# Heroes Against Hunger

Heroes Against Hunger is a 1986 all-star benefit comic book for African famine relief and recovery. Published by DC Comics in the form of a "comic jam" or exquisite corpse, the book starred Superman and Batman. Spearheaded by Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson, all proceeds from the comic went to hunger relief in Africa.

## Publication history

Heroes Against Hunger came about in response to the devastating 1983–85 famine in Ethiopia. The concept was nearly identical to the earlier benefit comic, Heroes for Hope, published by Marvel Comics in 1985 (which was also spearheaded by Wrightson and Starlin), and was in the spirit of contemporaneous musical fund-raisers like Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", USA for Africa's "We Are the World", and the Live Aid concerts.

## Plot

In a story called "A Song of Pain and Sorrow!", Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor try to curtail the Ethiopian famine. While there, they interact with Peace Corps member Lee Ann Layton. Their antagonist is a green-skinned, four-armed giant with a keyboard embedded on his chest called the Master. The Master feeds on entropy, so he is strengthened by the Ethiopian famine.

## Contributors

The story was plotted by Jim Starlin with a plot assist from Bernie Wrightson. The editor was Robert Greenberger. Front cover penciled by Neal Adams, with inks by Dick Giordano; back cover by Bill Sienkiewicz. Logo design by Gaspar Saladino.
There were 100 contributors to the project. In addition to Starlin and Wrightson, a number of Heroes for Hope contributors also donated their creative labors to Heroes Against Hunger, including John Byrne, Howard Chaykin, John Costanza, Steve Englehart, Klaus Janson, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Michael Kaluta, Steve Leialoha, Al Milgrom, Gray Morrow, Josef Rubinstein, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson, and Alan Weiss.
| Pages | Writer | Penciler | Inker | Letterer | Colorist |
| 1, 48 | Jim Starlin | George Pérez | Kim DeMulder | Helen Vesik | Daina Grazanus |
| 2-3 | Cary Bates | Paris Cullins | Tony DeZuniga | Carrie Spiegle | Michele Wolfman |
| 4–5 | Elliot S. Maggin | Denys Cowan | Val Mayerik | Carrie Spiegle | Michele Wolfman |
| 6-7 | Paul Levitz | Jan Duursema | Alfredo Alcala | Helen Vesik | Gene D'Angelo |
| 8–9 | Mike W. Barr | Keith Giffen | Joe Staton | Duncan Andrews | Carl Gafford |
| 10-11 | Michael Fleisher | Ross Andru | Klaus Janson | John Workman | Carl Gafford |
| 12-13 | Bob Rozakis | José Luis García-López | Jerry Ordway | Agustin Mas | Anthony Tollin |
| 14–15 | Roy Thomas | Carmine Infantino | Murphy Anderson | Milt Snapinn | Tom Ziuko |
| 16-17 | J. M. DeMatteis | Marshall Rogers | Karl Kesel | John Costanza | George Roberts |
| 18–19 | Robert Bloch | Bernie Wrightson | Michael Kaluta | Bob Lappan | Anthony Tollin |
| 20–21 | Robert Loren Fleming | Joe Brozowski | Gray Morrow | Bob Pinaha | Gene D'Angelo |
| 22–23 | Marv Wolfman | Sal Amendola | Jim Aparo | Albert DeGuzman | Liz Berube |
| 24-25 | Tony Isabella | Curt Swan | John Byrne | Todd Klein | Nansi Hoolahan |
| 26–27 | Gerry Conway | Barry Windsor-Smith | Jeff Jones | Todd Klein | Tatjana Wood |
| 28–29 | Barbara Randall | Ernie Colón | Terry Austin | Agustin Mas | Nansi Hoolahan |
| 30–31 | Andy Helfer | Walt Simonson | Steve Leialoha | John Workman | Joe Orlando |
| 32-33 | Dan Mishkin | Eduardo Barreto | Romeo Tanghal | Helen Vesik | Liz Berube |
| 34-35 | Len Wein | Dave Gibbons | Bruce Patterson | John Costanza | George Roberts |
| 36-37 | Ed Hannigan | Jack Kirby | Al Milgrom | Duncan Andrews | Tom Ziuko |
| 38–39 | Mindy Newell | Tony Salmons | Tom Mandrake | Bob Pinaha | Joe Orlando |
| 40-41 | Steve Englehart | Dan Jurgens | Bill Wray | Agustin Mas | Adrienne Roy |
| 42-43 | Joey Cavalieri | Joe Kubert | Josef Rubinstein | Andy Kubert | Adrienne Roy |
| 44-45 | Paul Kupperberg | David Ross | Howard Chaykin | Bob Lappan | Bob LeRose |
| 46-47 | Doug Moench | Jim Sherman | Greg Theakston & Alan Weiss | Todd Klein | Bob LeRose |