Who's Who In The CBU Update 2008
Who are... Park and Barb?
Barbara Lien-Cooper writes the comic GUN STREET GIRL at Panel 2 Panel, was an original founder of Sequential Tart, is the managing editrix of the 2004 Eisner award-winning print magazine COMIC BOOK ARTIST, and was named by Mark Millar (The Authority, Ultimates, Wanted) as one of the three most promising new talents in the next wave of comics writing.
Park Cooper started writing about comics at the now-defunct DC FANZINE website.
When They Say "Some People Lost Everything," Then That Must Mean...
I was going to do a column about some of the nice things that have been happening to Park and me in terms since our comic Half Dead was picked up by Speakeasy Comics. But, after Hurricane Katrina, such things seem just a tad inappropriate. So, I'll leave that until another day. I promise, we'll get back to comics and stuff next time.
But for now, let me just direct you to a Newsarama thread my friend Drew Edwards (creator of the excellent online comic Halloween Man) sent me concerning something fairly simple we comic book fans can do to help the kids and teens of Katrina's aftermath:
http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=a95c6641d0721041fe9c4c99bf951607&threadid=42737
If you're not into following threads, Midtown Comics in New York and Lone Star Comics in Dallas are collecting old back issues of comics to give to kids affected by Katrina.
Yes, I know---comics may seem a little down there on the list of priorities that evacuees might need. Yes, I know that food, clothing, shelter, hygiene products, money etc. are the most essential things on the needs hierarchy. If you can provide money or old clothes or food or whatever, I encourage you to do so.
But, Katrina's survivors have the same needs as any other human beings. Those needs include the need for entertainment. They've had so much bald-faced reality, it's impossible to imagine how traumatized they all must be. These people deserve a little fantasy in their lives right now. They deserve to see worlds where heroes respond promptly to those in need. They need to see some glamour and excitement---and the happy ending where good always triumphs over evil.
The people in the shelters and temporary housing need reading materials, according to publications such as The Austin Chronicle. What's more, psychological experts on television say these kids need to get back to
normalcy, stability, routine---and do what kids do, which is to learn and play and grow.
I don't think a lot of people would argue with me that comics and stories of heroic deeds go together with childhoods like peanut butter goes with grape jelly.
I know that some people have been a bit sneering at the idea that something as simple as comics could be of benefit to survivors of tragedy. But, let me remind them, we in comic book culture, we fans, tend to live pretty modest lifestyles. We tend to live more in the world of ideas and ideals than the Fortune 500 make the money and run corporate world. Each are valid lifestyles, so I'm not judging. What I am saying is that while we all might not have a lot of deposable income, we all have comics. Surely, within those huge comic book collections, there are a few that we all could let go of. I know that comics matter and that a lot of us love the completeness of our collections. The collections represent our ideas and ideals---some of the things we believe in.
But, because those things are so important to us, it means we see their value. We see the power of stories---and because we were children once, we know how important comics can be to kids needing comfort and entertainment. Now, crisis is giving us an opportunity to share some of the world of ideas and ideals with those who really need a bit of both.
By giving comics, we share not just our possessions, we share things that have at least in part symbolized us as people and as fans.
Please consider sharing your world of ideas and ideals with children in need. If your local comic book shop isn't collecting comics, encourage them to do so. Also, a lot of charities are accepting donations for disaster
survivors. Make a few phone calls. Maybe your local Goodwill or St. Vincent De Paul's or DAV is getting in on the effort. It never hurts to ask, right?
We did. And even though it wasn't much, we gave what we could---which is all one can be asked to do.
I'm not asking you to give up any comics that you still love/like/want/need. I'm just asking you to consider giving those comics you no longer need to those who have nothing.
I'm not asking more of you than I asked of myself---or indeed, what we're all asking of ourselves. Just give up something you no longer have use for. Believe me, even if it's just a few comics, it'll make someone's day. As much as they need possessions and necessities, these people need to know that we all care and that they're not forgotten.
----Thanks from Barb (and Park)
As a bit of a PS: Even though we all know that adults read comics as well as kids, sometimes the world outside of comics culture doesn't always get them. So, if you decide to give up some comics you no longer need, it would probably be advisable for them to be all-ages comics. After all, with everything else going on, volunteers don't have the time to sort comics into age-appropriate and mature categories.