I told you recently about the big cartoon/animation art and memorabilia auction on eBay, to help the family of animator and director Tim Hodge. Tim’s son Matt was left in a coma when his car was struck by a train in their home town of Franklin,Tennessee. At this point, the Hodges have exhausted their medical insurance and are continuing to rack up high bills in the care of Matt (you can read more about Matt’s story at helpthehodges.com). A few friends of Tim’s decided to ask other artists to donate art for an eBay auction and, before long, the auction list read like a who’s who of the world’s famous cartoonists and animators! So far, the Help the Hodges campaign has raised thousands of dollars from the generosity of the cartooning and animation community.

Being a relatively unknown artist, I know that my original artwork wouldn’t bring much in an auction, so I have been banging my head to think of what I can do to help raise money for this cause. But it turns out that I have something that you, the readers of Red’s Planet, just might like to have.

Several people have asked where they can get a printed copy of Red’s Planet. Well, it happens that there are some in existence. Last September I had a limited run of the Red’s Planet Preview printed by the awesome Ka-Blam comic printers here in Orlando. I gave these copies as gifts to friends, family and colleagues. They have never been available for sale and will never be re-printed in this format.

My daughter Ginny with the Red's Planet Preview Issue

I am making available 20 copies of the Red’s Planet Preview Issue for Help the Hodges. Here’s how you can get one:

• For a donation of $10 or more, you get a signed copy of Red’s Planet Preview Issue.
• For a donation of $25 or more, you get a signed copy of Red’s Planet Preview Issue and a pencil sketch of Red.
• For a donation of $35 or more, you get a signed copy of Red’s Planet Preview Issue and an ink drawing of Red.
• For a donation of $50 or more, you get a signed copy of Red’s Planet Preview Issue and an Ink drawing of any two Red’s Planet characters of your choice.

So that’s it. If you are interested, here’s what you do:

• Step 1: Drop me an email (click here) and tell me you are interested.
• Step 2: I’ll send you an email and let you know that a book is reserved for you, with a link to make your donation via Paypal. Don’t make your donation until I have confirmed that copies are available (unless, of course, your joy of giving is uncontainable).
• Step 3: After you have made your donation, forward your Paypal receipt to me to verify your donation. I will then get your book into the mail within a day (if you have requested a drawing with your book, please allow 1-2 weeks for shipment). And don’t worry, there’s no private information on your Paypal receipt.

The printed edition of the Red's Planet Preview

Though this is not an official Help the Hodges offer, I have cleared this through Chad Frye, the coordinator of the Help the Hodges auction. All donations will be made through the Help the Hodges PayPal account, and no money will be transferred through me. Help the Hodges is a fund raising effort of the National Cartoonist Society Foundation, so all donations are tax-deductible. Please follow the above instructions, and type carefully.

Thanks everyone for your interest!

UPDATE

Thanks so much to everyone for the great response! There are still plenty of copies available, so don’t get left out!

UPDATE #2

As of today, we’ve raised $120 $155 $310 for Help the Hodges! There are still 12 11 8 books available in case anyone is interested. Thanks so much to everyone for your donations!

FINAL UPDATE

There are no more copies available. Thanks to everyone who donated to Help The Hodges!