Comic News: SPIDER-MAN REACHES #600, HERO INITIATIVE GETS BIRTHDAY PRESENT!

The Comic Outpost in San Francisco hosts mega-Spidey anniversary party for charity!


Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man has been around long enough to reach its milestone 600th issue! And to celebrate, San Francisco’s Comic Outpost is holding a Spider-Man anniversary party on the date of the book’s release, Wednesday, July 22. The party takes place at Comic Outpost, 2381 Ocean Ave. in San Francisco.

Comic Outpost has constructed a massive wall displaying ALL 600 issues of Amazing Spider-Man, dating back to issue #1 from 1963. Fans will be able to view the massive Spidey collection, and enter raffles for books signed and sketched by legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr., a signed-and-numbered copy of Stan’s Soapbox: The Collection, which collects all of Stan Lee’s legendary “Soapbox” columns, and more. The highlight of the raffle will be a genuine chainsaw prop from the Doctor Octopus emergency room scene in the Spider-Man 2 movie. All proceeds from the event will benefit Hero Initiative, the charity dedicated to helping older comic creators in medical or financial need.

“Way back in the early ’70s, my mother bought me my first comic, Marvel Team-Up #42, featuring Spider-Man and Vision. From that point I was hooked!” said Comic Outpost owner Gary Buechler. “Through the years, I’ve put together a full run of Amazing Spider-Man and it's a kick to be able to display it in my own store! It’s an honor and a duty to help give back to all of the creators who brought me and so much joy and have allowed me to actually make a living. It is the least I could do.”

“I’m very proud of my years of work on Spider-Man, and always pleasantly surprised to see that people remember it fondly still today,” said Hero Initiative Board member John Romita Sr. “My thanks to the crew at Comic Outpost. This should be a great event I wish I could attend, and should raise some much-needed funds for Hero!”

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