Comicon.com founders Rick Veitch and Steve Conley have assembled an auction of over 36 striking pieces of original art and rare merchandise from members of the Comicon.com community to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The auction will run throughout November and assists the Fund financially as it petitions the Supreme Court to hear the case of Texas v. Castillo.
The auction starts today on eBay where Fund supporters can bid on a great selection of original art, including a Frank Miller page from The Dark Knight Strikes Again; a fully painted Swamp Thing cover by Rick Veitch; an original single page Howard Cruse strip; a page from The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot; a Tug & Buster page by Marc Hempel; a James Sturm illustration; and an artists proof Doonesbury print by G.B. Trudeau.
In the weeks to come, a fully-painted V for Vendetta cover by David Lloyd, an original Zippy strip by Bill Griffith, Powers and Hammer of the Gods pages by Mike Oeming, and much more will be auctioned to help the Fund pay off its current legal fees.
Veitch says, "Steve and I built Comicon.com to be the focal point of the web's comics community. That community depends on the Fund to come to our aid when a legal crisis strikes. We're doing this auction as a community to help the Fund do that work right now, as it appeals the high court for justice in Texas."
In addition to the auction, Comicon.com exhibitor Top Shelf Productions will be donating 20% of web sales generated between November 14 and December 10 to the Fund. "The fact that a comic store clerk is facing criminal charges is an inexcusable miscarriage of justice," says Top Shelf publisher and Fund Board Member Chris Staros. "We're happy to contribute to Comicon's efforts to raise money so the Fund can take this case to the next level."
Every week that the auction runs, Comicon will showcase the items with banner ads and on the Comicon message boards. "Right now the Fund is in a crucial period," explains Director Charles Brownstein. "The battle in Texas is among the most important cases in our 16 year history. The initiative that Rick and Steve have taken in putting this auction together will make a significant difference in properly waging that fight."
Veitch adds, "We hope the community is generous when bidding during this auction. Many very talented creators have donated some great art to support the Fund's much needed work. Without the Fund there to back this field up, dozens of retailers, cartoonists, and publishers may have lost their livelihood. Now it's our turn to back up the Fund."
