LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 20, 2009 – The Hero Initiative announced today it will host several signings—including a seven-man set for The Hulk 100 Project—at Phoenix Comicon, which is taking place at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona from Jan. 23-25, 2009. The Hulk 100 Project is an incredible book that collects covers to Marvel Comics’ Hulk #1 drawn by over 100 comic book artists.

Hardcover and softcover copies of the book will be available for purchase at The Hero Initiative booth (#52-53). The full schedule is as follows:

FRIDAY, January 23, 2009
4 – 5:30 p.m. Karl Kesel

SATURDAY, January 24, 2009
10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Karl Kesel
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. SEVEN-MAN signing for The Hulk 100 Project! Tony Parker, Terry Moore, Ryan Cody, Andy Kuhn, Tim Seeley, Whilce Portacio and Jim Valentino. (Note: Only copies of The Hulk 100 Project will be signed at this time!)
1 – 3 p.m. Karl Kesel
3 – 4:15 p.m. Tim Seeley

SUNDAY, January 25, 2009
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Karl Kesel
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Karl Kesel

In addition, fans can sign up for a Hero Initiative membership on-site and will get a FREE Ultimate Spider-Man #100 paperback for doing so. Membership packages are $29 to $500 and include a personalized membership card, a quarterly newsletter, a random sketchcard and more!

Also, The Hero Initiative/Atomic Comics exclusive variant cover of Punisher #1 debuts at Phoenix Comicon and will be available for purchase. Writer Rick Remender will be on hand to sign copies of the issue all weekend at the Atomic Comics booth—swing by the Atomic booth for Rick’s schedule!

Proceeds from the sale of the books and memberships benefit The Hero Initiative, which creates a monetary safety net for yesterday’s 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 fans to give something back to the people who have given them so much enjoyment. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 818-997-6114.

Phoenix Comicon will take place January 23-25 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona. Tickets are on sale at www.phoenixcomicon.com.

About The Hero Initiative

In late 2000, a consortium of comic publishers came up with the idea to create a financial safety net for comic creators, much in the same fashion that exists in almost any other trade from plumbing to pottery. By March of 2001, the federal government approved The Hero Initiative as a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation under section 501 (c) (3).

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative (formerly known as A.C.T.O.R., A Commitment To Our Roots) has had the good fortune to grant over $400,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

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 yesterday’s 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.