To coincide with Juneteenth, the 19th of July, the day the United States Of America celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Originating in Texas, it is now celebrated annually through the USA, with varying official recognition. Specifically, it commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free, even though it was still legal and practiced elsewhere until the end of the year. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. But with the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of more killings of African-Americans by police, it has hailed greater cultural prominence in 2020. Which is why DC Comics posted on Twitter the following image, by Milestone co-founder and creator Denys Cowan, with the phrase

Listen, reflect, and learn. #Juneteenth

The artwork showed a number of Black DC Comics characters taking the knee or posing with the Black Power salute, including Green Lantern, Rocket, Amanda Waller, Hardware, Bumblebee, Aqualad, Icon, The Signal, Black Manta, Mister Terrific, Black Lightning, Superman Of Earth 23, Static, Guardian, Doctor Mid-Nite, Lucius Fox, Bronze Tiger, Vixen, Tyroc, Steel, Cyborg, Batwing, Wise Son, Jakeem Thunder – though the names had to be repeated to fill the space.

But it was also noted by commentators that only one of the named characters currently has a solo series currently, Green Lantern Sojourner "Jo" Mullein in Far Sector from N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell, many aren't regular characters in any current DC comic book – if they appear at all. Maybe some of the people who should be listening, reflecting and learning might the people who make such decisions at DC Comics?

The post DC Comics Takes The Knee For Juneteenth appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

It is not uncommon for someone to accuse someone else on social media of misconduct in recent years. I have covered several such revelations within the comic book industry, and they all take time. Bleeding Cool EIC Kaitlyn Booth has held the firm line that we don't repeat accusations on Bleeding Cool without the agreement of the subject of said misconduct, so as not to put a spotlight on the individual in question. Which sometimes means we don't report the incident. As a result of this, there are stories we have run that no one else has, there are stories that we have didn't run that others did, and sometimes stories run later.

In the case of comic book writer, novelist and TV writer Warren Ellis, there have been several such allegations of late, that as an older comic book creator, he 'groomed' much younger women, only to deceive and use them. This includes people who he has visible promoted and based characters on in the past. However, it is notable that some of those voices have stated that they don't want Ellis to be 'cancelled' and still feel warmly towards him; they just don't want others to be similarly targeted. Ellis has also been defended by female voices who state that these complaints are without merit.

Three Victims of Warren Ellis Speak Out

One person who goes by the name of Denver Primrose allowed us to quote her tweets. She wrote of eleven years ago, saying, "I have years of emails from Warren Ellis leading me to think we were friends, then leading into sex chat. It was like a clang in my head when I joyously mentioned talking to other creators, and he dropped me. Like hot garbage. You know, on dating apps, I made friends with guys who actually teased me with "you're not the only girl on here who is friends with Warren Ellis." We all were bragging. We all were alt models who liked comics. I do regret being that naive and needy." She posted a couple of them, including the last one.

She told me, "This is like a nearly open secret for at least 13 years. Nobody cares because Warren > Any loser who reads comics and isn't famous. I couldn't believe when my friend told me he was running the same game on a friend of his this year. I felt ill reading her replies because those were MY replies too. He wanted to warn her, but I said, "don't bother. She won't care until he dumps her." And we know there were girls before, us, too."

Writer and photographer Jhayne Holmes, in conversation with others, stated "My #MeToo story of @warrenellis is backed up with an archive of hundreds of emails and photos that spans years. We were prey yet didn't know it, because we were so, so young… Except here we all, it's nearly TWENTY YEARS later, and more women he's been interfering with are still finding me through back channels. And we know there were girls before, us, too. We're not talking a small handful, but a consistent multi-decade predator. When it was us, there were 4? 5? girls at once? How many in total? How many RIGHT NOW? It's obvious in retrospect that he found me, in part, because he was looking for more Vancouver-based girls. The Global Frequency pilot was shooting there, and he wanted to have a soft landing."

Last year on Facebook, Jhayne spoke about her hesitation to contribute to an anthology, stating "A publication is open for submissions that I deeply want to write for, but a guy at the black heart of one of my more serious #metoo ordeals is writing the forward and is prominently featured. I am, obviously, conflicted, torn by aversion, desire, and flat-out-flee adrenaline. A large chunk of my early twenties were a traumatic ruin that leads in a straight line to this guy's doorstep. He's one of the main reasons I stopped writing in the first place and started being uncomfortable with pictures of myself. For bonus points, I'm still enmeshed in a secret international support group of women who've also had issues with him, even though my wreck was in 2004. The newest member was only a few months ago. (Yes, he's still grooming young women.) To amplify matters, my piece would be from that timeframe."

Bleeding Cool understands she was referring to Warren Ellis, and that his forward was pulled from the book. Jhayne also posted about creating a private online community for those directly affected, and to anonymously collect people's accounts. She writes, "The pattern is dreadfully clear. 1. He found me when I was young/vulnerable/uncertain. 2. He acted like a mentor, gave me so much appreciated attention.. 3. but pushed boundaries.  4. He said I was his world/we were best friends/he was my thrilling secret/he supported my career so I didn't feel like I could say no. 5. He dropped me. I blamed myself. Stories are steadily coming in. The private chat has 20+ members. Our stories all match, even though we're mostly strangers. Evidence stretches back to the 1990s. Thanks for boosting my post. It's helping! So many thought they were alone, but we are many.  For an idea of how many women and girls have been hurt by Warren, we're averaging two new people stepping forward every hour since I made my post."

That number has since risen to around forty people. Multimedia artist Zoetica also posted at length, and we quote specific tweets. "Some of you are here because of Warren. Because of this, and the fact that I appear in the documentary about him, I'm implored to confirm that, yes, it's all true. And yes, it happened to me, too. And yes, he has done a lot of good, but the systems? They have to burn. Another thing about Warren Ellis: this is not about him. The #MeToo movement is, among other feats, shining the light of accountability at the murky spaces between the cut-and-dry criminal cases, where predators once felt safe. This is a conversation about the scope of consent. An argument I keep seeing: this is about "consenting adults". No. None of us consented to being manipulated, or to becoming a disposable part of a remote stable. You can not give consent if you don't have the entire picture."

There are all sorts of declarations of interest to make. I have known Warren since the very early nineties. He was one of the first writers for Bleeding Cool, with a column called Do Anything which now sounds far more sinister, he was a guest writer for my Lying In The Gutters column for CBR, and I also appeared in the Captured Ghosts documentary about him. He has written some of the most influential and critique acclaimed comic books in the industry, with a reputation for innovation. He has had a number of his comic books turned into movies, and TV shows, including Red, Global Frequency, Freakangels, Iron Man Extremis, and the look of the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe is based on his The Authority comic book. Currently, he writes Trees and Injection, published by Image Comics, The Batman's Grave for DC Comics, and the Castlevania series for Netflix. Many of his comics were also published by Avatar Press, publisher of Bleeding Cool, including Anna Mercury, Gravel, Freakangels, and Doktor Sleepless. I was also an occasional member of the Warren Ellis Forum, which been implicated in this behaviour. Harris O'Malley was a member back then, he writes as dating advisor Dr Nerdlove and has shared with Bleeding Cool – and his Patreon – an advance look at a long piece about his time then, his regrets and lessons he learned – and that others can as well. He writes,

I hesitated to write this column in no small part because part of me feels like it is taking the attention away from the victims, performing regret with breast-beating and public proclamations of sorrow. But if we want to shift the culture, we need to do more than out the predators and listen to the victims. We need to examine why it's possible for the malefactors to operate so openly and why so many of us were blind and willing to be blind. And we need to do so in a way that we can understand why we did so in the past so that we can be sure not to make the same mistake in the future.

The piece will run on DrNerdlove.

Ellis Releases a Statement

Warren Ellis has just released a statement concerning the allegations against him where he says the word "sorry" once and says that he does apologize.

Hello. Please forgive the lateness of my appearance. I have been speaking to people, and listening carefully, for a few days.

Recent statements have been made about me that need to be addressed.

I have never considered myself famous or powerful, to the point where I've made a lot of bad jokes about it for twenty-odd years. It had never really occurred to me that other people didn't see it the same way—that I was not engaging as an equal when gifted with attention, but acting from a position of power and privilege. I did not take that into account in a number of my personal interactions and this was a mistake and I own it.

While I've made many bad choices in my past, and I've said a lot of wrong things, let me be clear, I have never consciously coerced, manipulated, or abused anyone, nor have I ever assaulted anybody. But I was ignorant of where I was operating from at a time I should have been clear and for that I accept 100% responsibility.

I hurt people deeply. I am ashamed for these mistakes and I am profoundly sorry. I will not speak against other people's personal truths, and I will not expose them to the toxicity of the current discourse. I should have been more aware, more present, and more respectful of people's feelings and for that I apologise.

I have had friendships and relationships end, sometimes in bitterness, often due to my own failings, and I continue to regret and apologise for the pain I have caused.

I have always tried to aid and support women in their lives and careers, but I have hurt many people that I had no intention of hurting. I am culpable. I take responsibility for my mistakes. I will do better and for that, I apologise.

I apologise to my friends and collaborators for having created this situation, and I hope they will be treated kindly. Mistakes and poor choices in my personal life are not on them, but only on me.

We have a responsibility to one another, every day. And I have, in my past, let too many people down. I hope to one day become worthy of the trust and kindness that was placed in me by colleagues and friends.

I will continue to listen, learn, and strive to be a better human being. I have sought to make amends with people, as I have been made aware of my transgressions, and will continue to do so.  I have apologised, I apologise, and will continue to apologise and take total responsibility for my actions without equivocation.

I am going to be quiet now, to listen more than I speak, for other voices matter far more than my own right now.

I will be closing this newsletter.  Thank you for your past support. Look after yourselves.

The post Warren Ellis, Accused Of Grooming Young Women For Decades appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

As seen at the Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, someone selling (presumably bootleg) posters of President Donald Trump as Captain America. Still, I suppose with Ike Perlmutter on his side, Marvel is never going to make trouble for this one. This stand is on Denver Street across from the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa, the photo was sent in to Bleeding Cool by Konrad Yarbrough.

Supporters of President Donald Trump have been gathering outside the arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two days before he is scheduled to hold a campaign rally expected to draw at least a hundred thousand people.

NBC News reports that "Despite an uptick of coronavirus cases in the area and fears the event could be a COVID-19 "super-spreader," many attendees chose to forgo masks and social distancing while in line, where people waited on lawn chairs and with tents. One group even entertained their fellow Trump supporters with an upbeat song about his re-election, singing: "Vote Trump! 2020!""

USA Today states that they are "bringing in musical acts, and flying in high-profile surrogates and camera crews to showcase the president's support, according to Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager" and that the plan "includes leasing a jet to fly in prominent campaign supporters like "Black Voices for Trump" Advisory Board members. Dozens of lawmakers including Oklahoma Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford will also campaign for the president.  The campaign said Wednesday evening over a million people had signed up online to attend the event, and while the rally location, the BOK Center in Tulsa, can only hold 19,000 people, the campaign is arranging overflow capacity, and will be harvesting voter data from all of the registrations."

CBS News adds that "Mr. Trump has dismissed concerns about the risk surrounding his return to the campaign trail, blaming the news media for "trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies.""

CNN reminds people that "Oklahoma is seeing a steady increase in its average of new confirmed cases per day. According to a CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, Oklahoma averaged about 203 new cases per day over the week ending June 17, which is up approximately 110% from the previous seven-day period."

Maybe Captain America can save the day?

The post Donald Trump is Captain America in Tulsa This Weekend appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

The ever-prolific Yen Press announced a new manga series today. Restaurant To Another World is written by Junpei Inuzuka with art by Katsumi Enami, who provided artwork for popular light novel series Baccano!

Yen Press announced the series today on Twitter:

Here in my hands is the classiest isekai and the most delicious isekai in one manga. pic.twitter.com/WJ4Tr74Gpu

— Yen Press (@yenpress) June 16, 2020

As the official synopsis goes, "By all appearances, Western Restaurant Nekoya is a normal restaurant serving normal people-but unbeknownst to the regulars, it also attracts an alternative clientele. Every Saturday, all manner of fantastical beings come to dine, and what is familiar fare to humans can be downright exotic for visitors from beyond. To these customers, Nekoya is known by a different name: Restaurant to Another World.

READERS BEWARE: Reading this manga may lead to uncontrollable drooling and a grumbling belly!"

Restaurant To Another World is another new type of story that mixes two different genres that somehow the Japanese do before anyone else does: the foodie genre with the fantasy genre. The restaurant is a gateway to mythic lands where elves, dragons, and other mythical fantasy creatures come to dine on Saturdays. The main character is a demon girl who waitresses at the restaurant. Many manga and anime series features real recipes that audiences can cook for real… the ones that don't involve dragon meat anyway. There's a secret agenda in these stories to teach the audience how to actually cook. Who says there's no educational value to cartoons and comics? Each story in this series revolves around a particular dish and how to cook it. If there's one thing manga and anime seem to be teaching us, it's that the Japanese seriously love food, food of any kind, as long as it has carbs and protein and tastes good.

The new series is based on the popular light novel of the same name. An anime series is also currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

The post Restaurant to Another World: Yen Press Launches Fantasy Cookery Manga appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

It looks like things really are returning back to normal. Though the comic book industry has been in peril thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and an industry-wide shutdown, followed by DC Comics breaking up with Diamond, Marvel comics has the medicine to make it well again: sweet, sexy new number one issues! And with that comics Alex Ross's cover for The Rise of Ultraman #1, in stores this September.

And in a move that truly shows that comics are settling into the new status quo, this comic doesn't even feature a variant cover that's a thinly veiled petty dig at Marvel's competition, DC Comics, while simultaneously serving as a show of support for a failing monopoly. Instead, it's just a regular old boring cover by regular old boring Alex Ross in his regular old boring photorealistic painting style. It's safe. It's comforting. Most importantly, it will make Marvel profits, and what could better say "comics are back to normal" than that?

First announced back in February, when everyone was still hoping this whole thing would blow over, Rise of Ultraman is now set for release in September. A press release from Marvel provides more details:

Storytelling masters Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Winter Soldier) and Mat Groom (Self/Made), together with superstar artists Francesco Manna (Avengers, Fantastic Four) Michael Cho (Captain America) and Gurihiru (The Unstoppable Wasp) will take fans back into the days of darkness, where the terrifying Kaiju lurk. When these unfathomable monsters threaten all life as we know it, the only thing standing in their way…is the United Science Patrol! Who are these enigmatic defenders, and how do they perform their miracles? Shin Hayata and Kiki Fuji have spent half a lifetime trying to find out – and their quest is about to drive them toward a decades-old dark secret and put them on a collision course with a mysterious warrior from beyond the stars!

Ultraman started as a spinoff of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, or at least that's what I'm assuming and I don't care enough to research it any further and don't bother @ing me about it. I'm just glad for all the Powerbronies out there will be thrilled to see their hero Ultraman in the pages of Marvel comics this Fall… assuming the comics industry makes it that long. Just kidding! Haha! Everything is fine.

THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 (of 5)
Written by KYLE HIGGINS & MAT GROOM
Art by FRANCESCO MANNA with MICHAEL CHO and GURIHIRU
Cover by ALEX ROSS

The post Marvel Reveals Alex Ross Cover to Rise of Ultraman #1 appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Michael Van Cleve has been working on a hybrid novel, now available. But what does that mean? He writes for Bleeding Cool;

There is a wiki on the hybrid novel. But the genre is not well-defined. Eleven years ago, I started working on the screenplay for a biblical epic called about Samson called, Child of the Sun. Eventually, I adapted it into a seven-issue limited series that was compiled into a graphic novel. It was a good time. I met a lot of cool people along the way. I went to some conventions. I got the t-shirt (courtesy of my sister at Christmas time). But the book took ten years to finish. I thought I might take a break from writing, but then…I met Halil Mete. Halil is a German artist boasting some very impressive sequential skills. He seems to have a real knack for horror books, but I was really in awe of his work altogether. He inspired me to do another story. As luck would have it, I moved back to El Paso. Guess what the next story was called?

This time around, I wanted to do something different, something that had either never been done or rarely done. While Halil was drawing, I started creating documents, you might see if a real-life event occurred in the city of El Paso. The experimentation created a consistent theme of the hyper-real throughout the book. The result is that the novel is not just a graphic illustration of a story, but some type of Frankenstein hybrid with a dream journal, police reports, news articles and opinion pieces, investigations, a letter, social media posts, text messages, a mock fundraiser, and even a court opinion. Every document is used to supplement or expand upon the main narrative, and nothing is on accident – so yeah, a hybrid.

Almost every character introduced in the illustrated pages of El Paso is connected to an ancillary document that expands upon their motivations, history, objectives, or persona. You do not have to read these documents to enjoy the comic book portion of El Paso, but you will never completely understand the entire story without scrutinizing all the documents in the book.

El Paso is largely illustrated by Halil. He used earthy-toned watercolors to create striking images and a somber mood throughout the book. The latter half of the story is colored digitally by Guatemalan colorist Carlos Jimenez and Texas colorist Peyton Smith. A bit of an acid trip dream is illustrated by Miami storyboard artist, Vince Rodriguez. I wrote it. Yes, everything. And yes, the Michael in the story is me from an alternate universe. Don't believe me? Ask Sean Carroll.

Generally, El Paso is about a young woman named Larona living in the city of El Paso, who is desperately trying to break her addictions while being chased by a West Texas prison gang called the Aztecas. But what is it really about? I hope you're bored enough to read and find out.

El Paso is available on Amazon. You can also support the Kickstarter, which is currently live. The Kickstarter includes some extra goodies and content for El Paso, such as new covers, exclusive artwork based on the dream journal, and additional artwork for my very divisive sci-fi short, Titan.

El Paso is largely an experiment in the loose genre of hybrid novels. The indie world is good for this type of thing (experimenting or doing weird stuff), so if you are curious about hybrid novelization, check it out. The Peteypedia on HBO's website for Watchmen is probably the closest thing to it, just in case you want to know what you're getting yourself into.

Check out the trailer, put your thinking cap on, and get prepared to read!

The post What's A Hybrid Novel? I'm Not Sure Exactly… But I Created One appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Bleeding Cool has confirmed the following was a letter sent by Eric Stephenson, Publisher & Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics, to Image Comics creators and Image Comics staff. It subsequently leaked to Bleeding Cool. We reproduce it, below. We get a history lesson, a look at the current state of events, and a condemnation of the action taken by DC Comics to rapidly drop Diamond Comic Distributors in favour of two new distributors that they created. You can catch up with previous articles on the New Distributor Wars of 2020 right here. And now, Eric Stephenson…

6.11.2020

Dear Creators—

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." It's true: We can either learn from past mistakes, or we can make them again.

In comics, it often seems as though we like to make the same mistakes.

Just ask DC.

Back in 1994, Marvel bought a distributor called Heroes World.

At the time, there were multiple distributors, Diamond Comics Distributors and Capital City Distribution, being the largest among them.

So Marvel bought Heroes World and then announced they would distribute exclusively through that one outfit.

DC's response was to sign an exclusive with Diamond.

That prompted Archie, Dark Horse, and Image to negotiate with both Diamond and Capital for exclusives.

Diamond made the better offer.

Viz and Kitchen Sink signed exclusives with Capital, but by 1996, Capital's business was failing and Diamond bought them out.

A year later, Heroes World went out of business, too, and Marvel returned to Diamond.

Why Diamond?

Well, Diamond was the only distributor left by that point. Sure, there were some small distributors handling indie and alternative titles, but they didn't carry anything from the major publishers. For a publisher of Marvel's size, Diamond was literally the only remaining option when Heroes World went out of business in 1997.

And lest we forget, Marvel was in bankruptcy at the time.

So here we are in 2020, with the world in something approaching the worst shape it's ever been in, and DC has forgotten this bit of comics history and chosen this moment to leave Diamond.

You've no doubt read their statement about how this move was intended to strengthen the marketplace.

Pardon the profanity, but that's bullsh-t.

This is a hasty, sociopathic decision made by people who do not care about the long-term welfare of our marketplace, let alone about comics.

The good news is that just as Marvel wasn't capable of destroying our industry back in 1994, DC – still a distant second to Marvel after all these years – isn't going to, either.

Some of you are concerned about Diamond's continued stability after losing DC's business, but the truth of the matter is that DC is around 30% of Diamond's comics business, and Diamond doesn't just deal in comics.

In addition to distributing comics, Diamond also distributes toys, games, and other merchandise, with games in particular being an increasingly large part of their business. Diamond owns a games distributor – Alliance Games – which services roughly half the number of accounts that make up the comics market and their business has been fairly robust.

As far as comics are concerned, though, the rest of the marketplace accounts for 70% or so of Diamond's Direct Market business.

That doesn't mean this isn't going to be a challenge for Diamond and for the rest of the marketplace, but it's not quite the deathblow so many seem to fear.

That fear, though – the fear that has prompted emails and texts from so many of you, and which has been coursing through the retail community since the news dropped last Friday – underscores something that should alarm everyone in comics:

DC did this without any consideration for how it would affect the rest of the marketplace.

There's a great Maya Angelou quote that along with the quote I opened with, is one of my all-time favorites:

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

Generally speaking, when a publisher leaves one distributor for another, there is a transition period. Inventory and data are transferred, accounts are taken care of – everything is done with careful planning so that all involved parties can move forward with peace of mind.

When Marvel bought Heroes World and pulled their business from their other distributors, they gave notice. Not in terms of days, but months.

That is not what happened here.

With everything going on right now – not just a global pandemic that has left our economy on the brink of depression, but an unprecedented number of nationwide protests against police brutality and institutional racism – DC decided to blindside Diamond and the rest of the industry with their decision to end a decades long business relationship.

They're the second largest publisher of comics and graphic novels in the United States, owned by one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world and financially more secure than almost any other publisher in comics.

They didn't have the resources to give even a few months notice? Not just out of professional courtesy, but out of consideration for the rest of the retail and consumer marketplace they will continue to operate in regardless of who distributes their comics?

Ultimately, what this all boils down to is distributor confusion causing retailer panic and disarray, and at the end of the supply chain, you have BATMAN readers wondering what in hell is going on.

And embarrassingly, it's nothing more contrived than negligent behavior and a deep lack of business acumen and poor internal leadership. This might be forgivable from a smaller company with fewer resources and less history in the market, but not from a publisher of DC's stature.

To put that in perspective: There are Image creators who have requested that we hold off on promoting their work because they think it would be tone deaf against the backdrop of current events—but DC made this move as though they were not only tone deaf, but completely oblivious to anything other than their own ambitions.

Our industry is more than one publisher, though, and we will get through this.

Should something happen to Diamond, we aren't without our options, both within the Direct Market and the book trade, but as of now, the hope is that exploring those options won't be necessary. Should that change at any point, we will let everyone know.

I have spoken with Steve Geppi and members of the Diamond team about what's happening, as has Image's President, Todd McFarlane. Our takeaway is that while there will definitely be some challenges ahead for the marketplace, Diamond is not on the verge of collapse.

Someone asked me if Image is still being paid by Diamond, and we are.

Back when Diamond stopped shipping due to COVID-19 and the various statewide stay at home orders, that action – frustrating though it was – prompted Diamond to set up reduced payments to publishers.

The way those payments were structured meant that for eight weeks, we received 25% of what we were owed for sales made from late January to mid-March, with the remaining 75% to be paid out over the following eight weeks.

While that wasn't ideal at the time, the payments we are now receiving are making up for the period when stores were not receiving new product, and we are well on our way back to something approaching "normal."

We're almost a month into shipping comics again and, while not all stores have reopened yet, the drops in our books' orders have been relatively minor. Some titles' orders have actually increased from what they were at pre-COVID.

In other words, there are reasons to be hopeful.

That's not easy for everyone, and that's understandable.

Image isn't owned by AT&T or Disney.

Image doesn't have an overall first look deal with Paramount or Netflix or Amazon Studios or Legendary or HiveMind or any of the other IP farms with little actual interest in selling comic books.

We're not like everybody else.

When Image first started, there were many who accused the Image Founders of leaving Marvel and setting up their own company out of self-interest, and given how incredibly successful Image was in the beginning, they could have easily just produced their own comics and left it at that.

What they did instead, though, was invite their fellow creators to join in building the company they'd started, or as Image's former Executive Director Larry Marder once put it, "to cast off their work-for-hire shackles and join the revolution."

As a result, Image doesn't operate like other publishers—least of all, Marvel and DC.

That makes publishing with Image a little daunting at times, because "not like Marvel and DC" can sometimes be construed as "I have to do everything myself and I don't get a page rate and what if nobody buys my book and I never make any money doing this and will I ever be able to get a job anywhere else again if this doesn't work out?"

But Image has been the company it is for going on 30 years now, because it offers creators the same independence Rob, Todd, Jim, Marc, Erik, Whilce, and Valentino craved for themselves back in 1992.

It isn't always easy, and that independence is at times fraught with hardship and uncertainty, but that independence is what makes it possible for everyone – from a relative unknown at the beginning of their career to a bonafide superstar – to work with Image, instead of for Image, and share the same opportunities.

Or at least the opportunities they want to share.

There is no one way to do things at Image – no masterplan. What looks like an opportunity to one creator may seem like trouble to another, and vice versa.

When the company first started, the founders themselves had a single rule, which was that no partner could tell another how to run their business.

To a large degree, that extends to the company's philosophy toward the creators we work for and with. For some, that's liberating, but for others it's frustrating.

The bottom line, though, is that the idealism that launched the company with such fanfare all those years ago is the same fuel that propels Image along now.

We use the word "creator" a lot – we publish creator-owned comics, so it's hard to avoid – but something that isn't said often enough about Image and its founders is that they love comics. They didn't become the biggest names at Marvel by accident or spend years at their drawing boards prior to that because they had a passing interest in drawing.

Without exception, they loved comics, and it was through their mutual affection for this medium and their shared frustration with the business that had developed around it that they came together to start a company that, frustrating though it may be in its own way, was better than the rest.

Not a company that exists as a line item on a spreadsheet amidst some larger corporate entity's other investments, not as part of a plan to harvest ideas for other media as an end to itself, but as a fully realized vision of what can happen when people who genuinely love what they do come together as a group.

So getting back to DC, and where the comics industry has suddenly wound up as a result of their decision to dissolve their distribution agreement with Diamond, this isn't the first time one of our industry's "Big Two" has shown us who they are, and as history has proven repeatedly, it's probably not the last.

That's scary and it's stressful for all of us, but at the same time, moments like these are why Image exists.

We believe in comics, we believe in this industry, and we believe in you.

And despite how bleak things may look now as we shelter in place and worry what surprises tomorrow might bring, we believe there are better days ahead.

Sincerely,

-e.s.

Eric Stephenson
Publisher
Image Comics, Inc.

I don't how whether I want "hasty, sociopathic decisions" or "completely oblivious to anything other than their own ambitions" as new mission statements for DC Comics, but someone should totally put "I have to do everything myself and I don't get a page rate and what if nobody buys my book and I never make any money doing this and will I ever be able to get a job anywhere else again if this doesn't work out?" on an official Image Comics T-shirt.

The post "Hasty, Sociopathic Decisions" – Image Comics' Publisher On DC Comics appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

DC Comics has issued another letter to comic book retailers regarding the current changes in distribution. At the end, they state that both two new distributors Lunar and UCS have "solutions and affordable options" for international customers such as the UK. No sign of them yet though, we have been promised more this week. The full letter runs below;

Dear DC Direct Market Retailer,

Following this past Friday's announcement that DC's long-standing relationship with Diamond Comic Distributors has come to a close, we've prepared answers to questions we've received from retailers in the past few days. This is the first round of FAQs, with more to come soon. DC and our distributors are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for our retail partners.

What happens to my initial orders placed with Diamond? What about reorders? 

Any orders placed with a June 1 Final Order Cut-off date or earlier will be fulfilled by Diamond, including product with release dates as far out as December. Any initial orders placed for new DC titles with an FOC date of June 8 or beyond will need to be re-entered with your new distributor of choice: Lunar or UCS (for periodicals and graphic novels/collected editions) or Penguin Random House (for graphic novels/collected editions).

Any DC reorders placed with Diamond on comic book product with an FOC date of June 1 or earlier will be fulfilled by Diamond until copies are depleted, or by July 31, whichever comes first. For example: if you ordered Batman #93 from Diamond, and you need to order more copies after Batman #93 arrives in stores, you may order those from Diamond, and they will fulfill that order until July 31, or when they are out of stock.

Any DC reorders placed with Diamond on inventory book product with an FOC date of June 1 or earlier will be fulfilled by Diamond until copies are depleted, or by December 16 for replenishment orders/December 22 for direct ship orders, whichever comes first. For example, if you ordered New Teen Titans Vol. 11 with Diamond, and you need to order more copies, you may order those from Diamond, and they will fulfill that order until December 22, or when they are out of stock.

What are my terms of sale with the new distributors?

Your previous discount rate will remain consistent with Lunar and UCS. Your credit terms will be the same up to net 30 days with Lunar and UCS. For full details of terms of sale, consult with the individual distributors.

We have received feedback that some retailers are not receiving the same discount rate from Penguin Random House. This is because PRH has their own standard terms not set by DC, nor reflective of your terms via Diamond.

Can we get clarity on returnability dates? 

DC has provided returnability on all comics and graphic novels with in-store dates 3/18 to 6/24. If you have any titles to return from 3/18 and 3/25, please include them with the first bundle return shipment alongside returns with a 4/28, 5/5, and 5/12 shipping date.

What happens with POS systems that use Diamond data, such as Comic Suite, Comic Hub, Mobi? 

Both Lunar and UCS are working on a solution for providing data to POS systems, including .csv files. DC provides both Lunar and UCS with all relevant marketing information (covers, solicitation text, etc.), and will continue to add and modify these processes to better suit your needs.

What's the status of ordering DC Direct product? 

Information on DC Direct distribution to come soon.

What does this mean for international stores?

DC recommends stores in Eastern Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, contact UCS for distribution.

DC recommends stores in Western Canada, the Asia-Pacific region (including Australia, and New Zealand), and Latin America contact Lunar for distribution.

Both distributors have solutions and affordable options, so please contact them for details.

So let UCS Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution know. Then feel free to contact Bleeding Cool. After checking out all the other New Distributor Wars 2020 coverage first.

The post DC Comics Has News For Comics Shops, in the USA and Abroad appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

So many people have been commenting on the DC Comics decision to drop Diamond Comic Distributor in favour of new distributors set up by DC, UCS and Lunar, created by big comics retailers Midtown Comics and DCBS. We mentioned Brian Hibbs comments last week, but the comments under those comments reveal a few very interesting takes. Such as that from Diane Nelson, the former President of DC, who had an interesting observation concerning Diamond's financial situation.

I'm afraid I've not been privy to this recent decision. I can say purely as a private individual that Diamond has, for a long time, been unwilling or unable to modernize and support and grow the biz as needed for a healthy direct channel. And may not even be solvent.

It would be imprudent for any publisher to not have a distribution contingency plan. I am disappointed by the communications roll out if the decision, as it seems (from my admittedly removed and limited POV) not nearly robust enough and to not have offered retailers sufficient notice and explanation as to what I'm sure is a reasonable and probably even advantageous decision for them.

It's never good for any company to have a monopoly on a business and Diamond has for too long. I'm optimistic DC will help retailers understand how to navigate the transition. And I'd almost guarantee (I would guarantee but as I say, I'm not privy to this) that there's no way DC or WB have a financial stake in these distributors.

Then there's Gary Groth, publisher of Fantagraphics Books, whose Comics Journal covered the last Distributor Wars of the nineties better and more thoroughly than anyone.

All the distributors in the '80s and (early) '90s carried the same comics, there were no exclusivities back then, so retailers could buy all their comics from a single distributor. There was about a 99% overlap among distributors. So, there were Diamond retailers and Capital retailers and Friendly Frank retailers, and many retailers established a loyalty to their distributor of choice. Some retailers had accounts at multiple distributors, but usually only to get the few comics that one of the distributors handled that others didn't. You'd have to be pretty hardcore to do that.

Anyway, I don't know what everyone's complaining about. Seems like a good time for DC to change distributors. We have plague, racial strife, Trump. Why not add destabilizing the comics market to the mix?

While after a lot of consultation, mulling it over and running back and forth I thought I'd throw in my own take.

Diamond Comic Distributors has suffered from a lack of competition over the decades, the biggest issue for retailers being damaged stock. It can be returned but it takes up time, effort and money to do so. While the premium variant covers, often a part of retailers deals with publishers, and highly valued by collectors, seem most vulnerable to be damaged. One thing that Lunar and UCS have shown is a greater desire to keep damages down, which premium variant covers are shipped bulletproof.

But the only direct competition being experienced in the current situation is between Lunar and UCS. Diamond is no longer distributing DC titles and they have no competition for the rest of the monthly comics they are distributing. The only possibility is that other publishers could jump to UCS or Lunar – but they may have trouble ramping up to the whole of DC Comics distribution, they are not going to be taking on other publishers so soon.

The other aspect is that Diamond plays much more of a role in the direct market than just a distributor. The reason why so many comic stores owe them such fealty is that Diamond often keeps comic stores alive by operating as a de facto bank. Diamond has given extended terms to many a store to stop them going out of business.  If sales are slow, and big accounts can't pay, what happens when DC comes to collect from UCS and Lunar? Will they have the cash on hand to pay DC and float default accounts? And if it all goes south, what pressure will they be able to bring to bear if those shops can still get product from every other company to keep customers coming and in and the lights on? Especially when they are retailers themselves and will still, supposedly, rely on Diamond for 75% of their product?

And that's without the worry that non-US retailers are suffering. One retailer, their details redacted, passed Bleeding Cool their own expressed concerns – no reply yet. Maybe Bleeding Cool can help. We are meant to hear something regarding international shipping this week…

DC need to know the following concerns UK retailers have that MUST be answered within 7 days before the first FOC closes, but which are not currently being adequately addressed by UCS (Lunar not really an option for the UK, unless we prefer to pay for an additional 2,500 miles in air freight):

1. Will we get credit / replacements for damages? *
2. Will there be UK customer support in our time zone?
3. What exactly are our discount tiers? – we've now had unofficial sight of the US discount tiers, but we need to know what will be applied to our first few deliveries in lieu of any Diamond US sales history
4. How much is shipping charged at?
5. Will our consignments be shipped in time for New Comic Book Day each week?
6. Will you match the credit terms we've been receiving from Diamond UK (e.g. I get EOM + 30 days)?
7. FINALLY – would you PLEASE consider using Diamond UK as a distributor for the UK, in the interim at least, if none / any of the above concerns cannot be addressed before FOC ON MONDAY. We are flexible – please can you be too?

* Damages are of particular concern for us, as instead of our boxes travelling no more than 200 miles across the UK, they will instead experience an additional 4,000+ miles that previously would have been part of a pallet, and therefore better protected.

Could this all just a big negotiation tactic by DC to get better Diamond terms? Oh yes, UCS is now also selling comic book long boxes. So there's that too.

The post Diane Nelson, Gary Groth and More On the DC Comics/Diamond Changes appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

One of the big complaints I have heard from stores regarding DC Comics' switch from Diamond Comic Distributors to UCS Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution concerns POS-incompatibility. The lack of an ability to plug the DC numbers into the same system that manages numbers for retailers for all their orders from all the publishers through Diamond.

UCS has addressed that tonight, announcing compatibility with two of the leader Point-Of-Sale systems on the market for comic book stores, ComicHub and ComicsSuite. They state "We have worked out a solution for CSV download to get the information needed to those customers using ComicHub and ComicsSuite. ComicHub format download is available now from the invoice page on your account. ComicSuite format will be available tomorrow."

Confirming what we said earlier about a plan to deal with Canada and the UK better, UCS states "We are currently working on better solutions for international shipping."

There are other improvement plans, they say "We want to reassure you the discount structure you received on DC products from Diamond will be honored by UCS. Preliminary invoicing without shipping amounts (along with CSV file) will be available Wednesday mornings. We are working closely with DC to get the trade dress images for all upcoming items onto our website as soon as they are available. We are starting a new invoice ID format to better help determine if an invoice is a Weekly (FOC) Order or a Direct Ship Reorder. We are listening to every suggestion from retailers and implementing solutions as soon as possible. Please continue to give us feedback and requests!"

You heard them… get messaging. Let UCS know what's what. You can also catch up with what we have been dubbing the New Distributor Wars of 2020 with this handy link. Why not keep it bookmarked?

The post UCS Adds ComicHub and ComicSuite, Promises More Changes appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

The National Football League took heat from both current and veteran players for what was described at best as a tepid response and at worst as empty, hypocritical noise in their message of "support" for the George Floyd protestors and NFL players. So much so that over a dozen NFL players got together to record a video response entitled Stronger Together. In in, the players said they were looking for the league to own up to past mistakes, as well as take a much more proactive role in condemning racism and police brutality, and in supporting its Black players.

It would appear the NFL listened, with Commissioner Roger Goodell posting a video on behalf of the league on Friday where he admitted the league needs to do more to listen more closely and act more swiftly when it came to matters of race and complaints of racism: "We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter."

 

View this post on Instagram

 

We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange

A post shared by NFL (@nfl) on Jun 5, 2020 at 3:31pm PDT

"We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. It has been a difficult time for our country. In particular, black people in our country. First, my condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all the families who have endured police brutality."

On Thursday, NFL players Davante Adams, Jamal Adams, Saquon Barkley, Anthony Barr, Odell Beckham Jr., Ezekiel Elliott, Stephon Gilmore, DeAndre Hopkins, Eric Kendricks, Jarvis Landry, Marshon Lattimore, Patrick Mahomes, Tyrann Mathieu, Patrick Peterson, Sterling Shepard, Michael Thomas, Deshaun Watson, and Chase Young released a video demanding the NFL acknowledge that they've been negligent in listening and responding to players' concerns about racism in the past. Players take serious issue with the league's willingness to stifle free speech and peaceful protest over matters like police brutality (in particular, how Colin Kaepernick was exiled from the NFL for taking a knee during the National Anthem for protesting that very thing). Here's a look at the video:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

…….✊🏿

A post shared by Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) on Jun 4, 2020 at 8:14pm PDT

"So on behalf of the National Football League, this is what we the players would like to hear you state. We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systemic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter."

The post NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We Were Wrong for Not Listening" appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Today, Bleeding Cool ran the news that DC Comics is to quit Diamond Comic Distributors, in favour of their newly created distributors UCS Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution. In the Q&A, DC Comics blamed the existing direct market. There was plenty of gossip all round.

In the latest of a series of statements that are totally keeping me up late tonight, Steve Geppi, Founder and CEO of Diamond Comic Distributors issued the following statement regarding DC Comics announcement that they were leaving Diamond Comic Distribution entirely, wit messages of thanks to Steve Geppi and Diamond. It seems that Diamond didn't get those thanks in person. The statement reads;

Today, DC sent out a retailer communication indicating they are ending their long-standing relationship with Diamond. In April, we were informed that DC was going to begin distributing products through additional partners. At that time, they asked us to submit a proposal for a revised agreement with the understanding that Diamond would continue to be one of their distributors. Which we promptly did. They then requested an extension to June 30 which we also accommodated. Last week, DC requested an additional extension through July. We responded with questions and DC indicated they would reply today, June 5. Instead of receiving a response, today we received a termination notice. While we had anticipated this as a possible outcome, we, like so many others in the industry, are disappointed by their decision to end our partnership so abruptly at this time.

Although we had hoped to reach an agreement with DC, every great change also presents great opportunity! Rest assured, Diamond is a strong company and our success does not depend on the actions of one business partner. While we recognize this change impacts the industry, we are well-positioned to seize growth opportunities and are committed to the success of our publishing partners, the Direct Market and our industry as a whole.

We continue to be excited about the growth potential in the comic, game and toy industries as well as growth opportunities for our other Geppi Family Enterprises companies. I truly believe that our comeback will be bigger than our setback and our best days are ahead.

Thank you for you continued support and for all you do. -Steve

Steve Geppi

Chairman, Geppi Family Enterprises Founder, Diamond Comic Distributors

Those must have been tough questions… I wonder if we will ever get a peek? You can keep following the New Distributor Wars of 2020 with this link.

The post Diamond Says DC Comics Terminated Relationship Rather Than Answer Qs appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Craig Yoe has been a part of the comic community for years. His spellbinding books and his devotion to local comic shops is unwavering. As we all know, the comic book community has been hit pretty hard due to COVID-19. Shops have closed, or laid off staff, or have struggled with the reopening. One shop in particular, Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica, California, is dealing with both COVID-19 as well as looting. But items can be replaced; people can not.

Geoff Patterson, along with his friends Eddie deAngelini, and Kristen Parraz, provided a safe store for people of all walks of life;

Kristen quickly applied over 20 years of non-profit experience to create an open and inviting environment that embraces women and marginalized groups, highlighting books with diverse characters and creators.

Eddie brought his creativity and love for comics to help make the store a safe space for all, spearheading in-store events like Hi De Ho Comics SaMo PRIDE Con that provided LGBTQ+ creators a platform to share their work.

The store became a staple to the Santa Monica community. The store is still looking to raise $40,000 to cover the items stolen, replacing fixtures, payment for employees, as well as putting funds towards making the building they are currently in a state landmark. Popeye, The Sailor Man, was created within the same building! On top of that, 10% of funds will be donated to the BINC Comic Book Store Safety Fund, and another 10% will be donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Hi De Ho is running its own GoFundMe, which can be found here. Yoe is also holding his own auction for the store! Up for auction is a piece of original Craig Yoe art, which can be bid on in $10 increments. You can learn more on Yoe's Facebook page. The auction runs until June 9.

How You Can Help

The protests against police brutality now span the entire globe and there are many ways you can get involved. You can go out and peacefully protest if you want. You can also donate to numerous organizations that are doing a lot of good work for the cause. Here is a list of just some of them:

• Minnesota Freedom Fund
• George Floyd Memorial Fund
• I Run With Maud
• Black Visions Collective
• Reclaim the Block
• Campaign Zero
• Communities United Against Police Brutality
• Black Lives Matter
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• American Civil Liberties Union

Over at AfroTech, there is a great list of five apps that can help you find black businesses to help support in these trying times. The rest of us should be supporting, protecting, and lifting up our black friends, family, colleagues, and total strangers whenever we possibly can.

The post Craig Yoe Auctions Original Art to Help Hi De Ho Comics appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

In the early/mid-nineties, I was a comic book self-publisher. With LA-based Mike Meyer, we were Twist & Shout Comics, and published a comic book called Dirtbag and a spin-off comic called The X-Flies. Thirteen issues between them, it paid for a few trips to San Diego Comic-Con and friendships that have lasted a lifetime. I mean it's not like I was any good or anything., So I had to try and find ways to get people to order my comics regardless of quality. And so I invented the jam cover. Going to comic book conventions and persuading comic artists of note to add a sketch to a planned cover, allowing me to solicit covers by Simon Bisley, Frank Quitely, Mark Buckingham, David Lloyd and many more people who are much better than me. For my third issue, I found myself at a Neil Gaiman event in 1994 organised with Bryan Talbot – and so I pounced. He signed my Good Omens, my Hellblazer and very generously, sketched Sandmouse on the cover art for Dirtbag #3, signed and sticking out behind a monstrous concoction by Bryan Talbot.

The comic was published in November 1994 and it made enough to send me to San Diego Comic-Con for a third time. It remains one of my most treasured possessions, which means it has to go..

Because Gail Simone has challenged comic book writers to make a sacrifice, give up artwork they own, representing part of their career, that they hold the most dear, and auction it for Black Lives Matter charities. So, after shouting at myself a lot, I took this piece down from the wall. An original A3 sized piece of original cover art on bristol board, by me, Bryan Talbot and Neil Gaiman, from a published comic book that is included in Gaiman's bibliography and sometimes makes collectors act a little stupidly. This is the original and is a unique addition to any serious Neil Gaiman collections.

Bid in response to this tweet, as instructed. I will ship worldwide, which will probably cost $50 or so, so I hope your bid will be higher than that. Good luck. And to the successful bidder, I hate you even more than I hate Gail Simone right now.

Other Ways To Help

The protests against police brutality now span the entire globe and there are many ways you can get involved. You can go out and peacefully protest if you want. You can also donate to numerous organizations that are doing a lot of good work for the cause. Here is a list of just some of them

• Minnesota Freedom Fund
• George Floyd Memorial Fund
• I Run With Maud
• Black Visions Collective
• Reclaim the Block
• Campaign Zero
• Communities United Against Police Brutality
• Black Lives Matter
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• American Civil Liberties Union

Over at AfroTech, there is a great list of five apps that can help you find black businesses to help support in these trying times. The rest of us should be supporting, protecting, and lifting up our black friends, family, colleagues, and total strangers whenever we possibly can.

The post Neil Gaiman Original Cover Artwork Auction for #ComicWritersChallenge appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Our comic book heroes have become part of the protest language of the times.  This has been true, in other forms, throughout the course of history. Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers, and many more over decades and centuries.  And now, Spider-man. Over the past few days, we have seen comic book iconography used again and again.  There was a bow and arrow-wielding "Dollar Store Hawkeye":

A political activist taking to the streets with a crossbow to dispense justice? That's Green Arrow. And that was also Brandon McCormick of getting out of his car during a Black Lives Matter protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, yelling 'Yes I'm an American, all lives matter!' before producing a compound bow and arrows and aiming it at the protestors, to screams, in different directions at different people, before he was jumped upon and forced to the ground.

There was Sean Hannity wearing a Punisher pin on his massive Fox News platform:

His current coverage is nothing new, trying to draw attention to what Trump and Fox News are trying to call Obamagate, and urging states to control the current protests with whatever force or means are necessary. All the time while wearing a Punisher Skull badge.

Spider-Man Takes a Stand

And now, exactly where and when you'd expect him, here comes the friendly neighborhood Spider-man scaling a structure looming over Manhattan.  Of course, this is hardly the first time Spider-Man has taken part in or discussed political activism.  For example, there were student protests in Amazing Spider-Man #38 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.  There was that time in 1990 when Spider-Man took on animal rights issues.  As tonight's protesters themselves did, we might even reference the iconic scene on Queensboro Bridge from 2002's Spider-Man, with citizens of New York shouting, "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." This all but came to life during a protest tonight on the Manhatten Bridge. Comedian and writer Anya Volz has captured the Amazing Spider-Man doing his thing at a Black Lives Matter protest in Manhattan:

A huge development at the Manhattan Bridge protest right now pic.twitter.com/rCH0GLDgEe

— Anya Volz (@AnyaVolz) June 3, 2020

It's fairly clear from the video that people are referencing the 2002 Spider-Man movie directed by Sam Raimi where the people of New York infamously turn on the Green Goblin and shout the iconic line.

How You Can Help

The protests against police brutality now span the entire globe and there are many ways you can get involved. You can go out and peacefully protest if you want. You can also donate to numerous organizations that are doing a lot of good work for the cause. Here is a list of just some of them:

• Minnesota Freedom Fund
• George Floyd Memorial Fund
• I Run With Maud
• Black Visions Collective
• Reclaim the Block
• Campaign Zero
• Communities United Against Police Brutality
• Black Lives Matter
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• American Civil Liberties Union

Over at AfroTech, there is a great list of five apps that can help you find black businesses to help support in these trying times. The rest of us should be supporting, protecting, and lifting up our black friends, family, colleagues, and total strangers whenever we possibly can.

The post Spider-Man Scales Manhattan Bridge at Black Lives Matter Protest appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.