S.O.S. anthology coming to help comic shops affected by COVID-19

(Image credit: AfterShock Comics)

AfterShock Comics has announced plans for a special anthology to be offered free to comic shops, as a way to to help them mitigate the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses. 

(Image credit: AfterShock Comics)

Support Our Shops (S.O.S.) is a 48-page anthology that "celebrates the central and critical role that comic shops have always played in fostering a love of the medium among fans – many of whom have gone on to become creators in their own right," according to publisher Joe Pruett.

Creators participating in this anthology include Cullen Bunn, Stephanie Phillips, Zac Thompson, Steve Orlando, Jamie McKelvie, Jerry Ordway, Aaron Douglas, Leila Leiz, Don Kramer, Szymon Kudranski, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Gordon Purcell, and Cliff Richards.

AfterShock will give 20 free copies of the anthology to the 200 comic shops who have historically ordered the most from the publisher. The next 300 comic shops will receive 10 free copies each. Stores not in AfterShock's top 500 are encouraged to ask for copies.

"It might be a drop in the bucket, but it’s a hell of a drop in the bucket," Pruett said in the announcement. "These are heartfelt stories, crafted by creators with deep, lasting connections to the comic shops of yesterday, today and, we have no doubt, tomorrow."

The publisher is not restricting how comic shops sell these books, stating they can be given away free, used as a purchase incentive, or sold for any price point the retailer wishes.

“Speaking and connecting with hundreds of comic shops regarding the challenges they face – as an overall retail channel and as individual and independent business owners – we felt an obligation to give something back, something that was uniquely AfterShock," the company's senior VP of sales and marketing Steve Rotterdam said. "We’ve always been about creators and their visions, so this was an easy decision."

AfterShock's S.O.S. anthology is scheduled to be available June 24. The publisher hasn't provided any specifics for readers about which shops will carry the title, or if a digital edition is planned.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)