GI Joe joins the Toys For Tots team

Over 14 million children live in poverty in the United States.  They need a hero this holiday season and here to answer the call of duty is G.I. JOE. Hasbro’s G.I. JOE brand, the Marine Toys for Toys Foundation and actor Dennis Quaid are joining forces to help make this holiday season a little brighter for less fortunate children.  For every G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra toy purchased at stores from November 11 through November 26 (Veterans Day through Thanksgiving), Hasbro will donate a new toy (up to 300,000 toys with a minimum $3.99 value) to Toys for Tots.

Dennis Quaid, who plays GENERAL HAWK in the 2009 blockbuster film G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, will voice a national radio spot, due to premier on Veterans Day, November 11, to help raise awareness for this campaign and the positive impact The U.S. Marines and Toys for Tots make on the lives of children.

“As long time supporters of Toys for Tots, we recognize and applaud the important work the organization does on behalf of economically disadvantaged children nationwide”, said John Frascotti, Hasbros Chief Marketing Officer.  “In working with Toys for Tots once again this year, they were very clear that new toys for the children they serve would be in greater need than ever during these difficult economic times, and we are pleased to step up and do our part.”

“We know this year will be especially hard on families as many have already started to significantly tighten the purse strings”, said retired Marine Corps Major Bill Grein, USMC (Ret), vice president of marketing and development for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.  “These families need a hero this holiday season and Hasbro is it.  Their generous gift of toys and games will enable us to deliver the magic of the holiday season to many of our nations neediest children.”

For more information about how you can help this worthy cause, please visit GIJoe.com and ToysForTots.org.

Batmobile Charity Auction

If you are like me, you’ve always wanted to be Batman or at least be able to have people believe you might be in the same universe of cool he usually inhabits. Well if you’ve got some spare cash lying around, you can take a giant step towards being the closest thing your neighborhood is likely to get towards having its very own caped crusader.

The folks over at Charity Buzz are auctioning off a replica version of the ride Adam West and Burt Ward made famous in the old-school classic live action Batman television show. Not only that, the proceeds go to charity in the form of a donation to Life Project For Africa, so you’re first act in trying to be Batman might actually help save someone’s day.

The bidding has 23 days left so there is still time to get your finances (and Batcave) in order. Anybody want to loan me $40,000?

Andrew Mangum Cancer Benefit Auction

Andrew Mangum is a talented artist (Grimm Fairy Tales, American Wasteland) that has worked all over the comics industry most notably in the horror genre for publishers like DC Comics, Image, and Frazetta Comics to name a few. This summer he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and some of his friends and colleagues have come together to try to raise money for his medical expenses.

There is going to be a ton of stuff available via E-bay auction from some great comic creators like: Steve Niles, Phil Hester, Eric Powell, Andrew himself and many more. Plus there will be a lot of hard to find and collectable CGC-rated comic books and a lot of signed books from artists like John Cassiday, Matt Wagner, J.G. Jones, George Perez, J. Michael Linsner, and Mark Kidwell. If you are a comic fan or collector you are sure to find items of interest in these special offers.

So if you’ve got some spare cash, try to check out these auctions and get some great swag for a great cause. Here’s the link for the Andrew Mangum Cancer Benefit Auction.

Comix 4 Sight steps up to help John Ostrander

 John Ostrander has helped to tell the stories and shape the histories of many of the most memorable characters in comics. His work at DC has been showcased in titles like Justice League, Batman, the Spectre, Suicide Squad and many others. You might remember him as the man who first helped to reshape Barbara Gordon from her injuries at the hands of the Joker and past as Batgirl into her rebirth as Oracle.

A writer in the industry since 1983, his work is not limited to his memorable work with DC. In the 80’s with Timothy Truman he co-created the character Grimjack for First Comics. Ostrander has also been one of the main writers for Star Wars: Republic and Star Wars: Legacy for Dark Horse Comics. During his long career he has also written for publishers like Valiant, Chaos, Eclipse, and Marvel. But this listing of career statistics is not simply about the volume or length of service as he has also been nominated for numerous industry awards including the Comics Buyer’s Guide Award for Fan Favorite Writer 4 straight years.

At this point you might be asking why the brief career bio on John Ostrander? Well, John has been battling glaucoma for years and has recently gone thru some expensive surgeries in an effort to save his sight. So far these procedures have been successful but they and the treatment’s surrounding them, are also much more expensive than his medical insurance would cover. A group of his friends and fellow comic creators decided to see if there was something they could do to help. A charity auction was held last Saturday at the Chicago Comic Con and with the group’s efforts both online and at the convention reportedly $30,000 has been raised so far.

The giving does not have to end with the auction at this year’s Chicago Comic Con. There will be additional items for an online auction at comix4sight.com and if you’d just like to donate what you can to the cause there is info on the site for that as well. So if you’ve enjoyed his work, or if you just love comics, check out the page and see if you might be able to help.