CANADIAN RETAILERS AND CREATORS BAND TOGETHER FOR “BE OUR HEROES, CANADA!”

CANADIAN COMIC BOOK STORES BAND TOGETHER FOR
“BE OUR HEROES, CANADA!”

Comic Book Retailers to Host Unique Facebook Live Event on May 16 and 17 to Benefit Closed Canadian Retailers

GUELPH, ON–As brick and mortar retailers around the world find creative ways to preserve their businesses during unprecedented circumstances, forward-thinking comic book retailers across Canada will come together with notable comic book artists and writers to benefit their business, and preserve the audience they have worked so hard together to serve.

“Be Our Heroes, Canada” is a collaboration between Canadian comic shops and creators to leverage each store’s individual audiences to both build and strengthen the national comic book community and generate income for all.

“What started as a conversation between four retailers on how we could cross-promote our shops turned into this idea of a national fundraiser to help preserve Canada’s unique comics landscape” says Jennifer Haines, owner of The Dragon. Now more than ever, we need to come together to support one another, and provide our respective communities with a way to stay connected, all while protecting retailers that might otherwise fall through the cracks of government funding.”

The event has been organized by Guelph, Ontario’s The Dragon family of stores, along with Ontario retailers Gotham Central, Heroes World, and Cyber City Comix, and will take place over two days through Facebook Live, with scheduled slots for creators and stores. Funds raised through this two day national celebration of the comic arts will be collected and distributed by the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund, a Canadian-based non-profit organization protecting free speech in the industry, supporting retailers, schools and libraries, creators and publishers alike.

“Be Our Heroes, Canada” is currently accepting offers of participation among the Canadian creative community, and will announce the full list of participating stores and creators in the coming days. Current participants include: Adam Gorham,  Andy Belanger, Brendan Fletcher, Casey Parsons, Chip Zdarsky, Dylan Burnett, Ed Brisson, J. Torres, Jason Fabok, Jason Loo, Jay Stephens, Karl Kerschl, Ken Lashley, Michael Cho, Ray Fawkes, Richard Pace, Scott Chantler, Seth, Shawn Daly, Svetlana Chmakova, and Yanick Paquette.