As of October 2020, the comics industry has provided more than $950,000 supporting comic shop retailers struggling to survive the pandemic lockdown.
While Binc has been helping booksellers and comic book shop employees since 2011, many comic fans weren’t aware of Binc prior to the onset of the COVID crisis when the foundation and its comics community partners launched The Comicbook United Fund.
“Comic book stores have supported us for years, now is the time for us to support them,” said comics writer Sam Humphries, #Creators4Comics co-organizer. “Binc’s experience with donations and distribution was crucial — without them, our community would not have been able to respond with such overwhelming support.”
Launched in April 2020, the Comicbook United Fund is operated by Binc and supported by Oni-Lion Forge, Polarity, DC, Jim Lee, Creators4Comics, and many others from across the industry. As of October 2020, the comics industry has provided more than $950,000 supporting comic shop retailers struggling to survive the pandemic lockdown. 637 verified and qualified comic book shops across the U.S. and its territories received grants ranging from $800 to $2,400. In addition to those funds, 156 comic retail employees and owners received a total of $174,000 in grants to pay personal expenses during the pandemic.
While all of us here at Binc have been amazed by the number of people from across the comic industry who are rallying around their local stores and employees during these uncertain times, the real heroes in this story are the comic shop owners themselves who are facing extraordinary challenges and are working tirelessly to reinvent themselves and continue to serve their communities.
Does your local comic book shop know about Binc? Please help us spread the word. Binc is a safety net to protect against unexpected emergencies from medical issues to national disasters to unexpected funeral expenses.
And if you’re a comic book retailer who needs assistance, please reach out to kit@bincfoundation.org or kate@bincfoundation.org for more info.