Hero Initiative, the non-profit that raises money for comics industry professionals in medical and financial need, is celebrating Jack “King” Kirby’s 99th birthday with the help of Jillian Kirby, founder of Kirby4Heroes.
On August 28, 2016, over 50 artists will participate in Wake Up and Draw. They’ll celebrate his birthday by creating a card in honor of Kirby. The drawings will appear in a special gallery at ComicArtFans.com and art fans can follow the action on Twitter using #WakeUpAndDraw. The drawings will then be auctioned to benefit Hero on August 30.
Artist Phil Hester will be drawing all day, creating 99 – yes you read that right, 99 – Kibry-inspired drawings. Follow @PhilHester on Twitter to see the drawings and get the info on how you can buy one.
Jillian Kirby, the artist’s youngest granddaughter, has spearheaded Kirby4Heroes since 2012. She has recruited comic book stores to donate a percentage of sales to Hero. Fans can view the Kirby4Heroes campaign on Facebook and donate through the PayPal link on Hero’s website by typing Kirby4Heroes in the special instructions box.
“I founded the Kirby4Heroes campaign when I was 16 years old in June 2012, as a way of honoring the legacy of my grandfather, comic book artist and creator Jack Kirby, who unfortunately died the year before I was born,” Jillian Kirby said. “Over the past four years my campaign has been fortunate enough to raise over $50,000 for the Hero Initiative, and this year my goal is to raise $25,000! My Kirby4Heroes fundraising campaign just seems to be expanding and blossoming with new creative ideas continually contributed by many Jack Kirby fans. Watching everything come together has been very rewarding, and I look forward to the culmination of a fantastic show of support on August 28!”
Participating stores include Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA; All About Books & Comics in Phoenix, AZ; Arcadian Comics in Newport, KY; Aw Yeah Comics in Skokie, IL; Bedrock City Comics, five locations in Houston, TX; Blastoff Comics in North Hollywood, CA; Borderlands Comics in Greenville, SC; Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE; Carmine St. Comics in New York, NY; Carol & John’s Comic Shop in Cleveland, OH; Collector’s Paradise, two locations in Los Angeles, CA; Collectors Corner in Parkville, MD; Comics & Collectibles in Memphis, TN; Comix City Too in Madison, TN; Comix Experience, two locations in San Francisco, CA; Cosmic Comics in Las Vegas, NV; Cosmic Comics & Toys in Cantonsville, MD; Destiny City Comics in Tacoma, WA; Dragon’s Lair Comics in Austin, TX; Earth-2 Comics, two locations in Los Angeles, CA; Escape Pod Comics in Huntington, NY; Excellent Adventures Comics in Ballston Spa, NY; Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA; Geoffrey’s Comics/Hi De Ho Comics, two locations in Los Angeles, CA; Heroes Comics in Fresno, CA; I Want More Comics in Northglenn, CO; Jesse James Comics in Glendale, AZ; Joy’s Japanimation in Greensburg, PA; Lee’s Comics in Mountain View, CA; Lost Legion Games & Comics, three locations in Charleston, WV; Mission Comics and Art in San Francisco, CA; Nans Games and Comics in Houston, TX; Paradise Comics in Toronto, Ontario; Phantom of the Attic Comics, two locations in Pittsburgh, PA; Queen City Comics, two locations in Cincinnati, OH; Samurai Comics, three locations in Phoenix, AZ; The Comic Book Shop in Wilmington, DE; and World’s Best Comics in Sacramento, CA.
