#michael whitehead

So, you may have heard that the @Comics4_kids twitter (run by @MP_Whitehead) was called out for soliciting donations of comics and then giving them to his kid (or 2nd cousin or something - someone in his own family). Rather than do anything resembling explaining himself, he chose to freak out and target his accuser, who happens to be a good friend of mine, along with the podcast he runs w/ another good friend of mine (@ComicsTherapy - go listen!). When other people came forward saying they'd had bad experiences w/ this guy, or got a sketchy vibe off him, he cursed them out, refused to answer questions, and was generally pretty shady. Last night it all got epic crazy when superstar comics writer Mark Waid called the guy out, attempted to explain to him why he was handling this badly (giving him the benefit of the doubt that his charity wasn't fake), and then the guy had a huge meltdown and claimed he was closing the charity. Now, the FB page has been deleted, but the twitter account hasn't, so clearly he plans to be back. 

This guy constantly asks for donations of comics AND money via paypal for his charity, but there are never actually pictures of kids receiving comics (other than kids who look suspiciously like they are his own family members), and he reuses photos of shipments repeatedly, and also he doesn't actually post any of the 501(c)3 disclosure info you're supposed to post if you're a non-profit anywhere on his twitter or FB pages. He's incorporated in the state of Mississippi, but any asshole with $50 and a printer can do that. Not sure how thorough they are about checking on things. 

TL; DR - It's very possible Comics4_kids is a fake charity (they're definitely riffing off the REAL Comics4Kids Inc, based in Seattle), and he targeted my friends with a lot of abuse, and he should at the very least be investigated for shady practices. 20,000 people follow him on twitter. Pros have agreed to donate art and books. If this kind of thing bugs you, or if you've given this guy any money or books, or he's asked you for any money or books, please file a report with the Federal Trade Commission and/or the IRS. 

You can report suspected fraudulent charities to the FTC here; it takes 15-20 minutes. You do need to have some personal information on him which you can get from his articles of incorporation. 

To report suspected fraudulent activity by a tax-exempt organization (such as a 501(c)3 or other nonprofit) to the IRS, you can use Form 13909 here.

I wouldn't go to all the trouble of gathering all this information if I was just trying to bully some idiot who was in a beef with my friends over a podcast. I'm not about fraudulent use of government resources. I sincerely think this guy is up to something - he HAS asked me for money and also wanted digital comic book codes, which is weird. His behavior during this ordeal has been hostile, obtuse, and less than suitable for a guy who claims to be "in it for the kids". I'm also hearing a lot of stories from women who say he's been gross to them online, saying misogynist or pervy stuff. Something is amiss here. I would like to see it cleared up. If he turns out to be a legit charity, and he's just an asshole who freaked out and doesn't know about PR, that would be great. Not the asshole part, but the not fake part. I don't like the idea that people have been swindled. It would be nice if the worst thing he was guilty of was rudeness and not being great about disclosure. He can correct his practices, and go about his good work. 

BUT. If this guy is taking advantage of people's goodwill to pad his comics collection or his bank account, that shit's gotta stop. PLUS the real Comics4Kids is probably not pleased about this.