THE CROSSGEN IMPLOSION

[delekkerste]

Here's the complete story:

 

http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6218

[valiantman]

Holy ...here are all the titles getting the axe from CrossGen

Are they having a cross-over in the remaining titles... calling it "Birthquake" perhaps?

[Ares]

Holy ...here are all the titles getting the axe from CrossGen

Are they having a cross-over in the remaining titles... calling it "Birthquake" perhaps?

 

 

from the story

Answering many questions held by fans, CrossGen today announced that nine of their series would end in the coming months, including all four of their initial launch titles, Solus, Ruse, and secondary sigil titles. The series will close, as events build toward The War, a crossover encompassing the CG Universe.

[valiantman]

The series will close, as events build toward The War, a crossover encompassing the CG Universe.

Gee... I wonder how that will work out for them.

[DiceX]

The series will close, as events build toward The War, a crossover encompassing the CG Universe.

Gee... I wonder how that will work out for them.

 

Well, Valiantman.

There's another complete universe that would be easy to finish off.

Just wait a few years until they hit the quarter bin.

[Darthdiesel]

WAR ENDS NINE CROSSGEN SERIES

 

After three years of battles between the Sigil Bearers and the Negation Empire, the CrossGen universe will reach a crisis with The War, a mini-series scheduled for 2004 release. But with a war there are consequences, and last issues of several of the company’s series will be as follows: Crux #33, The First #37, Meridian #44, Mystic #43, The Path #23, Ruse #26, Scion #44, Sigil #43, and Solus #8.

 

The CrossGen universe began in 2000 with four core titles — Meridian, Mystic, Sigil, and Scion — all of which will come to a conclusion with the event. Among non-creator-owned series remaining with the company are Sojurn (the company’s top-selling title), El Cazador, and Way of the Rat.

 

"As we move forward into 2004, the retailer and reader response to El Cazador and the initial reaction to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is guiding us," CrossGen's Director of Marketing and Communications Bill Rosemann told CBG. "While readers will finally get the climax to the grand Sigil Bearers vs. Negation Empire saga (and will see some of their favorite characters journey onwards to new horizons), they'll also be able to enjoy distinct stand-alone adventure series. So we're trying to avoid thinking of stories solely as 'Sigil centric' or not. Rather, we're focusing on delivering great stories, period. So the mission remains the same: invite amazingly talented creators to tell stories that appeal to a worldwide audience. We're just approaching that mission with renewed and refocused passion."

[Darthdiesel]

Holy ...here are all the titles getting the axe from CrossGen (the last issue of each is shown):

 

CRUX #33

THE FIRST #37

MERIDIAN #44

MYSTIC #43

THE PATH #23

RUSE #26

SCION #44

SIGIL #43

SOLUS #8

 

And here are the titles that will remain:

 

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Way of the Rat

Brath

Negation

Lady Death

El Cazador

Route 666

Sojourn

Abadazad

 

Gene

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I always say...In my best Nelson (Simpsons) voice: HA! HA!size>

[Darthdiesel]

The series will close, as events build toward The War, a crossover encompassing the CG Universe.

Gee... I wonder how that will work out for them.

 

Crossgen Unity

[valiantman]

Crossgen Unity

Not quite... Unity signalled the expansion and explosion for Valiant (1992).

 

"Birthquake" (1995) was the Valiant crossover "re-org" that ended titles...

and about a year later... it was all over.

[Darthdiesel]

got it these clearance crossovers...death knell of an imprint

[realitytrip]

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I always say...In my best Nelson (Simpsons) voice: HA! HA!size>

 

Darth - not cool man. Crossgen at least tried to expand the comic market and the further shrinkening of the comics market is not a good thing, even if you didn't like their books. And their books imo were far better than most of the retro-nostalgia [!@#%^&^] (cough: transformers, gijoe :cough) cluttering the shelves which do not expand the market but only further insulate it to fanboys.

[Darthdiesel]

ok - not cool to gloat - but I am enjoying that rtro stuff and video game tie ins more than any Crossgen title...read my past posts...if you can get on board with a comics universe centered around the sigil thing then good for you...but I don't feel that they are contributing anything worthwhile anymore...this is my personal opinion and dislike for Crossgen books...oh i'm reading El Cazador now...not impressed with issue 2...enjoted Street Fighter 2 much more...

[realitytrip]

Fair enough. I can't stand the street fighter/thundercats/transformers/Heman stuff, but I am glad that there is a market for any comics, so it that is what sells, than that is what they make. I just don't see new kids buying it. Now obviously kids weren't buying Crossgen, but at least they were trying to reach out new kids with titles like Meridian and trying diffenrent genres. I have not liked everything they put out but I liked their efforts like Edge and Forge trying anything to expand readership which comics desperately need in any form. I do agree with you on El Cazador though. 2 issues and I am dropping it. Bleh. I think Crossgen ws a good experiment that tried to do too much too soon and now they are stuck doing what everyone else is doing. I mean Lady Death?

[Aman619]

Why is RUSE getting cancelled? Its not a Sigil title?

[Aman619]

Its true enough that CrossGen tried "nobly" to expand the comics audience. Or was it arrogantly and foolishly? Is it noble to waste millions of your own dollars to change kids reading habits and get kids to begin reading comics? maybe so. But misguided. And not all that noble I would guess: just a failed business plan that never caught on.

 

Theres a piece in the new Comics Journal about how they are screwing their freelancers.

[Kevin Boyd]

Paul Ryan told my friend Doug that he hasn't been paid in months and that he calls their offices every day to try to get his money but never gets anywhere.

 

Titles cancelled are pretty much ones written or drawn by people that have already or about to leave the company. Without defenders within CG they are getting the axe. I didn't get a chance to ask Brian Pullido about it, but Lady Death seems to be ok. I'm curious as to what Perez is going to do next at CG since Solus has been cancelled (Because Barbara Kesel was writing it and it wasn't a hit).

 

CG won't be at the Toronto show.

 

Ryan says that since Jemas is gone as President of Publishing that he will try to get work at Marvel again, that Bill was the person who didn't like Ryan's style there and blocked him from getting work.

 

BTW "Birthquake" wasn't even a crossover, it was just a change of creative teams that didn't sit well, it was the crossover "Chaos Effect" that was that company's last intercompany crossover and put some nails in V1.

 

Kev

[valiantman]

BTW "Birthquake" wasn't even a crossover, it was just a change of creative teams that didn't sit well, it was the crossover "Chaos Effect" that was that company's last intercompany crossover and put some nails in V1.

Quite right!

It was a ---

"We're cancelling a lot of titles, and the ones that are left are going through this

'Birthquake' thing so we're going to put a big unifying logo on all of them to give

it some excitement and pretend it's not the end of our company" event,

not a crossover.