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CrossGen Carves Out New Territory...
When CrossGen Comics entered the scene a little over two years ago, the company promised great comics loosely bound together by a shared universe. The company logo symbolized this association, as its sigil could be found on many of its main characters. And, as intended, reading one title didn't actually mean you had to read them all in order to understand them (though many people do read them all).
In addition, publisher Mark Alessi surprised the industry by creating an actual studio for his publishing company. Call it a throwback to the fabled bullpen system, where writers, artists and editors all work side by side in one building. Many high-profile creators such as Bart Sears, Barbara Kesel, and Ron Marz left work for other companies to follow Alessi's dream. All agreed to work exclusively for the budding company.
Some of that changed when Alessi managed to lure George Perez and Mark Waid to the fold. Rather than be limited to CrossGen titles, the two were allowed to simultaneously honor promises to other companies, a deal that allowed Perez to take a hiatus from CrossGen work to draw the long-awaited JLA/Avengers book. But in all that time, the editorial mission of CrossGen remained the same. Until last week…
CrossGen has formed two new imprints, intended to make it easier for creators to see their own visions brought to the public. If it sounds similar to how Image Comics operates, you'd better believe that the Big I is already feeling the heat. One of their most critically-acclaimed titles has caught the boat to Tampa, Florida.
CG Entertainment has formed in order to distribute work done by studios outside of CrossGen, and Archangel Studios will be the first to take advantage of the new imprint. Previously announced as publishing on their own, Archangel may be more commonly known as Team Red Star. Yes, The Red Star will soon marketed, solicited and distributed through CrossGen.
The two companies were full of mutual accolades.
"The Red Star is one of the most beautiful comics being published today, and what Team Red Star has been going through in order to get their book to market is a perfect illustration of why CGE exists," Alessi said. "The fact that these guys have had to work so hard to get this book on shelves is ridiculous. We believe in their book, we believe in their commitment to quality and we believe that together we can pave the way for a long and prosperous run with one of the highest quality comics on the market today."
"CGE is exactly what we've been looking for," said Christian Gossett, creator of The Red Star and co-owner of Archangel Studios. "We have had nothing but respect for the way CrossGen has approached the comics industry, and as independent creators, we feel that CGE allows us to tap into the best of both worlds. We get to create The Red Star the way we always have, but then we also get to benefit from the market strength and marketing ingenuity of one of comics' movers and shakers."
The second new imprint from CrossGen will be known as Code 6 Comics. Intended as an "independent comics" line, Code 6 takes its name from the Florida police signal code meaning "escaped prisoner." While no titles have officially been announced, CrossGen hints that already they have received a lot of interest.
Under the terms of Code 6, creators would share ownership of their titles with CrossGen, in return for the company's marketing abilities and a benefits package that would enable creators to actually make a living at doing comics.
"CrossGen's primary mission has been and always will be to make comics relevant to a new generation," said Alessi. "The creation of CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics is a natural and logical progression of that mission. We'd be foolish and arrogant to believe that CrossGen's creators are the only people out there creating great comics. The problem, though, is that the existing means for independent creators to get their works published isn't equal to the task of delivering them to the currently troubled marketplace. There's some great stuff out there that hasn't seen the light of day, so we're taking on the additional responsibility of using the marketing and distribution infrastructure we've created at CrossGen to bring other comics to the public."
With the aggressive licensing that CrossGen has been able to do in the last few months (including film, television and gaming deals), both CG Entertainment and Code 6 seem attractive prospects for creators. Time will tell if others see it Team Red Star's way.
