For most of us, Memorial Day is synonymous with vacation, but for those that have or continue to serve in the military it means much more.  In that spirit, I thought I’d take the time to once again mention one small way you can give back to the men and women who continue to serve this country.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working on GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES has been the chance to interact with so many veterans.  Some helped me research the book, many contacted me to thank Paul Azaceta and I for the book, and others reached out to share their stories.

Paul a I will never forget, for instance, the Marine who after showing us his shrapnel scars, asked us if he could used Paul’s amazing image from Graveyard of Empires #1 as the basis for tattoo.  He wanted to ink the names of the four men in his unit lost in the roots of the poppy plant.

If you spend time with anyone who’s served, and hear the stories of what they and their loved ones have sacrificed…you can’t help but want to do something.  I did.  You can too, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably amassed a huge collection of comic books.  You may not have room for them, and it’s unlikely you’re going to re-read most of them.  The secondary market for comics has collapsed to the point where you not only can’t make money by selling old books, you can’t even get most comic stores to take them off your hands for free.

But there are men and women who could use the diversion that comics provide.  War has been described as “long periods of boredom punctuated by punctuated by moments of sheer terror”.  There’s not much you can do about the sheer terror short of enlisting, but there is something you can do to help alleviate the boredom.

Donate your comics to Operation Gratitude.

Here’s how they describe what they do:

“Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000 care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to Wounded Warriors recuperating in Transition Units. Our mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship.  For safety and security, assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 660,000 packages to American Military deployed overseas.”

I’ve driven hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books, dvds and videogames over to their HQ and the Van Nuys, CA National Guard Armory.  I’m not saying that to brag, but rather to give you an idea how easy it is.

My poorly taken photo doesn’t convey the massive volunteer operation they have going, but I felt uncomfortable taking pictures at a military installation, even with permission.

But everything you see here, and more, gets sent directly overseas to the troops:

(Those are Marines standing by a Cobra gunship like the ones in GRAVEYARD)

You don’t need to drive to Van Nuys, you can mail your comics there.  They don’t need to be comics…You can donate candy, cellphones, cars, even cash (here’s a more complete list of things you can do, including volunteering your time).  But do something.

Trust me…I’m lazy, self-involved and practically a shut-in, and I did.

At the very least, please re-blog, re-tweet and re-post the hell out of this on Facebook so others can.

P.S. Although I hate making this at all about me, for those of you asking where GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES #4 is, Paul is completely done with the art, it’s just waiting to be colored and lettered, so it should be out in June.  Here’s a never page from the final issue to whet your appetite:

Hope you all had/have a great Memorial Day.

It’s not just 11-11-11, it’s Veteran’s Day.  GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES’ research and reception afforded me to interact with a many veterans, and as a result the day has added meaning for me.  Spend any time with someone that’s served, hear the stories of what they and their loved ones have sacrificed and you can’t help but want to do something.  I did.  You can too, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably amassed a huge collection of comic books.  You may not have room for them, and it’s unlikely you’re going to re-read most of them.  The secondary market for comics has collapsed to the point where you not only can’t make money by selling old books, you can’t even get most comic stores to take them off your hands for free.

But there are men and women who could use the diversion that comics provide.  War has been described as “long periods of boredom punctuated by punctuated by moments of sheer terror”.  There’s not much you can do about the sheer terror short of enlisting, but there is something you can do to help alleviate the boredom.

Donate your comics to Operation Gratitude.

Here’s how they describe what they do:

“Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000 care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to Wounded Warriors recuperating in Transition Units. Our mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member’s face and express to our Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Each package contains donated product valued at ~$125 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship.  For safety and security, assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than 660,000 packages to American Military deployed overseas.”

I’ve driven hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books, dvds and videogames over to their HQ and the Van Nuys, CA National Guard Armory.  I’m not saying that to brag, but rather to give you an idea how easy it is.

My poorly taken photo doesn’t convey the massive volunteer operation they have going, but I felt uncomfortable taking pictures at a military installation, even with permission.

But everything you see here, and more, gets sent directly overseas to the troops:

(Those are Marines standing by a Cobra gunship like the ones in GRAVEYARD)

You don’t need to drive to Van Nuys, you can mail your comics there.  They don’t need to be comics…You can donate candy, cellphones, cars, even cash (here’s a more complete list of things you can do, including volunteering your time).  But do something.

Trust me…I’m lazy, self-involved and practically a shut-in, and I did.

At the very least, please re-blog, re-tweet and re-post the hell out of this on Facebook so others can.

I have two - count’em, two - creator-owned graphic novels out in November, and if you’d like to own them, the best way to do that it is to pre-order them TODAY from your local retailer.

First up: out in November, and available for pre-order TODAY is my latest Original Graphic Novel, DECOY, from Kickstart Comics.

DECOY is the story of an seemingly average guy who learns he’s a robot when he miraculously survives a terror attack. But not just any robot - he’s a robot replica for Agent Zekiel Dax, the world’s deadliest secret agent.

Unlike the Life Model Decoys that say, S.H.I.E.L.D. uses, Zekiel’s Decoy wasn’t created to be used in the field or fake his death. The Decoy was designed to safeguard Agent Dax’s family and otherwise provide cover while he’s off saving the world.

When Agent Dax is captured, The Decoy is forced to rescue him…only to learn that the man he was created to replace is a gambling, womanizing gun for hire. When the “family” the Decoy was programmed to protect is put in jeopardy; this unlikely pair has to team up to save them.

The art is by TERMINATOR’S Andy MacDonald and it’s phenomenal.

Just give your local comic shop Diamond Code SEP111131 and they should be able to put one on hold for you.

Also out in November is the trade paperback collection of FEARLESS, my Image Comic book series co-created by writer David Roth and artist PJ Holden (2000AD).

FEARLESS chronicles the adventures vigilante with a crippling anxiety disorder who becomes dependent upon on anti-fear drug - not just to fight crime, but to function in everyday life. Volume One is the story of what happens when that drug supply is mysteriously cut off.

If you weren’t able to pick it up all the single issues, give your retailer Diamond Code SEP110399.

Last, but not least, the first TWO issues of my latest comic book series, GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES, are available in stores NOW.

GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES features Marines and Taliban teaming up against zombies in Afghanistan. The first issue sold out and immediately went into a second printing. The second issue (of four) has been out less than a week, so now would be a great chance to pick it up before it flies off the shelves.

The art is by GROUNDED co-creator (and Amazing Spider-Man) artist Paul Azaceta, and I think is his best work to date.

Here’s the cover to issue 2, which I’m not sure I’ve featured on here yet: