Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics Jim Lee is continuing his campaign to auction off original artwork to benefit independent comic book retailers, with his latest offering providing his interpretation of the super-villainous Darkseid. And the iconic artist is giving Screen Rant a first look at his newest piece of work before it hits the auction block tonight.
Lee began his eBay campaign in late March, vowing to auction off 60 original pieces over 60 days, with all of the proceeds going to independent brick and mortar comic book shops being affected by the coronavirus pandemic that has much of the world in lock down. The auctions will benefit the Comicbook United Fund, a special relief effort by the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) that is solely focused on aiding struggling comic book shops and their employees. In addition to Lee's personal campaign, DC as a whole has also donated a quarter of a million dollars toward the cause of aiding these shops so badly impacted by the virus. Lee's campaign alone has reportedly already raised hundreds of thousands.
Bidding on any of Lee's auctions can be done through his official eBay account, with each item being available for three days apiece. Not only does each winning bidder get a one-of-a-kind piece of art, they'll also be able to choose which DC character Lee draws next to put up to auction - though no character can be duplicated. Recent sketches have included the likes of Victor Zsasz, Deadman (Lee's personal favorite so far), and Aquaman.
Other artists have even gotten involved in the campaign, with Arthur Adams recently contributing a sketch of Death from Sandman to help raise funds. Similar grassroots campaigns to support local comic shops have been popping up recently, with the twitter auction campaign #creators4comics, which saw creators auctioning original works, raising tens of thousand of dollars for Binc. Legendary industry creators are even offering live, interactive streaming experiences with their fans to help those affected by the crisis.
The Book Industry Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose website reads, "Together we can help Binc weave a safety net for all booksellers. It’s a way to say thank you to the people who have given us so much." The organization has paid extra attention to the independent comic book store sector, which has been devastated by disruptions in distribution (an issue DC seems to be well on its way to fixing).
To bid on this piece of work, or any of Lee's others (and to help support local comic shops), visit Lee's eBay Page, and keep an eye out for the next sketches in the series.
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April 26, 2020 at 06:09AM
