Gainesville, Florida, January 31, 2002: At Moving Pictures, a comic book literary event on Wednesday evening, February 13 at The Metropolitan Playhouse of New York in the East Village of Manhattan, comics creators are opening their hearts and sharing their talents by presenting readings of their comic book work created in response to the September 11 attacks. Alternative Comics and Marvel Comics are teaming up to present an inspiring evening where cartoonists gather to read selections from their books created to honor the fire fighters, police officers, and their families, as well as every New York citizen and fans of comic books everywhere affected by the tragedy. In the past, several independent cartoonists have done similar readings of this kind under the title of Comix Decode, where each creator read a small section of her or his work projected on a screen for the audience and then opened a discussion about that piece in relation to their work. Moving Pictures will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 at The Metropolitan Playhouse of New York in the Cornelia Connelly Center located at 220 East Fourth Street (between Avenues A and B, at the Eastern-most door), New York, NY 10009; Phone: (212) 995-8410 or (212) 995-5302; Web: http://www.metroplayhouse.com -- There is no cost to attend Moving Pictures, but it is suggested that people arrive early for the best seating.
The Moving Pictures literary event features work from Alternative Comics' 9-11: Emergency Relief benefit book for the American Red Cross, and work from the Marvel Comics' Heroes and A Moment of Silence charity benefit books. Marvel Comics' tribute book Heroes is now in its third printing and along with their second benefit book, A Moment of Silence, has already raised over $1,000,000 for September 11 related charities. Alternative Comics' 9-11: Emergency Relief (ISBN: 1-891867-12-1) 208-page trade paperback anthology of non-fiction autobiographical stories related to the September 11 tragedy was just recently released, with 100% of the publisher's proceeds going to benefit the American Red Cross. Artwork from these three books can currently be seen on display at the internationally acclaimed Heroes Among Us comic art exhibit presented by the NYC Comic Book Museum. The Heroes Among Us exhibit opened on January 22 and will run through February 7 at the NYC Fire Museum before the NYC Comic Book Museum moves its traveling exhibit to the next venue.
Many dozens of cartoonists from Marvel Comics, Alternative Comics, and others throughout the comic book community will be on hand at Moving Pictures. Readings will include Joe Quesada, Stuart Moore, Robin and Elayne Riggs (reading Renee French's piece), Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld, Ted Rall, Tom Hart, Michael Kupperman (piece read by Neil Kleid), K Thor Jensen, Tomer Hanuka (piece read by Josh Neufeld), Meredith Yayanos, Neil Kleid, among others. Along with these readings, Moving Pictures will present many of the silent pieces from 9-11: Emergency Relief, Heroes, and A Moment of Silence. These pieces include among others, work from Will Eisner, Alex Ross, Frank Cho, Neil Vokes, and Nick Bertozzi.
"We are proud to host this honor to the brave and the innocent who have offered their lives to the love and protection of their fellows," said Alex Roe, Artistic Director for The Metropolitan Playhouse.
"The comic book industry, with Marvel Comics' Heroes and A Moment of Silence books, and Alternative Comics' 9-11: Emergency Relief trade paperback anthology," said Alternative Comics Publisher Jeff Mason, "we are pulling together as a community to try to raise money for charity and to give artistic voice to cartoonists across the United States and abroad in reaction to the tragedy."
The Metropolitan Playhouse is dedicated to the exploration and enrichment of America's theatrical legacy and the discovery of that tradition's place in world theater. Metropolitan produces early American plays, new plays drawn from American culture and history, and plays from around the world that resonate with the American canon. The Playhouse also offers a variety of classes and programs to teach the art and craft of theater to professionals and students alike.
Metropolitan established its home on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1997, and it has since presented over 30 readings, workshops, classes, and, American plays, including The Easiest Way, The Woman, Salem, and this spring's 1909 jewel, The Faith Healer.
The American Red Cross name is used in reference to 9-11: Emergency Relief with permission of the American Red Cross and does not constitute an endorsement, express or implied, of this book. 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of 9-11: Emergency Relief will be donated to the American Red Cross to support its lifesaving relief efforts in communities everyday. For more information on this promotion, please contact Heidi Seiffert at [email protected].
About The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is dedicated to saving lives, easing suffering and restoring hope at home and around the world. Currently operating on a budget of $3.0 billion, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to the victims of more than 67,000 disasters nationwide and has been the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. In 2000, the Red Cross also trained almost 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provided direct health services to nearly 2.6 million people and delivered more than 21 million locally relevant community services. The organization also assisted international disaster and conflict victims in close to 40 locations around the globe, and its emergency communication centers processed 1.2 million calls in support of U.S. military families.
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