Steven Seagle, writer for Marvel's Alpha Flight, will donate his signing fee for the Wizard Authentic Program's new Limited Variant Edition Guardian Action Figure. This special action figure of Alpha Flight's leader is manufactured for Wizard: The Comics Magazine, and production of the signed collectible edition has been coordinated by AnotherUniverse.com. Seagle has announced that his entire $1,000 signing fee will go directly to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

The CBLDF is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the preservation of free speech in the comics community. Seagle has been a consistent supporter of the Fund's efforts to fight censorship, and has donated money in the past to help pay the legal expenses of other comic professionals forced to defend their First Amendments rights in court.

"I've never been comfortable with the idea of being paid for my signature," said Seagle. "But when the comics store I shop at, Shooting Star in Glendale, California, became the target of undue persecution, the CBLDF came to its defense. I decided then that I should find a way to support the Fund, and signature-for-sale products became my way of contributing."

Seagle is the driving force behind Marvel's successful re-launch of Alpha Flight, and is garnering acclaim for his work on Uncanny X-Men. He's also written Sandman Mystery Theater, and is the creator of Vertigo's House of Secrets. He recently signed on to write the script for the feature film adaptation of House of Secrets.

"This is a great gesture on Steven's part," said CBLDF executive director Chris Oarr. "Perhaps more than anyone else, creators understand the importance of the First Amendment to the comics community. We all benefit when creators are free to express themselves without fear of outside interference."

The variant Guardian Action Figure is the newest entry in Wizard's Authentic Program. This program features signed limited-edition comics and collectible merchandise authenticated by Wizard: The Comics Magazine. AnotherUniverse.com, one of the nation's premiere mail-order and on-line comics stores, manages the program on behalf of Wizard. The Guardian Action Figure was produced by Toy Biz for Wizard and AnotherUniverse.com. The signed edition, limited to only 500 figures, will be available at http://www.anotheruniverse.com starting May 15, 1998. The signed figures will also appear in AnotherUniverse.com's mail-order catalog and in Diamond's Previews.

"I want to applaud Mr. Seagle's generosity toward the CBLDF," said Steve Milo, president of AnotherUniverse.com. "We are all part of the same industry and it's a great honor for us to team up with top creators like Steven Seagle and a leading publication like Wizard to support such an important cause."

Wizard: The Comics Magazine publisher Gareb Shamus was equally enthusiastic about the project. "I commend Steven not only on his contribution to the CBLDF, but on his commitment to the industry we love."