HERO Initiative JLA #50 Covers

The HERO Initiative is a great charity which collects money to help comic creators in need of assistance. One of their recent endeavors was to have artists mock up a blank covered Justice League of America #50 which would then be auctioned off. I commented and posted some of the covers that caught my eye in the past  here.

Last week the organization posted the final tally, 104 spectacular covers. The gallery can be found here:
http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=259

Remember, this was dealer's choice in terms of what the artists wanted to do. This was during James Robinson's run with Supergirl, the Dick Grayson Batman, Jade, etc as the roster. So some artists depicted that team. Others did the classic. Others a single character. All are phenomenal. But, I chose a few to showcase.

First off, the cover above featuring Robinson's team as drawn by current Legion artist (and one of my favorite new artists) Francis Portela. I was hoping to eventually see Portela's take on Supergirl. I like Kara and Jesse leaning on Batman like old friends, maybe even a bit flirty, and Batman's astonished expression. Cute.

Dan Brereton has always been one of my favorite artists and I should probably post my personal commission from him soon. But look at this cover depicting an all female league. The 'Batwoman' looks just like his Barbara Gordon hero from the Howard Chaykin Thrillkiller Elseworld books.

I love Brereton's style and this is a great piece.

Pere Perez did a great Supergirl in both the Nightwing/Flamebird issues of Action Comics as well as some of the Steph Brown Batgirl issues, so I had to include this cover, split half and half with the Robinson JLA and the Crime Syndicate. That was the storyline within the issue.

I hope to see Perez' work again soon.

Lastly, I thought I'd post this cover by current Batgirl artist Ardian Syaf. That is one fierce looking Supergirl there!

The issues are being auctioned off with details provided on the web site. I can only imagine how much some of these would go for. The plan is to also collect them in a more affordable book which I think I will buy given the diverse nature and compositions of the covers as well as the great renditions of Supergirl on a bunch of them!

John Romita JLA #50 Hero Initiative Cover

HERO Initiative is auctioning off Sketch variant Justice League of America #50 with covers drawn by comic professionals. Here is that link: http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=259

 I just talked about this a while ago and I can't believe I skipped over this one!

Here is a cover by Comic Legend John Romita Sr. Romita was a huge part of early Marvel and had a historic run on some of the most crucial Spiderman stories ever written.

Here Romita does a simple group shot of the current roster of the Justice League.

I mean how can anyone go wrong with original art by John Romita. I am sure this is going to have huge bids on it.

One thing that I think is an interesting wrinkle to John Romita's long career is that he was almost exclusively a Marvel artist. In fact, as far as I can tell, he only did one piece of art for DC.

And that was ....

The cover of Supergirl #80, the last issue of that run.

John Romita's only DC work is a patriotic cover of Supergirl!

That's kind of cool!

HERO Initiative and JLA #50

I've talked about the HERO Initiative in the past, a charity to help provide for comic book creators in need. It is a great organization, worthy of support. One of the fund-raising events they are currently doing is having comic creators doing sketch covers for Justice League of America #50. Here is a link to the Initiative's page on this event: http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=259

I have talked about this project here and here. on the blog, showcasing some of the covers I have come across already. I figured I would showcase a couple more that include Supergirl and are lovely. If I recall, 100 covers will be done overall. People can bid for the original. But I also think a booklet showcasing the covers is also being made. I will probably purchase one of those. But on to the covers.

This cover is by Art Baltazar of Tiny Titans fame. I love this cover for a number of reasons. I like that Baltazar has drawn Donna and Kara at their correct age and not in the Tiny Titan age bracket. And yet, he has kept the floating Supergirl motif intact. And it is another 'full blue shirt' variant of the current Supergirl costume. Love the Gwen Stacy headband Supergirl is wearing too!

JG Jones is another one of those artists who I would love to get a commission from some day. This is an interesting composition with Batman and Jess Quick in the foreground. Dick almost looks perplexed.

That is one fierce Donna Troy. But I think Supergirl has a sort of quiet grace and strength here.

Jim Valentino of Image fame has a nice idea here with the original big 7 looking over as the current JLA literally busts out of the cover. It is a riff on Giant Size X-Men #1 with Valentino giving props to one of the masters Gil Kane on this cover.

Chris Ivy does this version of the cover with Supergirl having a prominent presence in the lower left corner.

One thing I like about these covers is that the artist has complete control. There are plenty showcasing the original team or one member or another. In this cover, it is the current team but also Red Tornado and Cyborg. Maybe Ivy really likes those guys?

Lastly, I had to include this cover even though it doesn't have Supergirl. Gene Ha is doing the art for the upcoming Flashpoint:Project Superman mini-series. He draws a powerful and angry warrior Donna here as she bears down to engage with a barely seen foe. I don't know if I like Donna always being angry. But I thought this was a strong piece of art.

I can't wait to see all the covers.

George Perez Hero Initiative Justice League #50 Cover

I have posted before about the HERO Initiative's auctioning off sketch variant covers of Justice League of America #50 in the past here. The HERO Initiative have done a great job in getting superstar artists to do these covers with the plan to auction them off at some point. The plan also is to create a booklet with all the artists cover shown so that even if you can't afford the real thing, you can still gaze dreamily at the art.

I for one have been fascinated by the composition of these covers. Some people do pure 'Big 7' in heroic poses, others in action shots, others show the current team.

My thanks to super-blog DC Women Kicking Ass for bringing this great cover by George Perez to my attention.Thanks so much! Here is that link: http://dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/post/4118814544/perez50

Perez talks about briefly on his site as well here: http://perez.comicbookseries.info/news/perezscontributiontotheheroinitiativejla50project

Perez has always been a master of composition and this cover is no exception. I love how he has Batman, a character which is in both the classic and current team rosters anchoring the middle of the book with the other heroes from each version of the team on the sides.

While I know Starman and Congorilla are on the current team, I am sort of glad they aren't on this cover. It really gives a sort of mirror image feel to the cover ... the 'Big 7' on one side, the current roster on the other. Jesse Quick and Flash are in similar spots on the cover as are the Hal Jordan/Jade pair. And that is old school Jade! Looks like she hopped off the cover of Infinity Inc.!

It is interesting to note that Supergirl is where Wonder Woman is, while Donna Troy is in Superman's mirror spot. My guess is Perez simply likes drawing those 2 characters and so wanted to give them prime real estate. But I wonder if Perez thinks Kara is more like Diana than Clark. Hmmm ....

Anyways, as I always say, HERO Initiative is a great charity so help out if you can. I hope to buy the cover book when it comes out and will share any more great covers I see.

Justice League #50 And The HERO Initiative

DC Comics and the HERO Initiative announced a joint project involving creator drawn sketch covers of Justice League #50. Here is the link to the HERO Initiative page discussing the project: http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=254

For those who don't know, the HERO Initiative is a charity providing financial support for comics creators in need. I haven't donated through their site but I do give whenever I see them at conventions. As they say, everyone needs a golden age.

Here is the part of the release statement.

The Hero Initiative, a charity dedicated to helping comic creators in medical or financial need, most proudly announces their new partnership in the Justice League Of America #50 project with DC Comics. This is the first collaboration with DC comics ever and Hero is chomping at the bit to pull the collection together. The call has gone out and dozens of artists are putting pen to paper. DC has generously donated 100 blank-covered cardstock copies of Justice League Of America #50 to Hero, and work is being created by well-known stars such as Jim Lee, Alex Ross, George Perez, Jason Bone, Jim Valentino, and many many more.


"We're thrilled to be working in new ways with DC Comics, and showcasing some of the greatest artists and greatest characters in the world," said Hero Initiative President Jim McLauchlin. "And of course, sales of the covers and the collected book will go toward helping many other comic creators in need."


All 100 original Justice League America covers will be published in a book slated for release in 2011, and a public viewing of all covers will be scheduled as well.

Now as exciting as that sounded, I was also thrilled to hear that Jamal Igle was doing one of the covers and posted it on his deviant art page. Here is that link:
http://jamaligle1.deviantart.com/art/JLA-50-Hero-Initiative-cover-189455753

Unlike the other covers shown which have renditions of the 'Big Seven', Igle (as shown above) actually uses the stars of the issue, the current lineup. That means one last look at a Jamal Igle Supergirl. What a great cover!

My guess is the original issues/covers will be auctioned out of my price range but the idea of a separate book showcasing the covers interests me, especially knowing proceeds go to a good cause.

I did think I would post one more of the covers shown, as shown on the HERO site, this one by legend Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Why show this one? Well, that looks like Supergirl not only among the Big Seven, but sort of leading the charge against this giant eyeball.

How cool is that?

Anyways, the HERO Initiative is a great charity and worthy of support. I think I'll end up with the JLA book once it is solicited.

HERO Initiative: Ed Hannigan Covered

I feel like I am covering an old story and I am pretty bummed I didn't plug this a bit earlier.

HERO Initiative is doing their best to help out cover artist extraordinaire Ed Hannigan who is suffering from multiple sclerosis.

HERO Initiative is a great organization dedicated to helping people in the comics industry in need. For Hannigan, HERO has both published the above issue Ed Hannigan Covered, a 48 page gallery of his best Marvel covers and some background material. The book is only $4.99 and proceeds go to this great cause.

Here is HERO's link and a part of their blurb.

http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=220

Ed tried to tailor cover designs to the style of whichever artist was going to do the final art, but he also introduced some trademark features of his own, most famously, "messing with the logo" in some way or another, destroying or distorting it. The sketches became more elaborate and often were fully colored. He continued to draw some stories and even wrote a few (Defenders was his longest run), but cover sketches were his mainstay for the next several years, and that's what he is best known for in the industry.

When the comics business contracted in the early 1990s, Ed was forced to find other employment. He end up doing computer graphics for a publisher in Massachusetts for nine years. In the course of those years, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which at first was a minor annoyance, but soon progressed to a major disability. He now lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.

There are plenty of sites on line where you can order the book, but here is the one from HERO site.

http://www.atomiccomicsstore.com/298419.html

While Hannigan may be best known for his work on Marvel, he did plenty of work at DC including a couple of interesting and important Daring New Adventures of Supergirl covers, including one of my favorites all time.


I love the cover of Daring New Adventures #5. There is something mesmerizing about the cover, isn't there? In all seriousness, Supergirl just looks terrified as she falls over this dizzying background. It also really looks as though Supergirl is falling out of control, her arms and legs awkwardly splayed.

There is no doubt that if you were twirling the spinner rack in 1983, this cover would have grabbed your eye. Just fabulous.


Hannigan also got to introduce the world to the new Supergirl costume. The cover of Supergirl #13 (they dropped the 'Daring New Adventures of' part of the title with this issue) was the first look at the 'head band' costume. Ironically, she isn't wearing a head band here! And her cape is so tiny.

Still it is a very nice cover with Supergirl striking a heroic pose in front of the American flag on some alien world (I don't think it's the moon). And as this is the first look at her new costume, Hannigan does have a little place in Supergirl history.

As part of their efforts, the HERO Initiative is showing some of Hannigan's most famous works in the Cartoon Museum of Art in San Francisco. The show is running until June 20th, 2010. Here is a link to the news about the show:
http://www.heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=221

And here is a blog post with some pictures of the gallery showing.

http://heroinitiative.blogspot.com/2010/02/ed-hannigan-covered-now-running-at.html


So if in San Francisco or if you have an extra $4.99 in your pocket, help HERO Initiative help Ed Hannigan.