Yesterday marked the kickoff of year 2 of the We Can Be Heroes program, the biggest philanthropic initiative in the corporate history of DC and its parent company, Warner Bros. Within 24 hours of the launch, the initiative raised $39,417 of their $50,000 goal. We Can Be Heroes is designed to unlock the giving power of fans by offering one-of-a-kind experiences and limited edition items to raise funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
The first phase of the Indiegogo-powered crowd funding campaign (4/2-5/7) focuses on Batman, one of DC Entertainment’s most popular Super Heroes. Week ONE of a six-week kickoff initiative includes perks ranging from graphic novels signed by the artist to the opportunity to actually be drawn into a Batman comic book by Gary Frank!
Several levels of incentives have been created so fans of all ages and resources will be able to get involved (additional ‘perk’ details below), but once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!
More electrifying, one-of-a-kind experiences will be announced over the next six weeks. Additional phases will feature other members of the Justice League in coming months. For more information, check out wecanbeheroes.org.
Featurette: We Can Be Heroes – Join Batman in the Fight Against Hunger
[youtube]http://youtu.be/56ciqOUkUzc[/youtube]
This week’s LIMITED Batman ‘perks’ include:
· $10: 5 digital Batman comic downloads
· $25 Batman/Superman #1 Softcover with exclusive variant cover drawn by Jim Lee
· $30: 1-Year Print Subscription to your choice of Batman/Superman, Batman, or Detective Comics. (12 issues)
· $40: WCBH T-shirt designed by Jim Lee
· $50 BATMAN R.I.P. hardcover (signed and numbered by Grant Morrison)
· $75: Batman Earth One WCBH Litho: original Batman artwork (Gary Frank)
· $100: Batman: Arkham City XBox game, signed by Sefton Hill
· $150: BATMAN: EARTH, VOL. 1 hardcover w/ new exclusive cover jacket drawn by Gary Frank(signed, sketched and numbered by Geoff Johns).
· $250 T-shirt designed by Jim Lee, 24 x 18 Lithograph: Batman Earth One drawn by Gary Frank, Injustice Battle Edition (Game, Fight stick and DLC) (Signed by Ed Boon)
· $1000: T-shirt designed by Jim Lee, 24 x 18 Lithograph: Batman Earth One drawn by Gary Frank, WBA tour with Bruce Timm, Glenn Murakami and James Tucker
· $5000: Drawn into the BATMAN: EARTH ONE, VOL. 2 graphic novel and receive the original page of art with your appearance (personalized & signed byGary Frank), T-shirt designed by Jim Lee, 24 x 18 Lithograph: Batman Earth One drawn by Gary Frank
WOW. Here’s the background info on the program:
DC Entertainment Kicks-Off Year Two of We Can Be Heroes Giving Campaign
We Can Be Heroes offers one-of-a-kind experiences and limited edition items
designed to unlock the giving power of fans and raise funds
to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.BURBANK, Calif. (April 2, 2013) – Get something good. Do something great.
This is the theme of the second year of DC Entertainment’s We Can Be Heroes giving campaign designed to raise funds and awareness for the devastating hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
Inviting fans to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Super Heroes of the Justice League and the creators who bring them to life, DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson today proudly announced a collection of exciting new initiatives that will support the continued success of the We Can Be Heroes (http://www.WeCanBeHeroes.org) giving campaign.
“We hope to build upon last year’s very successful inaugural campaign, which raised more than $2 million and helped change the lives of more than 5 million people,” said Nelson. “You don’t need a super power to be a hero. One small act can make you a hero and a lot of small acts can save millions of lives.”
This is the second year of the biggest philanthropic initiative in DC Entertainment and its parent company, Warner Bros.’, corporate history. It is designed to raise funds to benefit more than 8 million men, women and children in the Horn of Africa. The various 2013 program initiatives offer unique Super Hero experiences and limited-edition merchandise to engage, excite and empower legions of supporters.
The first of such initiatives starts Tuesday, April 2 with the launch of a Super Hero-themed crowdfunding campaign. Made up of several mini-campaigns throughout 2013, each will feature members of the Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg – and will be hosted on Indiegogo, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform (www.indiegogo.com/at/WeCanBeHeroes).
The first phase of the campaign (April 2 through May 7) will focus on Batman, featuring one-of-a-kind experiences and limited edition items related to one of DC Entertainment’s most popular Super Heroes. Additional phases will follow, featuring other members of the Justice League. Several levels of donation incentives have been created in order to encourage participation. From signed graphic novels and video games, to the opportunity to meet your favorite creators, to being drawn into a Batman graphic novel, there is something for every fan.
“Crowdfunding is the perfect platform for We Can Be Heroes. The more fans contribute, the more they can get! Those with fewer dollars to offer will find there is something that shows their support for the campaign and their love of these Super Heroes, and those with more to donate will find that their contribution level directly ties to the level of collectability and special access offers that every fan wants,” said Nelson.
Donation Incentives Include:
· “Batman: Earth One Vol. 1” hardcover (signed, sketched, and numbered by the writer and artist)· We Can Be Heroes t-shirt featuring original Batman artwork by Jim Lee
· Warner Bros. Animation studio tour featuring a meet and greet with the legendary creators behind “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Batman Beyond,” “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” and “Beware the Batman”
· Invitations to the exclusive DC Entertainment VIP Event at 2013 Comic-Con International: San Diego
· Comic-Con International: San Diego Experience with Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, including two passes to the already sold-out event, airfare and hotel room. Opportunity to be drawn into a Batman graphic novel and receive the original art of appearance (personalized & signed by the artist)
Additional elements of the We Can Be Heroes giving campaign include Super Hero-inspired vehicles, an online auction and digital bundles – all designed to harness the passion fans have for their favorite Super Heroes and transform it into critical funding to fight the hunger crisis:
· Justice League-inspired vehicles: Over the last six months, DC Entertainment has partnered with KIA Motors to bring the World’s Greatest Super Heroes to life by combining automotive styling with comic book art. The partnership, which has yielded seven individually customized vehicles to date, harnesses the talents of legendary comic book artist and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, who has collaborated on the design of each car with his vision for each iconic member of DC Comics’ Justice League.
· In addition to the seven KIA vehicles inspired by the individual Super Hero characters, the DC Entertainment-KIA partnership will culminate with a fully-drivable custom car, also designed by Jim Lee, that encompasses each member of the Justice League to be auctioned off at 2013 Comic-Con International: San Diego to raise money for the cause.
· Online Auction: The online auction will also include other highly unique items such as a collection of original pieces of comic book character artwork, entitled Darkness & Light, which was custom commissioned and created by contemporary artists for the benefit of We Can Be Heroes.· Digital Bundles: An online fundraising initiative that offers fans a suite of popular digital comic books, movies, games, and music from DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. with the opportunity to set a percentage of the purchase price to go to the We Can Be Heroes campaign.
All funds raised will benefit the campaign’s humanitarian aid partners – Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps – to deliver food, medicine and other resources critical to the survival of people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
For more information on We Can Be Heroes, visit www.WeCanBeHeroes.org. For more information specifically on the Batman Crowdfunding Campaign on Indiegogo, log on to www.indiegogo.com/at/WeCanBeHeroes.
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 www.WeCanBeHeroes.org —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.
