Monday, January 23, 2012

DC fights Hunger in Horn of Africa

Worth passing on:

DC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES “WE CAN BE HEROES,”
 AN UNPRECEDENTED GIVING CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT
THE HUNGER CRISIS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
Featuring Iconic Justice League Characters, Multilayered Campaign
To Leverage All Time Warner Advertising Platforms
Generating Significant Awareness of the Crisis
Multi-Million-Dollar Commitment Will Support
Three Aid Groups Working in Africa:
Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps
        (January 23, 2012 – New York, NY)  DC Entertainment, home of the world’s greatest super heroes, today unveiled an unprecedented giving campaign to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.  This multi-million-dollar commitment over the next two years will be supported across all Warner Bros. Entertainment’s and Time Warner’s businesses and feature DC Entertainment’s iconic Justice League characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg, issuing the call to action, “We Can Be Heroes.”  The announcements were made at a press conference today in New York by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros.; Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group; and Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment.
        We Can Be Heroes will support the efforts of three humanitarian aid organizations working in Africa—Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps—as part of the global effort to fight the current hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.  The region is suffering its worst drought and famine in over 60 years, with 13 million in need of critical assistance and 250,000 facing starvation in Somalia alone.  Each partner organization was chosen for its track record of effective and expeditious humanitarian aid efforts in Africa.
        We Can Be Heroes will be supported via promotional exposure across all of Time Warner’s divisional advertising platforms (Warner Bros., Turner Broadcasting, Time Inc., HBO), generating millions of consumer impressions and creating crucially needed awareness of this crisis worldwide.  Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps will equally share a corporate donation of at least $2 million over the next two years comprised of cash donations, employee matching funds and consumer matching funds. 
        “Warner Bros. has a long history of corporate philanthropy and outreach, and this campaign proudly continues that tradition,” said Meyer.  “We are a global company, and this is a global issue.  By marshalling our expertise in consumer and fan engagement and creating global awareness, we hope we’re able to inspire others to join us in becoming ‘heroes’ and make a difference in the Horn of Africa.”
        The Justice League characters were chosen by DC Entertainment both for their global recognition as well as their demonstration of strength in unity and numbers.  The campaign’s graphic identifier features the iconic Justice League characters—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg—outlined in silhouette against the African continent.  Each of these characters is a super hero in his or her own right, but when they band together as the Justice League, they become an unstoppable force for good and right in the universe—a key message of the We Can Be Heroes campaign. While many individuals may feel powerless to effect change on their own, as part of a global campaign such as this, their efforts, combined with those of other donors, can create a world of change.
        A key launch element of We Can Be Heroes is the campaign’s website, www.WeCanBeHeroes.org.  Here, consumers can make donations which DC Entertainment will match 100 percent (up to $1 million in donations), purchase specially branded merchandise, with 50 percent of the purchase price going to fight the hunger crisis via We Can Be Heroes,  sign up for newsletters and updates, and join the We Can Be Heroes online community.  The site will also feature information on each of the partner organizations and updates on current conditions in the Horn of Africa. 
        “This campaign goes straight to the heart of our core competency, as Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment both have a rich legacy of telling socially relevant, compelling stories with characters embraced by global audiences,” said Robinov.  “The fact that we’re able to take what we do and use it to raise awareness—and inspire action—around a cause as important as this is gratifying.  With the support of the entire Studio and our Time Warner sister companies, this campaign, like the DC Comics super heroes, will make a great impact on an important issue.”
        “The members of the Justice League are an international team of super heroes beloved by a broad range of fans, including men and women, young and old.  This makes them the perfect ‘spokescharacters’ for this campaign,” said Nelson.  “Their dedication to social justice and commitment to band together to defend the helpless brilliantly supports the ideals of the We Can Be Heroes campaign.  The hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa is something we can reverse if we all work together.  I’m proud and grateful we’re able to harness the power and standing of the DC Comics brand and iconic characters as well as for the support from both Warner Bros. and Time Warner that has allowed us to pursue this unprecedented initiative.”
        “This is a tragic situation affecting millions and millions of people.  Everyone has the ability to be a part of the solution and efforts such as We Can Be Heroes help bring us closer to that goal,” said Dr. Jill Biden, who visited refugees in Kenya in August and has worked to raise awareness of the crisis.  “I commend the efforts of DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. and other organizations who are using their global reach to help raise awareness of the crisis.”
        For more information on We Can Be Heroes, visit www.WeCanBeHeroes.org.  For more information on the campaign’s partner organizations, visit their websites: www.savethechildren.org (Save the Children); www.rescue.org (International Rescue Committee) and www.mercycorps.org (Mercy Corps).
# # #
About DC Entertainment: 
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner.  DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.  In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
Contact:
Nicole Stipp/Fenton                             Courtney Simmons/DC Entertainment
nstipp@fenton.com                               Courtney.Simmons@warnerbros.com
212/584-5000                                    818/977-7764
Kelly Osmundson                         Paul McGuire
kosmundson@fenton.com                   Paul.McGuire@warnerbros.com
415/901-0111                                    818/954-6152

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Books I Edited and Art Directed in 2011

Here, for your enjoyment and edification, is a list of all the Pyr novels published in 2011 for which I served as editorial director, editor, and art director. Also included is a list of each work's respective cover artist. Please don't forget to carefully consider illustration and illustrators when you are voting in the various awards and best of the year polls. Our illustrators are an incredible and unique asset of science fiction and fantasy publishing and we should celebrate them. Happy New Year!

Demonstorm (Legends of the Raven 3)
by James Barclay
art by Raymond Swanland

Cowboy Angels
by Paul McAuley
art by Sparth

Thirteen Years Later
by Jasper Kent
art by Paul Young

The Scar-Crow Men (Swords of the Albion Book 2)
by Mark Chadbourn
art by Chris McGrath

Black Halo (The Aeons' Gate Book Two)
by Sam Sykes
art by Paul Young


Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon
by Mark Hodder
art by Jon Sullivan

The Scarab Path (Shadows of the Apt, Book 5)
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
art by Jon Sullivan

The Alchemist in the Shadows
by Pierre Pevel
art by Jon Sullivan

Haven: A Trial of Blood and Steel Book Four
by Joel Shepherd
art by David Palumbo

City of Ruins
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
art by Dave Seeley

Shadow's Lure
by Jon Sprunk
art by Michael Komarck

The Falling Machine (The Society of Steam, Book One)
by Andrew P. Mayer
art by Justin Gerard

Sword of Fire and Sea (The Chaos Knight Book One)
by Erin Hoffman
art by DeHong He

The Goblin Corps
by Ari Marmell
art by Lucas Graciano

Ghosts of War
by George Mann
art by Benjamin Carre

Ravensoul (Legends of the Raven, Book 4)
by James Barclay
art by Raymond Swanland 

Down to the Bone (Quantum Gravity, Book 5)
by Justina Robson
art by Larry Rostant

The Rift Walker (Vampire Empire, Book 2)
by Clay and Susan Griffith
art by Chris McGrath

Blackdog
by K.V. Johansen
art by Raymond Swanland 

The Restoration Game
by Ken MacLeod
art by Stephan Martiniere

The Dervish House paperback
by Ian McDonald
art by Stephan Martiniere

Fenrir
by M.D. Lachlan
art by Paul Young

The Third Section
by Jasper Kent
art by Paul Young

Mirror Maze
by Michaele Jordan
art by Cynthia Sheppard

Lightbringer
by K.D. McEntire
art by Sam Weber

Hearts of Smoke and Steam (Society of Steam, Book Two)
by Andrew P. Mayer
art by Justin Gerard

Planesrunner (Everness, Book One)
by Ian McDonald
art by John Picacio 

The Doctor and the Kid: A Weird West Tale (Weird West Tales)
by Mike Resnick
art by J. Seamas Gallagher