Operation Sequential Art: Send Comics to the Troops!

Q. What is "Operation Sequential Art?"
A. It's a coalition of Comic Book Retailers who send their overstock, and customer's donations of comics to military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Q. How was this program created?
A. "A Comic Shop" in Winter Park, FL thought sending the store's excess comics to Iraq and Afghanistan was a better idea than storing them for years hoping someone, someday would buy them. Since the beginning of the program, "A Comic Shop" has asked their customers to donate to the troops. Many of their customers have donated 1000s of comics to the program.

Q. Do you just send comics?
A. We send comics, Graphic Novels, and Sci-Fi novels. But, if you have old DVDs, magazines, or anything else of entertainment value, we'll also pack it in the boxes of comics. We do need to screen the comics going to Afghanistan, they have stricter limits on the content that is allowed in the country.

Q. As a retailer, what resources can I get to help me promote my donation drive?
A. We have a poster you can order from Zazzle.com. We have flyers we can customize for your Donation Drive. We also have a press release you can download and customize for your own needs. If you need anything else, please contact resources@opseqart.com, We'll also add you to the list of "Participating Comics Shops" on http://www.opseqart.com

Poster
http://www.zazzle.com/operation_sequential_art

Press Kit
*RIGHT-CLICK* "SAVE TARGET AS" TO DOWNLOAD

Artwork
Coming Soon...

Q. How do you figure out where to send the comics?
A. We use www.anysoldier.com.

Q. Do you just send your "BAD" comics to the troops?
A. We do our best to send only the comics we'd want to read. We also try to send entire story arcs and if possible, we love sending the whole Graphic Novel of a story.

Q. How can I help?
A. Two options...
1. If you are a retailer, join the program.
All it cost is a little time to put it together, a little time to pack up the comics, and a little bit of money to ship them overseas.
2. If you are a comic fan, go through your collection and dig out the comics you can live to part with and bring them into a participating comic shop.
Or, if your comic shop isn't participating, ask them to join the program, or use www.anysoldier.com to find someone to mail them to yourself.

Q. Aren't older comics worth a lot of money?
A. Not really. If you want to see if your collection is worth money before you decide to donate it, then put a few of your comics on eBay and see if they sell. Or, take them to a local retailer and see if they will purchase them. If none of that sells your books, they are better off going to the troops.

Q. Is this some kind of publicity stunt?
A. No. It's a program designed to share our love for comics to people who will appreciate them.

Q. How do I know the retailer won't go through my collection and keep the better comics from themselves?
A. You don't, but we recommend you ask the retailer the same question if it's a concern of yours. If anyone hears of a retailer doing this, please notify us at report@opseqart.com.

Q. What if I oppose the war?
A. No problem, we'll send your comics, graphic novels, and Sci-Fi novels to Afghanistan and Iraq instead of Iraq and Afghanistan. Seriously, it's not about politics, it's about people like ourselves who will enjoy our donations.

Q. Can you ship a box to my friend or relative stationed overseas?
A. If they are IN Iraq and Afghanistan and we have enough comics to send, YES!
Send us a message with their full APO address. mail@opseart.com

Q. What if I have other questions?
A. Then send us a message and we'll reply with an answer and add it to our Frequently Asked Questions. faq@opseqart.com

Current Drives & Dates:

Now - Ongoing:

Apocalypse Comics
2126 Highway 9 E # E2
Longs, SC 29568
(843) 399-4765

Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl

Details: "Apocalypse Comics" is preparing their first shipments to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you're in South Carolina, make sure to stop by and drop off your donation.

Past Drives:

November 5th - November 9th
COMPLETED

Dream Strands
115 N. 85th Street
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 297-3737
http://www.dreamstrands.com

Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl

Details: On Wednesday, November 5th, we'll be taking donations of comic books to send to our troops overseas this holiday season. The best thing about comics is reading them, and since most of us aren't sexy pin-up girls and can't sing & dance, this is the perfect way for us to entertain the troops! So, if you've got too many piles of comics clutter, now's the perfect chance to pass them along to others who might enjoy them.

DreamStrands will be donating some graphic novels, single-issue stories, complete story arcs and mini-series because we all know how frustrating it can be to be missing the last chapter of a kick-ass story! The entire operation is making the attempt at a Guinness Book of World Records entry with this drive, so we'd love your support!

We'll be joined from 12-3 by creators Matt Southworth (Stumptown, Infinity Inc.) and Stefano Gaudiano (Daredevil, Gotham Central)

To sweeten the deal, we'll be having a raffle for some nifty li'l items and anyone who donates comics gets a free ticket (If you'd like to buy more tickets with proceeds going to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, they will be $1.00 each)!

Donation Drive Conclusion:

4,000+ Comics, Graphic Novels, Sci-Fi Novels Donated

15+ Boxes Full

400+ Pounds of Donations

Now - September 21st, 2008:
COMPLETED

Tate's Comics
4566 North University Drive
Lauderhill, FL 33351
954-748-0181

Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl

Details: TATE'S is collecting donations of comics to be boxed up and shipped to entertainment starved military personnel who are far from home!

Q. When should I bring my comics in?
A. Anytime that we are open! When you are dropping them off, please let the TATE'S employee at the register up front know that they are for Operation Sequential Art! We will accepting donations through Sunday, September 21, 2008.

Sunday: July 26th, 2008
10am - 10pm
COMPLETED

Donation Drive & Chuck Dixon Signing

A Comic Shop
114 S. Semoran Blvd, Suite 6
Winter Park, FL 32792
(407) 332-9636
www.acomicshop.com
www.myspace.com/acomicshop

Directions:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f

Details: "A Comic Shop" has Chuck Dixon signing in cooperation with their "Operation Sequential Art" donation drive. Make sure to stop by, donate some comics, and meet legendary Batman writer, Chuck Dixon.

Donation Drive Conclusion:

14,000+ Comics, Graphic Novels, Sci-Fi Novels Donated

79+ Boxes Full

2000+ Pounds of Donations

Press:

Central Florida Future
Article

Photos from the Event:

Angus (Left) and volunteers sort through the donations, removing bags and boards and checking the content of the comics. Explicit comics are not allowed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marvel donated over 40+ RPG books we included in the first 40+ boxes of comics. RPG books are great because they can create a never-ending source of entertainment.

The boxes began to really stack up.

The local press showed up to help us get the word out about the event. It really helped bring out many people who had comics sitting in their garages and attics since the 90's.

Chuck Dixon lent us his name to help get the word out and bring in more donations for the program. Chuck is great!

Chuck added his own mark to our bathroom door of creators.

Donations continued to pour in all day long, all the way until closing. The local radio station let us call in throughout the day and give them updates on how much has been donated.

By the end of the day we ran out of boxes to put all the donations in.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated!!!

Next donation drive will be on November 5th, 2008