and many others! Also performing live will be up and coming hip-hop artist, Cassanova, as well as a DJ set from Ale Garza! All artwork created by the attending artists will be auctioned off at the CBLDF’s Saturday night auction! The party starts at 9 PM and rolls on til 2 AM. The Office is located at 3936 30th Street in North Park. No cover! RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=109611535756236

Thursday it’s the CBLDF Comic-Con Welcome Party, sponsored by Image Comics, in association with SeenAllOver.com, Soulcraft Comics and IHEARTCOMIX! Festivities include a WALKING DEAD Live Art Stage, featuring the book’s co-creator Charlie Adlard and presented by Dr. Sketchy’s! PSYCHENAUT, multimedia sound and vision by Paul Pope! DJ set by Franki Chan of IHEARTCOMIX! Plus, a photo booth provided by seenallover.com! All this, and an auction preview gallery, featuring ETNIES/SEEN custom designed sneakers, the TFAW.com art auction, and a gift bag for the first 300 contributors! Come dressed in your zombie finest and party down! Free for CBLDF Members, $10 to $20 suggested donation for non-members! The Westgate Hotel is at 1055 2nd Ave in downtown San Diego. RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=134933566541001

Saturday brings SCENES OF A GRAPHIC NATURE, presented by Nerd City and sponsored by Image Comics, TFAW.com and Nerd City, featuring live art by Jim Mahfood, Mike Huddleston, Scott Morse, King Gum AKA Dave Crosland, Jason Shawn Alexander, and more, with DJ sets by Major Taylor and Red Sonya, PLUS a performance by San Diego rockers The Burning of Rome, there is no doubt that this is THE party for Nerds in the know. SCENES kicks off at the Soda Bar at 3614 El Cajon Blvd. Presale tickets are available at http://tickets.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?c=1&lid=45223&eid=52134



CBLDF Comic-Con Benefit Auctions

Saturday 7:30-9:30 CBLDF Benefit Live Auction— This is it, the CBLDF’s biggest auction of the year! Support free speech and walk away with incredible original art! Highlights include original art by Arthur Adams, Paul Pope, Dave McKean, Tara McPherson, Ben Templesmith, Jill Thompson, Jim Lee, Jim Rugg, David Hine, Shaky Kane, and many more. This auction includes highlights from auction initiatives by TFAW.com, Image Comics, and SeenAllOver.com, as well as original art created at the CBLDF Master Sessions. Stop by CBLDF booth (#1920) for a complete auction list. All proceeds from this auction will benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Room 3

AUCTION PREVIEW WILL LAUNCH ON CBLDF.ORG ON MONDAY, JULY 19

And online now is Lunch With Geoff Johns at Comic-Con! Make your Comic-Con unforgettable by bidding spend a one-on-one hour with DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns in an auction benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! This is your chance to ask all your questions about Johns’ unforgettable characters, stories, and behind the scenes insights! All proceeds from this event will benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Bidding ends on Wednesday, July 21! Visit http://myworld.ebay.com/cbldf/ for your chance to win!

CBLDF Master Sessions & Live Art Jam!

The CBLDF Master Sessions are back, with a full slate of insightful craft programs by comics masters! This year’s sessions are:

Thursday, July 22

12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Session: Paul Pope: Inking with Speed and Precision— Paul Pope became an art icon by building unforgettable characters and worlds with his fearlessly fluid and singular line art. Each of his pages appears to be tightly composed but rapidly executed. Bring your sketchbooks and learn the secrets of a fast, but precise approach to inking at this CBLDF Master Session. The original art from the session will be auctioned off on Saturday night in the CBLDF’s Art Auction. Room 30CDE

1:00-2:00 CBLDF Master Session: Rob Liefeld: Designing Iconic Characters— Learn what it takes to design a character that’s lasting, iconic, and cool. Using his legendary creations Deadpool, Cable, and Youngblood as examples, Rob Liefeld shows you the values that go into creating a character who can leap from the comics page and into games, film, television, and merchandise. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night at the CBLDF’s Art Auction! Room 30CDE

Friday July 23

12:00-2:00 CBLDF Master Session: Jill Thompson: Secrets of Watercolor Technique— Bring your sketchbooks and learn the secrets of expressive watercolor from one of the medium’s top practitioners! Renowned for her work on Beasts of Burden, Scary Godmother, and Sandman, Jill Thompson shows you the intricacies of the watercolor medium and how to apply it to making masterful comics and covers. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night at the CBLDF’s Art Auction! Room 30CDE

Saturday, July 24

12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Session: Terry Moore: Drawing Characters with Character— Learn what it takes to draw characters whose distinctive actions define them on the page. In Echo and Strangers in Paradise Terry Moore has established himself as a master for expressing a wide range of emotions through his characters. Bring your sketchbook and follow along as Moore shows you the secrets of how to make your characters “act” on the page in this CBLDF Master Session. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night in the CBLDF’s Art Auction! Room 30CDE

1:00-2:00 CBLDF Master Session: Darick Robertson: Body Language in Sequential Storytelling— Bring your sketchbook and learn how to express action, attitude, and meaning through your characters’ body language in this CBLDF Master Session. In his work on The Boys, Transmetropolitan, and Conan, Darick Robertson has had to express story through his drawings of a wide variety of characters. Follow along as he demonstrates how body language can add dimension to your sequential storytelling. The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night in the CBLDF’s Art Auction. Room 30CDE

Sunday, July 25

12:30-2:00 CBLDF Live Art Jam— Watch Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), Ale Garza (Fathom), Chris Burnham (X-Men: Manifest Destiny), and Daniel Leister (Hack/Slash) battle it out to see who can make the coolest art before your eyes! Get an inside look behind the scenes at how these artists work, as they make live art projected onto the big screen at the CBLDF Live Art Jam! All art will be auctioned off at the end of the event to benefit the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Room 5AB

Whatever your comics passion, there’s something great in store for you from the CBLDF at Comic-Con! See you there!

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. They have defended dozens of Free Expression cases in courts across the United States, and led important education initiatives promoting comics literacy and free expression. For additional information, donations, and other inquiries call 800-99-CBLDF or visit them online at www.cbldf.org.

Carly Monardo is spearheading an art auction to benefit the people and wildlife affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill:

The idea to organize this auction came from my friend Thomas Bayne – the animatic director on Venture Bros. After selling a number of original Venture production drawings to raise money for the Gulf Coast, Tom expanded his efforts and launched an even bigger auction of artwork from a variety of cartoons. I thought it would be great if we got the same thing going for web-comics.

All proceeds from the Web-Comics Auction will be donated to the Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fund, which is being managed by The Baton Rouge Area Foundation. You can read about this charity here.

Creators who contributed art for the auction include David Malki! (above), Kate Beaton, Stephanie McMillan, Phil & Kaja Foglio, Dean Trippe, Jon Rosenberg and many more. Several auctions have gone live, with more coming later this week. You can find the complete list here, and after the jump, check out Dean Trippe’s contribution to it.

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Nemesis #2

Last month Mark Millar and Dynamic Forces auctioned off a “starring role” in Millar and Steve McNiven’s upcoming Marvel Icon comic Nemesis, raising more than $8,000 for the school where Millar’s brother works with handicapped children. The winner of that auction, Blake Morrow, will share his name with the book’s good guy, a cop trying to stop the title character.

Now Millar is auctioning off the real name of the title character and bad guy, Nemesis. If you’d like to face off with Morrow in the book, you’ve still got a little more than a day to place your bid. As I type this, it’s currently up to $4,650.

“Can I just say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the first auction,” Millar said in a press release on the auction. “The kids and staff at my brother’s school were delighted and the $8,400 raised means a quarter of their target has been reached already. I had chosen a good secret identity for Nemesis himself, but it seems almost selfish not to auction this now too and possibly reach the halfway line the kids need for this bus. I’m amazed how much cash was raised the first time around, but am hoping the auction to name the TITLE character raises even more. Dave Lizewski loves the fact he’s the lead in the Kick-Ass comic, movie and upcoming video-game and I’m hoping whoever wins this new auction is equally delighted. A huge thanks to them for finding the cash in these difficult times.”