In a better world, we wouldn't need this comic. But we don't. We live in an America that prefers unrestricted guns to human lives. As we continue to work for gun reform, projects such as this one--an all-star benefit comic--do what they can for the families torn apart by gun violence.
For those who may have missed the announcements, Where We Live was created in response to the Las Vegas shooting from this past October. (I personally found out about it as the first thing I learned after stepping off a plane from London to America, and the contrast wasn't lost on me.) 100 percent of the proceeds are being donated to the survivors, and the anthology itself contains 70 stories from 150 creators, clocking in at a whopping 300 pages.
I haven't seen something this big as a tribute since the 9/11 comics. And the creators involved, ranging from the biggest names (J.M. DeMatteis, the Allreds, Mike Mignola, Gail Simone, Greg Pak, Amy Chu, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Cliff Chiang, just to name a few) to Panel Pals (Aaron Duran, Monica Gallagher, Lela Gwenn, and Marissa Louise, for example). You can see the whole list here at Image's site. It's a really powerful group of creators and I couldn't be happier to see so many names I respect doing something positive like this.
Over the course of this week and next, there will be several signings across the country. Here are the ones I know about, posted via Twitter. I'm going to try and make the one in Portland, if at all possible. For a full list of the creators at each location, please see this tweet.
MAY 30TH:
5:00pm to 8:00pm: Fallout Shelter, Highland Park, NJ
6:00pm to 9:00pm: Golden Apple Comics, Los Angeles, CA
JUNE 2ND:
12:00pm to 4:00pm: The Comic Book Shop, Wilmington, DE
2:00pm to 6:00pm: Alternate Realities, Las Vegas, NV
JUNE 6TH:
6:00pm to 8:00pm: Books with Pictures, Portland, OR
JUNE 7TH:
6:00pm: Barnes and Noble Tribeca, New York, NY
Even if you can't make one of these events, I urge you to pick up this comic. Beyond the talent involved, we need to show that as comics fans, we will not tolerate gun violence and will do all we can to help those who suffer from it.
