Gene Colan Litho
Some really nice news for a change:

Artist Gene Colan has been one of comics’ favorites for a staggering seven decades. Now, as Gene is suffering illness, some of the characters Gene worked on are coming to save the day.

The Hero Initiative in conjunction with Marvel Comics is launching a series of Gene Colan-themed products, starting with a limited edition print of Gene’s cover art to Invincible Iron Man #1, available at Wizard World Philadelphia, May 30-June 1. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by The Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. Another 50 prints will be available at a later date, with plans to have them autographed by both Gene Colan and Stan Lee.

Also at Wizard World Philadelphia, guest writers and artists at the Marvel Comics booth will be signing and sketching two large poster-sized boards, which Hero will auction benefiting Gene at a later date.

And that’s just the start. Wizard World Chicago, June 26-29, will see the release of a second print featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. A third print will be available later in the year, along with other products.

For August, a Gene Colan Tomb of Dracula poster will be available for order via Marvel Previews with proceeds routed to Gene; and in September, a special book reprinting some of Gene’s greatest stories will be made available. In addition to these items, The Hero Initiative will take additional steps to help Gene in his convalescence.

“Gene Colan,” said Roy Thomas, longtime Marvel Comics writer and Hero Initiative Board member, “is one of the most amazingly talented comic book artists in the history of the field. When I was scripting one of his stories, there was no one-not even Neal Adams or John Buscema-whose pencils could make me feel more strongly as if I were looking into a real world. He combines often-photographic realism with dynamism worth of a Kirby…and that makes him unique.”

“Speaking as an artist, in addition to his awe-inspiring renditions of classic comic book heroes, ‘Gentleman’ Gene Colan has been a tremendous inspiration to those of us who have drawn Daredevil,” said Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada. “I’m happy to say that Marvel is working along with The Hero Initiative to help one of the industry’s greats and a member of the Marvel family. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Gene and his family during this tough time, and we hope the rest of this great community can do what they can to help support one its founding members.”

13 COMMENTS

  1. It is very important our fan community band together to help this great artist in his time of need. Buying the products above is one way, another way is to send him money directly. That’s what I’ve done. It’s great Cliff Meth, Stan Lee, Marvel, and others are coming to his aid.

  3. Um… way to come up with a great idea then mess it up.

    If this is to raise money for Gene, why would you limit it to 250 pieces???

    That’s only $6,250!!!! Unless they’re planning on releasing 20 different covers or his illness is only an ingrown toenail, it’s not gonna help too much.

    Hospitals charge on average $5,000 just to STAY in the hospital for a week. This doesn’t include doctors fees and surgery costs.

    I hope they really come through for Gene, I’m all over the Iron Man cover!

  4. They should just sell them online and as many as possible. Screw the fanboys and their collections! There is enough interest in Iron Man (and let’s face it…Gene’s is the penultimate!) to generate a great deal more in hospital fees than this idea. No offence but I agree, limiting the number of potential contributors to 250 and $25 a pop is noble but feeble..

  5. I respect the effort but I agree, it probably isn’t going to raise that much. It would be nice to see Marvel simply start a Gene Colan fund and make the first donation (a big one) out of their own pocket. Fans could (and should) help out as well, but everything Marvel is doing for this great man shouldn’t ultimately come out of the fans’ pockets.

    I’m very glad they’re doing something, but it would be nice to have additional options. I’d much rather donate $25 directly (with 100% going to Mr. Colan’s care) than spend that same amount on a print with an undetermined percentage going to the cause. What will the “net proceeds” from each $25 print be, anyway?

    There’s a lot of us out there that would gladly give to such a fund.

  7. I am unlikely to buy a poster. How about assembling book of Genial Gene’s sketches, similar to what Neal Adams releases every year? Number them or don’t number them. Sign them, or don’t sign them.
    I’d buy one!

  8. I want to send money to help Gene Colan but didn´t find out how to do it so far. Can anyone tell me where should I send money?

  11. I’m glad too to see Marvel come out to help Gene, who is a real favorite of mine (Roy Thomas really nailed it describing his combination of realism and dynamism). I also agree that limiting the print to 200 copies at a convention with thousands is completely odd. Medicare should be covering some of his bills but grossing $5000 that will likely turn into about $2500 for Gene seems like it still might be only a spit in the ocean in terms of the money he needs.

    The real issue underlying this and all of the long-time company artists who are sick is that until there is some kind of organization for freelancers that will provide healthcare and benefits, this is going to keep happening more and more and more. Designers have The Graphic Artist’s Guild and there are other groups similar to it in various professions. The admirable and praise-worthy Hero Initiative is a great example of this ability to organize around a necessary issue. Let’s hope that there are some people out there with the time and the inclination to create an organization to give freelancers the protection and basic living requirements that they deserve.

  12. I met Gene Colan at the 86 San Diego comic con. It was my second time at the sad diego con. He was just the coolest, nicest guy. He drew a pencil and inked Shadow for me. We talked for over an hour about comics and the convention. I asked tons of traditional fanboy questions which he happily answered. Over the years ive purchased art from him online. I hope all the efforts to raise money for him are successful and wish him all the best.

Comments are closed.