Comic Arts Halloween Online Auction for St. Jude Charity

Stephen Bryant is a Chicago based comic book artist who decided to help fight childhood cancer.  He has teamed up with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to start up the Let the Kids Trick or Treat for St. Jude Charity Auction, an auction that raises money to help fight against cancer.  Mr. Bryant not only put his own artwork up for auction, but asked many of his friends and contacts in the art community to step up and offer something themselves, myself included.  I had a chance to chat with Stephen about the charity auction.

Before we begin, Stephen, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, my name is Stephen Bryant. I am the owner of SRB Productions, Inc. and Art Director of SalGad Publishing Group, Ltd.  Over the years, I have become known for my horror, 50s noir, and subversive humor book covers.

What is the Let the Kids Trick or Treat for St. Jude Auction?

Let the Kids Trick or Treat for St. Jude is a charity fundraiser event that I came up with about two months ago.  I wanted to figure out a way to combine my practical skills and my yearly donation to St. Jude.  Thankfully my brain was at full blast that day, so I was able to focus that energy into an online charity auction.

Why did you want to start this charity auction?

I have always had a soft spot when it comes to kids, so I wanted to try and make a bigger impact this year.  I asked a couple artist friends if they were willing to donate and, based on the immediate response, I knew that we may have struck a chord with people.  So I started growing it from there, set up the auction, and asked for more donations and contributors.

The items up for auction seem to be focused on comic books and other related artworks.  Why did you choose these kinds of items for your auction?

Since I am a regular on the comic convention scene, I already had a bunch of contacts and friends that I knew would be willing to share.  However I still wanted to have a wide variety of things to choose from.  Now we have several comic artists and writers who donated, but we also have comedy writers, children writers, fine artists, and a jewelry artisan.

How long has this idea been cooking in your head?

Two months.  I never really planned on doing anything larger than having a personal auction.  Then I started thinking, “What if Dan would donate a piece… that could draw in more people.  What about Ryan and John?”  Then it started to snowball to where we are now, with over 18 items up for auction.

Besides you and me, who else is involved in this auction?

I am currently the only one running the actual auction, but there is a great list of contributors.  Dan Dougherty, DJ Cochrin, Brendan Carrick etc… there are really too many to list.  On top of that we have two publishers contributing a selection of books, which by itself is over 15 books!

Were there any obstacles along the way, or has the whole project been pretty smooth?

Smooth is a relative term.  Once I had all the information from the donators, everything went according to plan. The hard part was initially telling everyone about the event.  With some people on board, they told a friend, and then another friend, and so on and so forth.

Where can people go to view or bid on items in the auction?

You can go to our webpage at: http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/4961/auctions/5484

This is the list of all the items up for auction.

You can also visit our Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/493934360630543/?ref=ts&fref=ts

If there is only one thing you want to people to know about this auction, what would it be?

It’s not about me, the artist or the artwork, it is about the kids.  My favorite time of year is in October.  It is a visual plethora of creepy visuals for little boys and girls.  For one night… one night, kids get to be that monster on TV that scared you, the princess from the story, a solider like daddy, a cowboy, a pirate, a robot, whatever you want.

Some kids don’t get that chance.  Some are too busy fighting for their lives.  I want to make sure that people can be grateful for what they have, and give out to people who are truly defenseless and need help.  The kids at St. Jude deserve their childhood, and hopefully with our donation we can get them recovered a little quicker.

Any other projects coming down the pipeline?  What’s next for Stephen Bryant?

I always have one in the oven.  Next month I have three new novels coming from SalGad Publishing Group, followed by another release by Grand Mal Press.  I plan on staying busy, and if this event is a success, I will be making it an annual event.

Thank you, and good luck with the auction!

Well, thank you for the interview.

So far things are going quite well in the auction.  Over $250 has already been earned, and the auction doesn’t end until October 31.  So, if you are feeling charitable, please consider bidding on one of the many items in this auction.  It is most definitely for a worthy cause.

I have put up a decent lot featuring my comic book series, Star Crossed Galaxy, but many other creators and artists have other items as well.  I would like to thank my friend, Stephen, for not only agreeing to this interview, but also for establishing this auction in the first place.  Thanks, Stephen, and thank you to everyone who has already bid in the auction!