'Planet Hulk' writer Greg Pak calls on fans to help comic book stores survive coronavirus pandemic
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a major shift in the way we live and the way we consume and that has left a number of stores in dire straits. The comic book industry is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and after months of uncertainty, stores are now slowly limping back to life.
To be fair, traditional comic book stores have been on the rocks for a pretty long time now but the pandemic now threatens to push many smaller stores over the edge. This is why a number of comic book creators from Brian Michael Bendis to Neil Gaiman have been trying to raise money to help stores stay afloat.
Acclaimed comic book author Greg Pak of 'Planet Hulk' and 'Agents of Atlas' fame has announced a new initiative to aid the cause. Half of all purchases made on the Greg Pak Shop, minus shipping charges, will now be donated to a comic book store of your choosing.
The initiative is still in its embryonic stages so there are only a few stores that have signed up. These are the shops who are currently on the list:
Fantom Comics
2010 P St NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC
Fourth World Comics
33 NY-111, Smithtown, NY 11787
Star Comics
3504 34th St., Lubbock, TX 79410
Variant Edition Comics + Culture
10132 151 Street NW, Edmonton, AB, T5P 1T4
Wizards Asylum Comics and Games
3717 W. Main Street, Norman, OK 73072
"Comic shops, I wanna give you half the money I make from my online store," Pak wrote on his Twitter account. "Please get in touch with me asap so I can include you when I launch!"
In case the store of your choosing can't be reached or can't accept PayPal, the money will instead be given to a random store on the list or donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. The online store has a number of signed comic books and merchandise on sale including a rare textless Leinil Yu variant of 'Weapon H' #1 and a mystery box of 10 comics signed by Pak.
There's also a copy of 'Make Comics Like the Pros' by Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak, a definitive insider guide to writing, drawing, and publishing your own comic book that should be useful for all the budding comic book creators out there.