HERO INITIATIVE & ARCHIE Team For ARCHIE COVERS" Special

HERO INITIATIVE & ARCHIE Team-Up CREDIT: View full size image

<center>HERO INITIATIVE AND ARCHIE COMICS TEAM UP FOR

“ARCHIE COVERS: FIFTY TIMES AN AMERICAN ICON”

50 new Archie covers by 50 great artists will benefit Hero Initiative</center>

Los Angeles, CA (March 24, 2010): Archie and the whole Riverdale gang certainly are heroes. Now they’re joining forces to aid cartoonists in need.

Archie Comics is teaming up with the Hero Initiative, the charity dedicated to helping comic creators in medical or financial need, for an amazing artistic extravaganza involving the premier issue of the world-renowned Archie wedding series, Archie #600. Archie Comics has printed 50 blank-covered copies of the landmark book, and Hero will have 50 stellar artists do original Archie covers on the special edition books. The originals will be auctioned off at a later date to benefit Hero, and a book will be published, collecting all 50 covers.

Cover by Chris Moreno

Superstar artists such as Neal Adams, Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Jerry Ordway, George Pérez, John Romita, Tim Sale and more are all contributing to the project, “Archie Covers: Fifty Times an American Icon.” More artistic surprises are yet in store, as artists from the animation world and even underground comics will be making contributions as well!

"Hey, Archie Comics is one of the very few companies I've never worked for and any opportunity to draw the lovely Betty and Veronica is one I can't possibly pass up, especially as it also benefits the Hero Initiative.  And, considering my reputation as a super-team artist, how could I resist drawing the Riverdale gang in their superhero persona?"

  Mark McKenna Cover

“Archie Comics is committed to supporting those who have spent their lives as the cornerstone of the comics industry. We are thrilled to be working with the Hero Initiative on this project,” remarks Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “The covers have been remarkable and we can’t wait to see what the remaining artists have in store for their edition of the Hero covers for Archie #600.”

Each original cover will be auctioned off via eBay.com at a future date. A release date for the book is also pending. Stay tuned! You will not want to miss out on these amazing once-in-a-lifetime covers!

About The Hero Initiative:

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strict 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.

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative 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. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 626-676-6354.

George Perez Cover

John RomitaCover

Ben Dewey

Archie Comics

The Archie Comics line of comic books is one of the most successful, longest running brands in the history of the comic industry. Archie Comics has sold 1.5 billion comics and is published in a dozen different foreign languages and distributed all over the world. Archie Comics has spawned characters whose popularity has spilled over into other media and who have become part of popular culture. SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS are just some of the many legendary franchises that are part of the Archie Comics library.

www.archiecomics.com