VOICE FROM THE LONGBOX

The other day, I ran into an old friend. Naturally, the conversation lead to comics. I freely admit to being a "superhero" guy. My friend, however, grew up with tastes in other genres. He regularly visited with Jonah Hex and the Rawhide Kid when he wanted a Western fix. He ventured into foxholes with Sgt. Rock and Sgt. Fury. He thought Conan was the ultimate skull crusher and (after the first Star Wars movie was released) got into science fiction. There was something for both of us. Then, one day, the audiences for non-superhero genres left/grew up/died/ whatever. And so, at the beginning of the 21st Century, we were left with a whole lot of superhero comics, and not a lot to offer someone like my friend. Except for CrossGen Comics. The origin of this Tampa, Florida-based company is very interesting. Two cousins who were fans of comics decided to re-invent the wheel. Using high production values, a bullpen-style work environment, and a strict shipping schedule, CrossGen has made quite a splash. CrossGen has never missed a single shipping date for a book, and, none of their titles include superheroes. Sure, some of their characters have "powers and abilities far beyond others." But capes and masks are nowhere to be found. I began telling my friend about their sword and sorcery comics like Scion and Sojourn; their tales of magic and gods in Mystic and The First; and sci-fi books like Sigil and Negation. Recent titles include Ruse (detective fiction in Victorian England), and The Path (set in a land like Feudal Japan). On the horizon are plans for a martial arts adventure (The Way of the Rat) and a horror book (Route 666). Their comics come out monthly ($2.95 each). They publish trade paperbacks (six to seven issues from one series for under $20). And, their new idea (which is borrowed from European and Japanese anthology collections) is called Compendia. These books contain more than 200 pages of comics from various titles for the amazing price of $9.95. Seven or eight comics worth of material for under $10! I encourage anyone reading this to check out crossgen.com for further information about the history of the "Little Comics Company that Could." Finally, I saved Meridian for last. Meridian is a comic about a teenage girl, for teenage girls, written by a woman. It's unfortunate that I need to single something like this out, but the truth is, most comics are created by guys, for guys. Meridian is the comic you use to hook your girlfriend or wife. Before long, she'll be reading some of your other comics as well.