The Hero Initiative

Jim McLauchlin

By Lisa Lopacinski
April 1, 2007

There are many people who have never heard of The Hero Initiative, formerly known as ACTOR, or if they have heard of it, they do not know what the organization does. The Hero Initiative is actually an organization that raises and distributes money for comic book creators who are having financial problems.

But how do they raise money? Who gets it? Is there a way for people to get involved? I decided to get some answers from Jim McLauchlin, President of The Hero Initiative.

Sequential Tart: To start off, what is the Hero Initiative? When did it start? Who is the founder?

Jim McLauchlin: Organizations such as Hero are notoriously common in other fields. I'm a sportswriter, and Major League Baseball has a similar fund called BAT — Baseball Assistance Team — that does something similar. They realized that players even into the early 1970s might only have been making $10,000 a year, and many of those old players who built baseball into what it is today might have needs. Now that salaries are much higher in baseball, they're taking care of their own. Things like this here, there, and everywhere exist. The local plumbers union in your town probably has one for retired plumbers. But there's never been one in comics before.

Things got off the ground in summer 2000. Mark Alessi, then of CrossGen Comics is a big baseball fan as well, and I talked to Mark a few times about BAT and how I thought it was a crying shame that something similar didn't exist in comics. I told him that it was always in the back of my head to start something like that for comics. Mark mentioned that he had lawyers on retainer already at CrossGen. He offered to get them working on framing a corporation and filling out the paperwork. He helped considerably in coming up with a structure and visualizing what the organization would be.

ST: Some people believe that comic book talent are generally well-paid. Is this true?

JM: It's a hell of a lot better than it used to be. Royalties started on about the mid-80s, but let's face facts: a book has to be a pretty decent seller for a creator to achieve royalties. There are creator-ownership options today that really didn't exist back in the day. To overextend my plumbing analogy, it's the same as anything, any work field. If you're a master plumber and/or own your own plumbing company, you can do pretty well. If you're a journeyman plumber, you might not be making very much. Same is same in comics.

ST: Who is able to qualify for the funding? What are the requirements? How do they apply?

JM: To be eligible, an applicant must have been a working comic book writer, penciler, inker, colorist, or letterer on a work-for-hire basis for no less than 10 years since January 1, 1934. An applicant must demonstrate to the Hero Disbursement Committee adequate evidence of financial need via verbal and written documentation. Most importantly, all Hero grants will be kept confidential between Hero and the creator unless the recipient, at his/her sole discretion, opts to make it public knowledge. Any disclosure is strictly and solely the recipient's decision.

ST: Aside from just giving them a check, are there other things Hero Initiative does to help these talented people earn money?

JM: We have a Helping Legends Directly where editors, publishers or fans can contact creators who would like to be contacted to set up jobs, commissions, or whatever else. We occasionally — and happily — are put in a position where a company will contract us to provide art and writing, and we can then subcontract to different creators, getting them immediate paying work. We're in the process of a major animation job with a major video game company where we're able to spread out something on the order of $50,000 across 14 different creators.

ST: How do you get the money? How much have you given out to-date?

JM: Fundraisers, auctions, convention appearances, bowling tournaments, and I'm willing to try a bake sale. To date, we've shelled out about $250,000 to about 40 creators and their families.

ST: How can readers get involved with Hero Initiative?

JM: We are always looking for dedicated volunteers to help out at their local conventions, throw fundraising events with their local comic book stores and spread the word about who we are and what we do. Email HeroInitiative@aol.com. We welcome new ideas and new faces.

ST: You had a DVD release in March to help raise funds, tell us more about that.

JM: It is called Marvel Then and Now: An Evening with Stan Lee and Joe Quesada. There is a trailer available on-line. Just go to www.thenandnowdvd.org and click the trailer link to enjoy it in Flash, Windows Media Player or Apple's Quicktime. The DVD itself is expected to be released no later than March '07. The evening's program, hosted by Kevin Smith, will be the heart of the DVD. The final product is planned to contain nearly 5 hours of total runtime. Special features will include: a behind the scenes reel; VIP Room footage; extra interviews with guests, including: Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Kevin Smith, Jeph Loeb, and Brian Pulido; backstage on onstage photo gallery; and trailers for other related releases and events. It is $24.95 and can be purchased at the site where the trailer is available.

ST: Is there anything more you'd like to share about the Hero Initiative?

JM: We are so grateful for the support both within the industry and within the mainstream on a variety of levels — whether someone is an artist or a comic book fan or a corporation. We've made tremendous strides since our inception, and we have some major things planned for 2007, so stay tuned!

The Hero Initiative — Website for The Hero Initiative
Then and Now DVD — site for DVD trailer and purchse