Marvel has announced that it is going back to press on Heroes, its 9/11 tribute/benefit book, for 'a third and final printing.'   Orders will be solicited by Diamond in the December 12th Diamond Dateline; the new printing will reach Diamond accounts on January 9th, 2002.  This print run will undoubtedly be at least 50,000, and could be much more.  And since Heroes has sold out its first printing of 100,000 (see 'Heroes Sells Out') and its second printing of 150,000 (see 'Heroes Second Printing To Be 150,000'), this book will definitely be the second comic of the year to cross the million dollar retail mark. 

Heroes was the highest dollar comic in pop culture stores (see 'Top 10 Cool-Comics') in November.  Until the release of Dark Knight Strikes Again #1 this month, it had been at least five years since a comic had hit the million dollar retail mark (see 'Return of the Million Dollar Comic'). 

Since Marvel has announced that it will be donating all of its Heroes proceeds to September 11 charities, and Diamond and Quebecor have also donated services, Heroes will also be the most spectacularly successful charity effort that we're aware of in comic book history.  Depending on the size of the third printing and the level of participation of Diamond and Quebecor in the second and third printings (as well as the percentage of retailers that donated proceeds to charity), Heroes will end up at least $500,000 and could hit $1 million in money raised for September 11 charities. 

The industry as a whole has also stepped up, with Dynamic Forces announcing that it has already raised over $100,000 (on a variety of projects, including an autographed edition of Heroes, see 'Dynamic Forces Raises...') and  two other major September 11 projects shipping in January.  Alternative Comics is shipping its '9/11 Emergency Relief' trade paperback in January (see '9 11 Emergency Relief').  And Dark Horse, DC, Chaos, and other publishers and creators will be cooperating in a two-volume trade paperback set (see 'DC Joins Dark Horse...').  Diamond and Quebecor are also participating in the two book projects, so there will also be significant dollars raised by those projects.