The 8 Percent Project

In my last post I told you about the comic book “8 Percent” that is a project to raise funds to fight pancreatic cancer.  Today I’d like to share with you the press release that introduces this unique anthology.

Cover of "8 Percent"

Vanbreed Studios has teamed up with some of the top talent in the comic book industry to create a new comic book titled “8 Percent”.  100% of the cover price, plus all digital sale proceeds from 8 Percent will go directly to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

8 Percent is set in a world where 92% of the world’s population gets terminal cancer and only 8% survive. The book deals with triumphs and tragedy, love, loss and regret.

The book is made up of four stories with very impressive creative teams.  In “The Creature Within”, comic book legend, Tom DeFalco (Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four) tells the tale of a man that has a monster growing inside him. The story is exquisitely painted by Richard P. Clark (Marvel Comics’ The Incredible Hulk).

Vito Delsante (DC Comics’ Superman, Adventures of Batman) gives us a time travelling tale of hope and loss in “The Ballad of Blue Jay”. The art for The Ballad of Blue Jay was done by digital artist David Benarski (Prisoner of None).

Allen Cordrey teams up with Cory Hamscher (Image Comics’ Supreme, Marvel Comics’ X-Men Forever) for “Friends and Enemies Pt. 1” which tells the story of how the 8 Percent event begins with one of the world’s most powerful heroes.

Finally, Ron Marz (DC Comics’ Green Lantern, Image Comics’ Witchblade) breaks from the 8 Percent universe with “Dreams of Flying”.” Dreams of Flying” is the amazing life story of Ron Marz’s father who was a gunner in World War II. Ron’s father passed away from pancreatic cancer so this project is very important to Marz. Joining Marz on this story are Rick Leonardi (Marvel Comics’ X-Men), Andy Lanning (Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy) , Troy Peteri  (Image Comics’ Witchblade) and Ross Hughes (Image Comics’ Youngblood).

The book also features art by Darryl Banks (DC Comics’ Green Lantern) and Alan Kupperberg (Marvel Comics’ The Defenders).

The foreword for the book was written by another comic book legend, J. M. DeMatteis (DC Comics’ Justice League, Wonder Woman). Mr. DeMatteis lost his mother to cancer.

The book can be purchased at http://www.Vanbreed.com and will also be available at the Dallas Comic Con in Dallas Texas and at Indy Pop Con, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

About Vanbreed Studios

Vanbreed Studios works with a blend of hot new artists and long established professionals to create interesting and involving characters. Vanbreed Studios latest title is 8 Percent, a charity book benefitting the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. More information about the book can be found at http://www.Vanbreed.com.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative —The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. Together, we can know, fight and end pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics and better treatments and increase chances of survival.

A Comic for a Cause

Today I’m taking a break from my regular posts that are about nothing of importance to write about something incredibly important… cancer.  Don’t worry, it is a serious subject and although the story starts off sad it winds up being very uplifting.

As regular readers may know, my father-in-law died in January of pancreatic cancer. My husband decided that he wanted to do something to honor his father, increase awareness, and raise funds for pancreatic cancer.  He decided that his first love, comic books, could be a unique way to get his message out.  From that idea, the 8 Percent project was born.

He reached out to comic writers and artists to see if they would be interested in helping. The response was tremendous!  It was shocking (and very sad, too) how many responded with their own stories of losing loved ones to cancer.  The level of support that he has received has been tremendous.  Even if you aren't a comic book fan you will recognize the projects that these amazing writers and artists have worked on.

Issue #1 of 8 Percent features four stories written by Tom DeFalco (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four), Ron Marz (Green Lantern, Witchblade), Vito Delsante (Superman, Batman Adventures) and Allen Cordrey. The first issue also showcases the artistic talents of Rick Leonardi (Uncanny X-Men), Andy Lanning (Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy), Darryl Banks (Green Lantern), Cory Hamscher (X-Men Forever, Avengers Academy), Matthew Waite (Deadpool, Quantum & Woody), Richard Clark (Incredible Hulk), Chris Ehnot (Fallen), Ross Hughes (Hawk and Dove) and many more. This issue also has a special foreword by comic book legend, J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League and way too many to list here).

Issue #1 will be available at the Dallas Comic Con beginning on May 16. It can also be pre-ordered at the Vanbreed Studios website. All proceeds will be donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

So, are you curious as to how the name "8 Percent" came about?  It comes from the story that Allen Cordrey wrote for the first issue. It was the first story idea for the book and I personally think it is brilliant (not that I'm biased, since Allen is my oft-mentioned hubby).  I'll tell you more about this story in the coming weeks.

I'll also be posting sneak peaks at some of the amazing artwork from the book. First up is the artwork for one of the variant covers. This beautiful lady is inspired by WWII bomber nose art and is by Chris Ehnot and David Delanty. 

I can't wait to share more about this great book with you!

Seize The Day

I’ve spent the last week cleaning out my father-in-law’s old house.  I have been a little surprised by how emotional it has made me. Initially it wasn’t too bad. I tried to think of it as just “stuff” instead of “Dad’s stuff”, and for a while that was working. At least, until I got to this one particular drawer in his dresser.

There wasn’t anything in the drawer that was particularly sentimental. In fact, most of it was just clothing that had never been worn. It was just sitting there with the tags still on, in packages that had never been opened.  Those unopened packages hit me harder than anything else. More than his favorite shirt, more than photo albums, more than anything else I came across. Those unopened packages were such a stark reminder that none of us knows how long we have on this earth.

How many of us have clothing in our closet that has never been worn? Maybe we are waiting for a special occasion, maybe we are waiting to lose five more pounds, or maybe we just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Maybe it is a perfect pair of shoes that sits in a box because they are so pretty we don’t want to take a chance on messing them up. Maybe it is grandma’s china that sits in storage because we are afraid that we might break a piece if we use it.

Seeing those unopened packages really drove home to me how pointless it is to wait to enjoy the things that we have.  Those shoes may be perfect, but what if your time comes before you ever take them out of the box? Grandma’s china may be very special, but wouldn’t you rather think of her every time you use it (even if you do break a saucer)? What if you don’t ever lose those last five pounds?

Those unopened packages have inspired me to stop waiting. When I get back home I’m going thru my closet to find those ‘special’ outfits and I’m going to wear them. I’m going to eat a hamburger off a china plate.  Because we never know how many days we will have I’m going to start seizing every single one of them.

Me and my father-in-law

Overwhelmed

We aren’t even two weeks into 2014 and it has already been a very tough year.  There have been so many things happening and so many things changing. I feel like a leaf in a windstorm – completely at the mercy of events beyond my control.

My father-in-law passed away last week. Although I am heartbroken to lose him, I am so glad that he is no longer in pain. Pancreatic cancer is awful. Nobody should have to go thru what he did, and he handled it all with dignity and grace. I am in awe of his strength.  My husband’s family is not really into verbalizing their feelings, so I don’t know that I ever told my FIL how much I love him. I hope that he knows.

My FIL had a beautiful Australian Shepherd. We have adopted her and she has been such a joy. The poor girl was incredibly traumatized by the loss of her daddy. Luckily, she has settled into our home very quickly.  We have shown her lots and lots of love and she seems to understand that she is safe and that this is where she belongs. She has had a wonderful time playing with my Jack Russell puppy. They bonded as sisters in about 24 hours.  

I have had two important lessons seared into my brain the last couple of weeks. The first is to never take for granted your time on earth because you just never know when it will be over.   The second is to always let the people that you love know how you feel.  Someday it will be too late.

The Secret Ingredient

I was always extremely close to my grandmother.  I was named after her and me & my mom even lived with her for a while when I was young. When she passed away I was heartbroken, but I resolved that I would find a way to keep her spirit alive.  

Grandma was an excellent cook. She was not formally trained and she never used cookbooks.  She learned out of necessity.  She had eight kids and lived on a ranch. There was never much money, so she had to be clever to find ways to keep everyone’s bellies full and satisfied. Regardless of how good the rest of her cooking was, she was always known for her pies. As long as she had some flour and some Crisco she could make a pie out of just about anything.  Her pies were always so delicious, but she swore there was no secret ingredient.

I decided that the best way to keep her spirit alive was to take over the mantle of “Barcy the pie-maker”. I knew better than to try and master everything she could do, so I decided that I would just concentrate on apple pie.  My first few efforts were pretty horrible.  I never did master her way of making crusts, but once I switched to a butter crust and started using my food processor I learned to make a pretty decent crust. I pride myself on never using canned apple pie filling.  I always use at least two varieties of real apples & lots of cinnamon.

However, the most important thing in my kitchen when I make a pie is a framed picture of Grandma. I always set her picture on the counter and have a nice little conversation while I’m peeling apples and rolling out dough. Maybe it is all in my head, but I swear I can feel her there.

Prepping for pie making with Grandma

My grandma will always live on in my heart. Through making pies with her memory, I have finally figured out the secret ingredient.  It should have been obvious the whole time. Grandma always added lots of love.

The finished product

On Grief

This has been such a terribly sad week.  Of course, the bombing at the Boston Marathon has been foremost in people’s minds.  It is just incomprehensible to me how anybody could have such hate in them that they feel compelled to injure and kill complete strangers.  We live in a scary, scary world.

A little closer to home, Pat Summerall passed away today.  He was such an incredible man.  He was kind, classy, and had a tremendous broadcasting talent.  He was also a wonderful example of someone who embraced their second chance and made the most of it.   My hubby was blessed to get to know Mr. Summerall on a personal basis. He was one of his favorite people and we both join the families, friends, and fans of Mr. Summerall who are mourning his passing.

This week also held a tragedy at my job.  A co-worker was killed in a freak accident.  She was only 26. I never got a chance to know her, but everyone who did says that she was one of the best people they had ever known.  Most of the people that she worked closely with were close to her in age.  For a lot of them this will probably be the first time they have ever lost someone close to them, let alone a peer.  I am so proud of the way my company has handled this. They have made counselors available to anyone who needs them, have made sure that everyone has the funeral information, and are even creating a memory book to send to her family.  I was just really blown away by the support that they are giving to those who are suffering from this loss.

I have had some tragic losses in my life and consider myself pretty well versed in the mourning process.  If I could give those experiencing a loss one piece of advice it is that everyone grieves in their own way.  Some people need to continue their life like nothing has happened, some people need to lock themselves away and lose themselves in tears for a while, some people feel the need to constantly be active and fill their life with as many distractions as possible.  Nobody can tell you that you are grieving wrong, just as you cannot judge how anyone else grieves.  My one caveat to that is that if your grieving process has you turning to drugs or alcohol, if you have suicidal thoughts, or if your grief begins to turn into depression you should seek out help in dealing with it.  There is no shame in talking to someone.  A burden shared is a burden lessened.

For everyone who has lost family, friends, or co-workers this week, be kind to yourself. The pain does lessen. Your loved one will always be remembered and will always be a part of you. Take the time to mourn the loss and mark their passing in whatever way feels right to you.

Blessings to you all.