Russ Heath’s Comic About Being Ripped Off By Roy Lichtenstein Will Give You A New Appreciation For The Hero Initiative

With six decades of work under his belt, Russ Heath is arguably one of the most important creators in comics. It was his art that was, to put it charitably, "adapted" by Roy Lichtenstein for the pop art pieces that made him famous. Of course, as is unfortunately so often the case for hard-working creators in comics, while Lichtenstein made millions lightboxing panels Heath had drawn in the pages of DC's romance and war comics, Heath himself never saw a dime, despite continuing a career that saw him become one of the most respected elder statesmen of the industry.

Now, at the age of 84, Heath has written and drawn a short comic (with colors and lettering by Darwyn Cooke) about his experience not only with Lichtenstein, but with the Hero Initiative and how they've helped his life as well.

If you're not familiar with the Hero Initiative, they're one of our favorite organizations here at ComicsAlliance -- a nonprofit set up to create a "financial safety net" for comic book creators in need, helping with medical bills and living expenses. It's one thing to know that they're doing good things in the world, but Heath's comic, showing both the help provided during his surgery and the simple pleasure of a bottle of wine, really shows just how much good they're doing.

Donations can be made to the Hero Initiative at their website.