When life goes bad, when things don't work out, or horrible things happen,that's when you start to learn the importance of community. Things couldn'thave gotten much worse on September 11, 2001. On that day we all stood inhorror, aghast at what people are capable of doing to one another. But afterthe initial horror began to fade the majority of us said, "What can I doto help?" For some it meant driving down to the local Red Cross anddonating blood, for others it meant grabbing a shovel and driving to thedisaster sites to help dig out. For millions across the country it meanthanging out American flags in a show of nationwide community. On that day thecomics world also came together in a show community. After a flurry of nervousphone calls and e-mails, checking to see if everyone was all right, and ideaformed. Artists, writers, and other comics professionals started to ask thatsame question, "What can I do to help?" Out of this question came thebook simply titled September 11. An industry wide effort, September11 is a project of unpresedented proportions featuring comics artists andwriters from across the world sharing their thoughts and feelings about whathappened on that warm day in early September. All of the proceeds fromSeptember 11 will go to aid the victims of the tragedy, which isimportant in and of itself. On a larger scale September 11 conveys animportant sense of community. Reading through the stories in September11 you discover a multitude of feelings ranging from anger and shock tocaring and hope. Some creators chose to convey their feelings on a metaphoricor poetic level. Others have kept their stories painfully realistic. Regardlessof approach, all the stories in September 11 reflect the emotions feltby us all on that frightening day. The shared stories in September 11let us know that we are not alone in dealing with this tragedy. It was with thehelp of each other we made it through that day. And it's with the help of eachother we will make it through whatever is to come.September 11 will be available at comics shops and book stores in earlyJanuary, 2002.