Comic Book And Celebrities Pay Tribute To Orlando Victims
Comic book author and screenwriter Marc Andreyko has a different way of helping remember the victims of the June 12th mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. In June he posted on Facebook a suggestion to create a comic book that would benefit the victims.
That sparked a lot of talk and resulted in “Love Is Love,” a 144-page anthology filled with original work by contributors such as, Morgan Spurlock, the actor Matt Bomer, the comedians Patton Oswalt and Taran Killed, and more. On Dec. 28th the book will be available to the public.
“I went through my Rolodex — to use a word for something that doesn’t even exist anymore — and looked for people who I’m friends with and had name value,” Andreyko said to The New York Times. “I want this book to be in as many hands as possible.”
The book will cost $9.99 and will be available in comic stores and for download online with extra pages. Proceeds from the book will benefit Equality Florida, which set up a fund for the victims and their families in the Pulse shooting.
Andreyko, who is credited for his work with DC Comics, told the Times his inspiration for the book could be traced to his childhood. The 46-year-old recalled the musical acts that came together in benefit concerts like Band Aid and Live Aid and the song “We Are the World.”
The format of the book has no story longer than two pages, which was picked to help lure contributors who had tight schedules.
Despite the format, Andreyko said the biggest motivator was the act of expression.
“It was therapeutic,’’ he said to The New York Times. “By doing the art, it was purging for us.”
The book offers a selection of diverse stories. He told the Times that Brian Michael Bendis, one of Marvel’s most prolific writers, joined forces with his daughter Olivia to show a glimpse of a moment from the shooting at Pulse. Their story was a dialogue-free spread of dancers and one lone person in the shadow looking upon the dancers.
“The idea that someone could stand in the middle of that club full of joy and fun and be drowning in madness was something we couldn’t get past,” Bendis said to The New York Times.
J.K Rowling was one of the unusual contributors to the comic book. She used a quote from “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” to caption an image of Harry and his friends. The image was drawn by Jim Lee, a co-publisher of DC Comics.
“If we get the biggest-selling author on the planet, we need the biggest artist,” Andreyko said to The Times.
The quote is by Albus Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts, who Rowling has said is gay and drives home the message of the anthology: “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open,” per The New York Times.
Mark Chiarello, senior Vice President of art and design at DC, added a watercolor rainbow flag to the drawing.