New CrossGen Imprint to Publish Red Star
TAMPA, FL., June 28, 2002 – CrossGeneration Comics new publishing imprint, CG Entertainment, will begin publishing the popular independent comic book The Red Star starting with issue #10, the beginning of the book’s newest story arc, scheduled for release in November.
The Red Star will be the first independent comic to carry CG Entertainment’s logo, and be solicited and distributed to the direct market under the new CGE label. CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign its publishing Supply Agreement to CGE and allow CrossGen to publish and distribute non-CrossGen continuity titles – such as The Red Star – through CGE, as well. This new venture could have not have been created without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond’s consideration in this regard.
“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. And again, I cannot thank Diamond Comic Distributors enough for helping us set up our distribution contracts under CGE so that arrangements like the one with Team Red Star could come about. They’ve gone above and beyond on this one.”
Team Red Star’s new publishing imprint, Archangel Studios, will provide CGE with the finished product, which CGE will solicit, distribute and market.
“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 ball is really rolling now with the addition of The Red Star to the CGE family,” said Ian M. Feller, Director Business Development for CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics. “We couldn’t be happier to have such an incredible bunch of people associated with this new entity. CGE has only just been announced and the response to it has been overwhelming. It sure seems that there are a lot of creators looking for someplace new to bring their projects.”
CrossGen Creates New Publishing Entity and Launches New Imprint
TAMPA, FL., June 26, 2002 – CrossGeneration Comics, Inc. has launched two entities which will make it easier for creators to see their work published, licensed properties to make the transition into comic book form, and help resurrect other comics which have languished without the support of a publishing house.
CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Those projects include but are not limited to:
* Affiliated Creator-Owned comics – Comics created and owned by companies outside of CrossGen.
* Code 6 Comics – Code 6 Comics is a new imprint under CrossGen created for the purpose of publishing non-CrossGen Universe continuity titles, such as new projects outside of the CrossGen stable of creators who are willing to share ownership of the project with Code 6 Comics.
In addition, all of CrossGen’s current and future titles within – as well as outside – the continuity of the CrossGen Universe will also now be published through CG Entertainment’s Supply Agreement with Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign this agreement to CGE. This will allow CrossGen to publish and distribute all of the products stated above through the CGE banner. None of these new ventures could have been implemented without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond’s consideration in this regard.
Creators whose titles are published through CGE as affiliates will retain complete ownership of their properties, but be able to choose from an extensive list of added value services from CrossGen that include marketing, licensing, Comics on the Web and merchandising among others. These same creators will also benefit from lower printing costs and better discounts and promotion in the direct market, again with thanks going to Diamond Comic Distributors for allowing CrossGen to assign its current distribution contract to CGE. As more titles are added under CGE, deeper discounts and a higher profile in the direct market will result.
Code 6 Comics, CrossGen’s independent comics imprint, is named for the Florida police signal code for “escaped prisoner.” This is a hint at the imprint’s primary purpose, which is to provide a friendly home for creator-developed projects which lack the funding for traditional self-publishing. Through Code 6 Comics, creators would share ownership of the titles, but in return receive a much more comprehensive set of benefits that would allow them to make a living at producing such comics, while at the same time benefiting from back-end participation in the profitability of those titles through all print and ancillary revenue streams. These creators benefit from the built-in licensing arms in film, television, Comics on the Web, video games and other areas that CrossGen has worked for nearly three years to create and prove effective.
“CrossGen’s primary mission has been and always will be to make comics relevant to a new generation,” said CrossGeneration Comics Publisher and CEO Mark 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. And I cannot stress enough my appreciation to Diamond for helping us by assigning us the process right to establish these new entities. Diamond has in the past been criticized for its business practices by independent creators, but their help and support in setting up CGE and in end result the Code 6 Comics imprint, proves Diamond’s commitment to helping the independent creator, and will soon result in the publishing and marketing of some very fine comics.”
While CGE’s participation with affiliate creator-owned titles is merely as a publisher, Code 6 Comics is designed to act as a proactive imprint tailor-made for great creators with great ideas who have been hampered by an inability to fund their projects or who have not received from other publishers the type of treatment they feel they deserve.
The CODE 6 COMICS Mission Statement includes:
* To be the best publishing alternative for creators looking for a home for a new or existing project.
* To provide a fair profit and rights split that will be beneficial to both the creator and CODE 6 COMICS.
* To be open and accessible to all creators involved.
* To serve as a vehicle for creating global recognition to a select line of high quality, timely shipping comics.
* To alleviate the burden of self publishing by handling most aspects of distribution, sales and marketing to allow creators to create comics and not worry about the time impacting responsibilities of these other important, yet difficult areas.
“We built Code 6 and CGE for those creators that want to create great comics, but also want to be able to eat and support their families,” said Ian M. Feller, Director Business Development for CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics. “This industry is not an easy place to produce something you love without taking on the financial hardships associated with self-publishing or signing your creation away, yet still having to do all the work to make it a success. We wanted to build a better home for these types of creators. A place that treats them fairly, treats their creations fairly, and allows them to profit from doing what they love to do and what they do best…creating great comics!”
One of the primary functions of both CGE and Code 6 lies in the marketing, advertising and licensing backbone that CrossGen has built for itself over the past few years.
“A lot of people in the industry talk about creator-ownership and/or development, but sometimes forget that along with that also comes a lot of work that writers and artists aren’t very fond of, or aren’t necessarily prepared to implement successfully,” said Tony Panaccio, CrossGen’s Vice President of Product Development. “There’s distribution, marketing, advertising, and then if a creator wants to see some additional revenue from licensing, there’s dealing with agencies, lawyers, film producers, video game manufacturers and other licensing professionals while still trying to produce a quality comic. Those can be some murky waters, and if you’re in the game because you simply want to create good comics, chances are you’re either not going to do any licensing, or you’re going to do it at the cost of impacting your product’s timeliness and quality. That’s why they hire guys like me, who can’t write or draw a lick, to market the comics. At CrossGen, we’ve built a robust marketing program on the Internet through Comics on the Web (with which we recently launched a ground-breaking project with Clear Channel Radio Interactive to bring COW to Clear Channel’s vast network of radio station Web sites nationally), created ground-breaking partnerships in Hollywood through Branded Entertainment’s Michael Uslan, established a broad spectrum group of effective foreign publishing options, including our recent agreement for China, and we’ve begun building a strong licensing presence in video games through FOG Studios. CGE and Code 6 were built to take advantage of those relationships and provide that behind-the-scenes infrastructure that the fans never see, but the creators need in order to help make it financially rewarding to create good comics.”
About CrossGeneration Comics, Inc.
CrossGeneration Comics is based just outside of Tampa, Florida. Since their initial launch on May 24, 2000, CrossGen Comics has set unprecedented sales records for a new start-up comics publisher by debuting nine releases on the comic book industry distributor’s Top 100 sales list. Since then they have grown into the comic industry’s fifth largest publisher. They were awarded the Diamond Gem Awards for Comic Publisher of the Year (2000 and 2001) Under 5% Market Share and New Publisher of the Year (2000). They were recently nominated in the category of Favorite Publisher in the 2001 Wizard Fan Awards. CrossGen Comics is unprecedented in that their entire line of comics is currently published in five foreign languages and in at least 26 foreign countries. They recently struck a long-term development deal with Branded Entertainment, a film and television production company helmed by long-time Batman film and animated feature executive producer Michael Uslan. CrossGen has also engaged Nancy Newhouse Porter, Chair of the Entertainment & New Media Group of the law firm of Weston, Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava and MacCuish, as its entertainment attorney. She has worked on deals for films such as “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Shrek” and most recently “Ice Age,” and brings with her six years of business development experience at the Walt Disney Company, as well as a reputation for excellence recognized widely by studio heads in Hollywood. CrossGen will be the only comic book company that Newhouse Porter will be working with in this capacity. CrossGen has also reached an agreement with FOG Studios (www.fogstudios.com) giving them the task of forging relationships with publishers and developers of interactive games for the PC, consoles, handheld games, coin-operated games and others. Since 1979, the principles of FOG have placed more than 4,000 interactive titles into the marketplace and represented nearly 500 clients in the interactive gaming industry. The company has also opened the first publisher-owned online mall for its licensed apparel, products, collectibles and comics at www.crossgen.com. Their unique and innovative approach to comic book publishing is sure to make them a company to watch out for well into the new millennium. The CrossGen Comics, The First, Mystic, Sigil, Scion, Meridian, Crux, Sojourn, Ruse, Negation, The Path and Way of the Rat are available now in comic book specialty stores everywhere, with a different one on sale each Wednesday. Their next monthly title, Route 666, is coming in June. Most recently, CrossGen launched its landmark Internet offering, www.comicsontheweb.com, with partners including Lycos, Ifilm, YOUtopia.com, ucomics.com, Comicon.com, Grayhavenmagazine.com, Silverbulletcomicbooks.com, Herorealm.com, SlushFactory.com, ORCAFresh.net, SciFiRadioguy.com, and comixtreme.com. CrossGen has also joined companies like Sony, Tivo and ActiveX as a client of Mercury Media, the nation’s largest media buyer, in a unique partnership aimed at proliferating Comics on the Web in multiple media markets.
MARVEL ROARS INTO THE WINDY CITY
Top Creators & Editors Storm Wizard World Chicago
by Bill Rosemann
Marketing Communications Manager
Marvel Comics
The gang in the Bullpen — and the most-popular creators in the biz — are once again assembling at Wizard World Chicago. From noon on Friday, July 5th through 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 7th, the Marvel booth will — like it did at Wizard World Philly — be rockin’ with the biggest crowd at the show. Why? Because — since we’ve rethought how we run our con appearances — we can now spend moolah not on fancy schmancy display cases or spinning signs, but on what you really want to see: more cool creators!
Just feast your eyes on this rambunctious roster of talent that will be signing for free at the Marvel booth: JOHN CASSADAY (Captain America) SEAN CHEN (Wolverine) DAVID FINCH (The Call of Duty: The Brotherhood) GREG HORN (Elektra, Deadline) RICHARD ISANOVE (Origin & Daredevil: Yellow) GEORGES JEANTY (Weapon X) PAUL JENKINS (Peter Parker: Spider-Man) GEOFF JOHNS (Avengers) ADAM KUBERT (Ultimate X-Men) ANDY KUBERT (Origin) JAE LEE (Fantastic Four: 1234) JEPH LOEB (Daredevil: Yellow & Spider-Man: Blue) ALEX MALEEV (Daredevil) TOM MANDRAKE (The Call of Duty: The Precinct) DANNY MIKI (Ultimate X-Men) HUMBERTO RAMOS (Peter Parker: Spider-Man) MARK WAID (Fantastic Four) RON ZIMMERMAN (Spider-Man’s Get Kraven)
And best of all, if you don’t feel like luggin’ around back issues for these titans to sign, we’ll once again be giving away the MARVEL 2002 CONVENTION PREVIEW BOOK, which features the official Mighty Marvel Autograph Section.
If that’s not enough for ya, we’re also bringing almost the entire Marvel Editorial Team, including Axel Alonso (Amazing Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Force, etc.), Tom Brevoort (Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, etc.), C.B. Cebulski (Marvel Mangaverse, X-Men Unlimited, etc.), John Miesegaes (Peter Parker: Spider-Man, Tangled Web, etc.), Mike Raicht (Weapon X, Black Panther, Exiles, etc.), Brian Smith (Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates, etc.) and our very own EIC Joe Quesada! And I even heard that our crazy Prez, Bill Jemas himself, will be stirring things up too.