Benefit anthology comics are collections of stories where survivors of disasters tell their stories. For that reason no profits are made, all proceeds go to charity. If you need an example, we at Gutternaut reviewed Lower Your Sights. Other anthologies involve supporting causes like the Comic Book Defense League. But personally, after reading Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico I’ve been noticing similarities. So let’s go over them.
How Benefit Anthology Comics Start
Benefit anthology comics are made in reaction to disasters that affect scores of people. Ricanstruction is about Hurricane Maria’s effects on Puerto Rico and the efforts to rebuild stronger than ever. Then there’s Lower Your Sights, focusing on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The stories by loads of different people tell experiences in relation to these events. Unlike disaster movies that focus on exploiting people’s empathy like 2012, anthologies offer more self-reflection. They make people question reflect on what they have and what they can do to help.
As for anthologies that are more… diverse? It’s usually to give empathy on issues that might not affect them. Things like the choice on whether or not to abort a fetus and the pressures that come with it. Or the lack of financial support that comes from working on your favorite series. The results are pretty much the same in self-reflection.
Which is why these anthologies’ funding come from charitable groups. Rather than exploit people’s empathy for profit, creatives work with the resources to make a difference. As a result, readers gain a greater understanding of others through different views at an affordable price to support a good cause.
Structure
So what exactly makes up these anthologies?
Some of the most powerful stories are more or less adaptations of a person’s life post-crisis. They go into detail about how their daily life is disrupted by the aftershocks. What gave them peace at one time is now out of reach and that’s not even including getting supplies.
Other stories include trips into the past, figuratively and literally. They serve as a connection to how people have endured the harsh tragedies to inspire the present. Sometimes there are no tragedies, just bits that show why people still love what makes up their home.
If you are concerned if any anthologies look like propaganda, look to see if the stories are diverse. I don’t mean in ethnicity but people’s views and opinions. Choices for example doesn’t celebrate abortion, every story explores the nuance of planned parenting. There are a lot of struggles that people have to deal with, especially on the emotional side. Meanwhile anthologies involving the Covid pandemic aren’t strictly about how people needed to wear masks. There are plenty of stories about close calls and survivor’s distress.
But Personally
But there’s one social issue that I think people should know about, comic financials. Unlike the above disasters, this type is more or less a tragic obsolesce. Comic books are considered an exploited niche.
Comic book creatives have a history of average low pay. Even today most comic book creatives have a reputation of being unable to pay for certain expenses. Pulp Tales is the only benefit anthology I could find for personal matters. This anthology was to help Josh Medors, an artist who helped found the non-profit Help For Heroes. Diagnosed with spinal cancer in 2008, he survived for four more years thanks to this. It helped that the stories were by artists he had connections with like Ben Templesmith who have devout followings. Nowadays GoFundMe has become creators’ go-to emergency service. Which is a tragedy of itself because money is always a problem.
Even worse is how people still rely on the niche. Has anybody here ever heard of Ghost Comics? It was supporting community housing program RS Eden. No? Then there’s the problem; marketing and distribution. Most of the disaster relief series above rely on recognition, hence why most collections use familiar publishers. Almost none of them are DC or Marvel, probably because it’s difficult to find balance between too real stories and product placement. Unlike the alt-publishers that don’t shoehorn their IPs, they can use Humble Bundle for that. Ricanstruction is an exception, with its Puerto Rican futurism and spotlighting obscure DC characters like Chronos and Crimson Avenger.
Other charitable acts like CBLDF’s Liberty Comics or housing support, just don’t have the power to move people. Or at least not as much as they used to.
What Do You Take Away From Benefit Anthology Comics?
Benefit anthology comics are good ways for people to support causes while still buying a product. The passions and motivations to assist others is practically reflected in the art and characters. Best of all, the organizations sponsoring these collections actually raise money to help people. Provided anybody knows who they are and who supports them.
But remember, while the money spent can do a lot of good, these are often temporary solutions. The underlying cause of most struggles or disasters are from systemic failures. Not to mention unlike traditional 501 donations, these don’t give consumers tax benefits. Besides no amount of money raised can make problems go away or end conflicts faster. Much like superheroes, these are about aspiring to do good. Storytelling is just a lot easier than telling people to throw money at a problem.
Can it be better? Of course, but I don’t know how. Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.