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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First of all Congrats to Greg and Sue. May Rachel's
life be blessed with the best life has to offer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>This topic seems like a good segue into a
e-mail I received the other day. It from Jimmy Gownley of Renaissance Press and
the wonderful comic "Amelia Rules!" Mr. Gownley has an annual art auction ever
year to benefit a charity. This year he is planning something different. I've
copied and pasted the e-mail here and you can check it out on eBay. Seller:
Tannerrocks. I very much agree with his philosophy. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial size=2>Also,
check out Amelia Rules! It's lots of fun!</FONT><BR><BR>G.A.S.P. Wants
You!<BR><BR>If you spend any amount of time in or around the comic industry you
have<BR>no doubt heard a great deal of lip service paid to the value of
quality<BR>comic books for kids. About how they are the best way to attract new
readers<BR>to the field. About how children's comics are an absolute necessity
if the<BR>industry is to continue past this current generation of superhero
fans. And<BR>indeed, the past several years have seen the emergence of many
wonderful<BR>kid's books. Akiko, Growing Up Enchanted, Patty Cake and Friends,
WJHC and<BR>other titles have all contributed greatly to this often neglected
segment of<BR>our market. Still, if you look at industry sales figures, none of
these<BR>books cracks the top 50 or even the top 100 in comic book
shops.<BR><BR>I would like to change that.<BR><BR>Because of Amelia Rules!
association with ibooks, and Simon & Schuster, we<BR>have an almost
unprecedented window of opportunity to have the media<BR>spotlight shine on this
corner of the comic book world. Our first trade<BR>paperback is poised to enter
it's third printing in eighteen months. Our<BR>second is ready to go, and we
have received major interest from book clubs.<BR>We have even entered into an
agreement with German publisher Eidelon for a<BR>translated edition. These are
opportunities that cannot be wasted.<BR><BR>It is my intention to spend the next
eighteen months campaigning on behalf<BR>of quality kids comics, and to try to
attract as many young readers as<BR>possible to the industry. To do this, we
will have to look beyond our<BR>traditional marketplace, and reach out to
schools, to libraries, to scout<BR>troops, to clubs and to any other place that
has been neglected as the comic<BR>book industry drifted into it's current state
of isolation.<BR><BR>I believe there are tens of thousands of young readers who
would love<BR>comic books, but to reach them I need your help.<BR><BR>All
campaigns need funding, and to this end, I have come up with the<BR>following
proposal. WE need fifty dedicated Amelia readers to become<BR>full-fledged
members of G.A.S.P. Members will receive:<BR>-A full-color watercolor sketch of
the Amelia character of your choice.<BR>-One page of original Amelia art (our
choice, but guaranteed to feature<BR>Amelia)<BR>-An autographed full color
Amelia Rules! poster (18x24)<BR>-A complete run of the Amelia 'Superheroes'
series as it is published<BR>-A membership card<BR>-A personal letter of thanks
from me.<BR><BR>The cost of this membership is $200, and will be limited to
fifty<BR>individuals. All proceeds will go towards financing the campaign, and
be<BR>kept in an account separate from the main Renaissance Press monies which
go<BR>toward the production of the book. This will replace our charity art
auction<BR>for this year. To become a member, send your check or money order,
made<BR>payable to Jimmy Gownley, to:<BR></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Amelia Rules!<BR><?xml:namespace
prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/><st1:address><st1:Street>PO Box
5060</st1:Street><BR><st1:City>Harrisburg</st1:City>, <st1:State>PA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode>17110</st1:PostalCode></st1:address><BR><BR>We have also decided
to put ten memberships on Ebay for your convenience.<BR><BR>If you are a
teacher, librarian, comic shop owner, fellow creator, scout<BR>master, book
seller, or just an interested individual, and want to be a part<BR>of this
campaign, please write. We will need help organizing events,<BR>planning our
strategy, and networking.<BR><BR>With your help, I believe we can shake this
industry out of it's steroids<BR>and spandex daze. We can rise above the
Fantagraphics gloom. We can look at<BR>the books on the comic shop walls and
say: "Childhood is back...Comics are<BR>for kids again..and you know what?
AMELIA RULES!"<BR><BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>Jimmy Gownley<BR><BR>Amelia
Rules!<BR><st1:address><st1:Street>P.O. Box
5060</st1:Street><BR><st1:City>Harrisburg</st1:City>, <st1:State>PA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode>17110</st1:PostalCode></st1:address><BR><BR><STRONG>"It's not
enough to do well, you must also do good"<BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"></STRONG></P>
<P>John Torregrossa<BR>PO Box 28184<BR>Providence, RI 02908-0184<BR>eBay ID:
Groo<BR><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR
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