Hero Initiative is a non-profit organization focused on helping comic creators in need. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably read stories about old time creators who were swindled by big companies, or even ones who might have recently incurred huge medical bills, or an inability to retire… you name it. Some of them are really sad! HI, through the donations of fans and other folks, helps these people financially.

I had heard about the series of “100 Projects,” and had seen designated covers of comics that various artists would draw and donate to raise funds. Every so often, a comic company will release an issue with a blank cover, and as I understand it, 100 different artists draw a black and white or cover sketch which are not only sold but then compiled by Hero Initiative into a collected edition of art. When I heard there was a Superman version coming out, my curiosity was piqued.

I finally caved and bought a copy of the hardcover edition last week (also available as softcover), which was really easy to do when you consider that the proceeds go to creators in need. The book is beautifully put together as a standard size hardcover, whose production values are just as good as any comic collection out there- quality paper stock, colors, etc. It also came with a brochure about what Hero Initiative is and has done in the past year or so. Really nice stuff.

The book has some great content too! Mark Waid- someone with big time pedigree- writes a two-page introduction to the collection that talks about the history of Superman as a character. The rest of the book is divided into two parts, one for one page drawings and the second for two-page spreads.

Some of the art in this collection is absolutely sensational, stuff that is right up there with any Superman I’ve ever seen. Some of it… is not.

Considering that they need 100 artists to do a drawing, it stands to reason that some will be less impressive than others. It also very clearly is art that is sketched onto a physical book and scanned, as opposed to going through the typical production process of comic books, and this also can look a bit amateur. When you thumb through the book, it can be really distracting, although again, it’s meant to be something to benefit a cause, so it’s okay.

One more note on something I’m less than crazy about, I also wish the sketches were done on blank pages. I get that these are published issues meant to garner attention from the public, but it feels like it takes away a “timeless” quality to have it stuck in a certain month of the present day, if that makes sense. I couldn’t care less about “Dawn of DC” or whatever vanilla stuff they’re doing with the brand right now. I’d much prefer maybe just a blank page or at most just a plain DC or Superman logo.

All of that being said, the caliber of the creators is incredible, and reads like a Who’s Who of comics from any era: Franks Miller and Quitely, the Triangle Era boys- Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway and Jon Bogdanove, as well as other greats like Matt Wagner, Greg Smallwood, Steve Rude, Dave Johnson and many more (and good for them for helping out!). Any Superman fan who picks this up will find something in here that they enjoy.

I was on the fence about buying this book because of the aforementioned reasons, but I’m glad I ultimately did decide to pick it up. The entire print run for the hardcover is 500 copies and the company says it will never be reprinted, so there is that as well.

I might do some digging one day soon and see what other “100 Projects” have been published!

If you wish to help a good cause and pick up one of these books, they can be found either on HI’s website or their eBay store for the same price.