We KNOW you wanna meet the man who co-created Wolverine. And whaddaya know, former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Len Wein will be on hand for the Hero Initiative at Mid-Ohio Con on October 4-5! Held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, feel free to chat up Len about his original intentions for the X-Men's fuzzy mutant, his hand in creating Swamp Thing and how he helped develop Watchmen as its original editor!

Joining Len is New Avengers artist Billy Tan! So stop by, say hello, and chat up Billy about his recent Uncanny X-Men run and his current stint that's smack in the middle of Secret Invasion!

Both Len and Billy graciously donate their time to sign and sketch at the Hero booth. And if you can give a small donation to save a life, we'd be mighty obliged.

And don't forget to stop by the table of FoH (Friend O' Hero) stalwart Arthur (Marvel Zombies) Suydam!

Con details can be found HERE!

As legendary artist Gene Colan continues to fight liver ailments and spinal stenosis, The Hero Initiative has been able to help with $15,812.29 in aid, with much more to come! YOU can help out by checking out the Gene Colan prints at Mid-Ohio Con, or buying online HERE.

Thanks to the comic book retailer organization ComicPRO, artist Steve Dillon (Preacher, Punisher) toured several East Coast comic book stores with all proceeds going to Hero Initiative. At Brave New Worlds, a store in Philly, Dillon had a pint of beer handy and sketched tirelessly for hours on September 23—and Steve doesn't sketch very often publicly. That event drew over $600 for Hero! We doff our caps to both Steve and ComicPRO for all of their tremendous efforts. Check out the photos HERE! Feeling left out? Keep a lookout in early 2009 as ComicPRO and Hero Initiative team up again to do a similar tour with Jimmy Palmiotti and Darwyn Cooke!

In 1967, Stan Lee took matters into his own hands when it came to communicating to his audience. Thus, "The Man" created "Stan's Soapbox," his own editorial column aimed at keeping fans abreast of everything Marvel.

The Hero Initiative recalls those "Soapbox" columns fondly, so we opted to collect 'em all into a 144-page tome Stan's Soapbox: The Collection. At $14.99, this one-of-a-kind book reprints every "Soapbox" from its start in 1967 to its end in 1980. Plus, this collection provides exclusive bonus commentary from Stan himself, Joe Quesada, Paul Dini, Roy Thomas and many more! What's your favorite "Soapbox"? Reserve your copy of Stan's Soapbox: The Collection at your local comic book retailer so you can look it up when it hits stores November 19!

So you didn't win any of the auctions for the super-cool Hero Initiative Hulk #1 original art covers drawn by comics' biggest names. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy them.

That's why we're collecting 'em all into one fabulous book titled The Hulk 100 Project! On sale in December, this thing oozes with gamma-irradiated goodness with art by the likes of Frank Cho, J. Scott Campbell, John Cassaday, Dale Keown and many more!

If you liked our last book like this, Ultimate Spider-Man #100 Project, you'll love Hulk 100 with MORE covers and MORE pages…at the same great price of 10 bucks! All proceeds benefit The Hero Initiative, so reserve your copy now! 'Cuz when they're gone, they're GONE—there will be only ONE PRINTING of this book! Ever!

Oh, and there's still some opportunities to win a Hero Hulk #1 original art auction. Get the lowdown on the latest auctions RIGHT HERE!

As the puck's ready to drop on the NHL season, no one misses the Winnipeg Jets hockey club more than those of us at The Hero Initiative. But, hey, we take our memories with us when we visit one of our favorite Canadian cities! Stop by the Hero booth at the Manitoba Comic Con to reminisce and to own some unique comic goodies at the Winnipeg Convention Center. Plus, ya never know what superstar writers and artists that may stop by to sketch or sign! Get the full scoop HERE!

We love the Windy City, so it's our pleasure to return to Chicago on Saturday, October 25, for the Windy City Comicon. Stop on by the Hero booth from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Center on Halstead to pick up some super-snazzy items you can only get at from us! Of said items, Hero will be selling the limited edition Hulk #1 and the ultra-rare Marvel Apes #1 variant cover by Mike Wieringo! On hand will be Gene Ha, Tim Seeley, Chris Burnham, Chris Moreno, Mike Norton and more—all will be selling sketches and signing merchandise with proceeds entirely benefiting Hero. We'll be raffling a CGC-graded 9.8 'Ringo What If? book, autographed by 10 of the involved creators!

And, hey, who knows, maybe we'll be celebrating a big Cubbies World Series win! For more info on the con, click right HERE!

Did you know you could support Hero Initiative with toilet paper and a can of Spam?

’Tis true! If you live near a Ralphs grocery store, you could contribute by just using your Ralphs Rewards card. You get a discount from your grocery bill AND donate to the charity of your choice—all at a cost of nothing! Every time you use your card, Ralphs—nice folks they are—kick in some dough to good causes. Here’s all you need to do:
1. Click on this link.
2. Enter our NPO # (non-profit organization #), which is 80680. It’s under our corporate name, "A Commitment To Our Roots." It’s okay, don’t let that throw ya!
3. Fill out the rest of your info.
4. Now celebrate with a pie.
This applies to Ralphs, Foods Co. and Food 4 Less stores in Southern California, Nevada, Illinois, and Indiana. So sign up today! It’ll do us both some good!

T-shirts! Sweatshirts! Hats! Journals! Coffee mugs! You-name-it! All available HERE! So what are ya waitin’ fer? Order up!

And if your taste runs to Frank Cho and monkeys (and why wouldn’t it?) a bountiful bevy of merchandise awaits your perusal HERE!