LOS ANGELES (June 24, 2008) – The Hero Initiative is at booth #1050 at this year’s Wizard World Chicago with Mike Perkins and a ton of talent along with the official launch of the Ultimate Hulk #100 covers!

BOOTH SCHEDULE

Thursday, June 26 (con hours 4:00-7:00)
5:00-7:00: Mike Perkins
[7:00-8:30: Hulk 100 party: Mike Perkins, Joseph Michael Linsner, David Finch, Peter David, Tim Seeley, Arthur Suydam, Angel Medina, Whilce and JoAnn Portacio]

Friday, June 27 (con hours 9:00-6:00)
10:00-11:30: Mike Perkins
11:30-1:00: Humberto Ramos
1:00-3:00: Gene Ha
3:00-4:00: Whilce Portacio
4:00-5:30: Mike Perkins

Saturday, June 28 (con hours 9:00-7:00)
10:00-11:30: Tim Seeley
11:30-1:00: Mike Perkins
1:00-2:30: Adi Granov
3:00-4:30: Gordon Purcell
4:30-6:00: Mike Perkins

Sunday, June 29 (con hours 10:00-5:00)
10:30-12:00: Mike Perkins
1:00-2:00: Ethan van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Aaron Lopresti "Win, Lose or Draw"
2:30-4:00: Mike Perkins

WIN LUNCH WITH CGC EBAY AUCTION

Visit http://qurls.com?i=35563 for a chance to win the ultimate collector and grading/restoration detection experience with CGC with CGC President and Primary Grader Steve Borock. Get the ultimate inside scoop from the grading and restoration experts at CGC, our hobby’s only independent third party certification company. Borock will show just ONE lucky winner how top-flight grading is done and how restoration is detected. The class and lunch will take place on Sunday, June 29 at 12 pm.

WIN LOSE OR DRAW ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29

Win the chance to play Win, Lose or Draw with hot comic book artists Ethan Van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Greg Horn and Aaron Lopresti! Two fans will be chosen to compete with the artists for huge prizes! Tickets for the raffle ($2 for one ticket, $5 for three tickets) will be on sale at the Wizard booth. Raffle will take place at the Win, Lose or Draw Panel on Sunday, June 29 at 1 pm in the Steve Gerber room. You must be present to win and all proceeds go to benefit Hero.

HULK “GREEN ROOM” EVENT REMINDER

As a follow up to the successful Hero Ultimate #100 Spider-Man Project, Hero has procured 100 exclusive, original Hulk covers on Marvel Comics’ recent Hulk #1. All 100 will be on display for the ONLY time at a special gala “Green Room” event at Wizard World Chicago on Thursday, June 26. You can get tickets to this event only at Wizard World Chicago. And your ticket also gets you a chance at a one-of-a-kind Hulk collectible!

The Green Room will be a star-studded event, with talent on hand to include Mike Perkins, Arthur Suydam, Peter David, Angel Medina, Tim Seeley, David Finch, Joseph Michael Linsner and more. Admission is a mere $5, OR $3 if you wear purple pants, FREE if you wear torn-up purple pants! Tickets will be on-sale starting at 6 PM at the door at rooms 4/5. And be advised: ONLY 200 tickets will be sold!

HERO TO AUCTION OFF TEN ORIGINAL HULK #1 COVERS

In the spirit of all things green and purple (or red!), The Hero Initiative brings you yet another fantastic opportunity to own one of the first ten exclusive Hulk #1 covers! The auction will take place on-site at this year’s Wizard World Chicago, which runs from June 26 to June 29. The first ten covers include the following fabulous talent: Chris Bachalo, Tom Brevoort, Michael Choi, Alan Davis, Mike Deodato, Leonard Kirk, Joseph Michael Linsner, Whilce Portacio, Javier Pulido and Arthur Suydam.

Visit http://heroinitiative.org/NewsDetail.asp?NewsId=141 for more information and to view the covers. Proxy bidding will also be available for interested bidders unable to attend Wizard World Chicago. Visit the link for full information on proxy bidding.

SECOND GENE COLAN PRINT AVAILABLE AT HERO BOOTH

The second of Hero’s Gene Colan prints will be available first at Wizard World Chicago, this one featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by the Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. And Iron fans take notice: A heretofore unannounced special variant cover edition of the smash-hit Invincible Iron Man #1 will also be at the Hero Initiative booth. Colorist Stéphane Peru unfortunately passed away while working on Invincible Iron Man #1, and Marvel Comics has created a mere 100 copies with the notation “In Memoriam, Stéphane Peru, 1981-2008” on the cover. All 100 copies have been autographed by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca, and will be available for sale by The Hero Initiative.

KRYPTON COMICS HESTER PRINT

Omaha Nebraska’s Krypton Comics will be selling an exclusive Phil Hester comic as a Hero benefit. Hester will be signing on Saturday from 2-4 pm at both the Krypton Comics booth and the Spud’s Emporium booth with 50% of variant sales going to The Hero Initiative! Don’t miss out on the super limited variant cover of The Darkness #1 Krypton Comics/Spud’s Emporium Exclusive Foil Edition!

For more information on Wizard World Chicago, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call 310-909-7809 or visit www.HeroInitiative.org.