Broken Frontier

As the year draws to a close, we interrupt our typical hijinks at “Pak Talks Comics” for a brief public service announcement.  In tough economic times, the hard work of charities and non-profits to help the needy becomes even more critical. If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider giving to your favorite charity.  And please read on for a few suggestions that might be of particular interest to comic book fans.

In honor of Michael Turner

When legendary comic book artist Michael Turner passed away this year, his colleagues at Aspen Comics encouraged those interested in making charitable donations in his name to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation and/or the American Cancer Society.  Both organizations have easy-to-use online donation pages. 

Aspen has also published a Michael Turner tribute book, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Cancer Society.  Ask your local retailer to order a copy of the book for you today or purchase it directly through the Aspen website.

In honor of George Lin

George Lin was a great colleague and friend whom I met through his work for the DC APA Film Festival and the San Diego Asian Film Festival.  After a long illness, George passed away in October, just days after the SDAFF hosted Jim Lee and myself for a panel about Asian Americans in comics.  George’s family has established the George C. Lin Memorial Fund to provide grants to institutions that provide scholarships to students studying film, and for pheochromocytoma research and education. To contribute, please write the name of the fund, George C. Lin Memorial Fund, on the memo line of your check, and mail it to:

The San Diego Foundation
2508 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92106

Comic book related charities

The Hero Initiative is an amazing organization that provides direct assistance to comic book creators in need.  Here are a few thoughts from the Hero Initiative’s Jim McLauchlin about the work the organization does:

Probably the most wonderfully surreal moment—and again, I mean this in a good way—happened at the San Diego con in 2004. An artist that we benefited came up to me to thank me for the help we had given him. He was shaking my hand, with tears streaming down his cheeks. He had been living on about $90 a week, and was eating one meal a day. He didn't know what to do, or where to turn, and he was ready to take his own life. He had literally written the suicide note when he stumbled upon us. We were able to get him back on his feet, and he's alive today, doing much better.

Click here to read Jim’s whole post -- it’s incredibly moving.  And click here to give to the Hero Initiative.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund protects freedom of speech and First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. In April, the CBLDF won its case defending Georgia comic book retailer Gordon Lee from obscenity charges.  And in October, the CBLDF “signed on as a special consultant to the defense of Christopher Handley, an Iowa collector who faces up to 20 years in prison for possession of manga.”  Here’s CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein on the significance of the new case:

"Handley's case is deeply troubling, because the government is prosecuting a private collector for possession of art," says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein.  "In the past, CBLDF has had to defend the First Amendment rights of retailers and artists, but never before have we experienced the Federal Government attempting to strip a citizen of his freedom because he owned comic books. We will bring our best resources to bear in aiding Mr. Handley's counsel as they defend his freedom and the First Amendment rights of every art-loving citizen in this country.”

Click here to read the whole CBLDF press release about the Handley case. Then visit Neil Gaiman’s blog to read about why it’s so important to defend the freedom even of “icky” speech.  Finally, click here to donate to the CBLDF.

Charities for genocide and war victims

While researching “X-Men: Magneto Testament” and “War Machine,” I’ve learned about a few charities that provide assistance to Holocaust survivors or current victims of war or genocide.

According the UJA Federation, 34,000 of the 55,000 Holocaust survivors in the greater New York area live in poverty. The UJA Federation of New York’s Community Initiative for Nazi-Victim Services funds over 20 agencies that provide assistance to New York-area Holocaust survivors. For more information about the CINVS, visit the UJA website.  To contribute to the fund, make a check out to the “UJA Federation of New York” with “For the CINVS, capital fund 8157” in the memo section.  The check should be mailed to:

Community Initiative for Nazi Victim Services
United Jewish Federation of New York
130 E. 59th St.
New York, NY 10022

You can also contribute directly to Selfhelp, one of the organizations that the CINVS funds.  Be sure to select “Nazi Victim Services Program” under the “Please Direct My Donation To” headline.

Other Holocaust-related charities include the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which assists non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust, and the Survivor Mitzvah Project, which provides direct assistance to Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe.

If you enjoyed last week’s interview with “Get Your War On” cartoonist David Rees, please consider the charity of his choice, Adopt-A-Minefield, which “helps save lives by raising funds for mine clearance and survivor assistance and by raising awareness about the landmine problem.”

Finally, if you’ve been shocked by the atrocities in the Congo, please consider donating to the UNICEF Emergency Programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thanks for reading -- we’ll be back soon with another thrilling installment of “Pak Talks Comics.”  Please click here to submit your questions for our Reader Q&A section and see you next time!

© 2008 Greg Pak.  All rights reserved.  For more about Greg Pak’s comics and films, visit http://www.pakbuzz.com/.