''Common Grounds'' is a six-issue comic book

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

created by writer

Troy Hickman Troy Hickman is an American comic book writer. He received two Eisner Award nominations for ''Common Grounds'' and in 2008 was one of the winners of the '' Top Cow Pilot Season'' competition for his comic, Twilight Guardian. Biography Hickman s ...

and published by Top Cow Productions in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. The series examined the life of superheroes and villains in and around a chain of coffee shops called ''Common Grounds''. ''Common Grounds'' received two

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

nominations in 2005, for "Best Short Story" and "Best Anthology."

Overview

The series began in 1994 as the black-and-white mini-comic, ''Holey Crullers'', written by Hickman and drawn by Jerry Smith. It was circulated through mail order and direct sales at comic book conventions with small print runs. In 1997, '' Wizard'' magazine covered it in a four-page article. In 2003, Wizard editor Jim McLauchlin became editor-in-chief of Top Cow Productions. He contacted Hickman about getting the rights to the ''Holey Crullers'' scripts. In early 2004, ''Common Grounds'' was launched as a six-issue

featuring Hickman's stories and new artwork by Dan Jurgens, George Pérez,

Mike Oeming Michael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer. Career Oeming is a fan of ancient mythology, having written or drawn several projects centering on the Norse gods. He frequently collaborates with long-time f ...

, Chris Bachalo, Sam Kieth, Angel Medina, Carlos Pacheco, and Ethan Van Sciver. Jurgens was the regular artist, providing art for one short story every issue, while one of the guest artists provided the art for additional stories. The series received critical acclaim. In November 2007, a trade paperback was published collecting all six issues. In 2005, it was nominated for

s in the categories "Best Anthology" and "Best Short Story" for ''Where Monsters Dine''.

Title

The original 1990s comic series, ''Holey Crullers'', centered on a chain of

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franc ...

shops named "Holey Crullers". The name was a word-play on a type of doughnut, a cruller with a hole in the center, that paid

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to the regular outbursts of

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

in the 1960s era ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

''. The decision to update the doughnut shops to coffee shops and change the name to ''Common Grounds'' was an attempt to be more relevant to the

coffee culture Coffee culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. The term also refers to the cultural diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant. In the ...

in the US in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As with the previous title, the name "Common Grounds" includes some word play by referencing a safe, neutral haven for opposing viewpoints and an important aspect of coffee. The series includes an in-story reference to the name change in issue six. The company founder explains that he wanted to call his chain "Holey Crullers", but received a letter from the lawyers of the "old 60s superhero tv show" in which the sidekick always says "Holy This" and "Holy That".

Characters

*Ed Franklin *Gerald Smith, a.k.a. Speeding Bullet *Gabriel "Gabe" Alexander, a.k.a. Mental Midget *Robert Louis Dupree, a.k.a. Man-Witch *Jenny Saunders *"John" the serial rapist *Tim Lesley, a.k.a. Analog Kid *Chris Lesley, a.k.a.

Digital Man ''Signals'' is the ninth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 9, 1982 by Anthem Records. After the release of their previous album, '' Moving Pictures'', the band started to prepare material for a follow-up during soun ...

*Patricia Van Buren, a.k.a. Deb-U-Ton *Moshe Chomsky, a.k.a. The Acidic Jew *Sam Henderson, a.k.a. Strangeness *Clarise Henderson, a.k.a. Charm *"Thorny" Thorndyke *Benjamin Bellott, a.k.a. Commander Power *James McLain, a.k.a. Blackwatch *The Superheavyweights **Susan LaBelle, a.k.a. Knockout **Red Fox II **Miniaturian **Coldspell **Hi-Tec *The Liberty Balance **Earl Lumley, a.k.a. Lift-Off **Gail Milgrim, a.k.a. Belle-Air **The Flaming Follicle **Mach Master **Magna-Woman **Captain Gallant *The Eternal Flame *Lea Anne Lyster, a.k.a. Kittycat *Jeff Bailey, a.k.a. Big Money II *Larry the delivery guy *Grondar *Crittorr *Kkrapp *Wang Dang Doodle *Claire Grant, a.k.a. American Pi *Zhang *Stevie Parsons *Michael O'Brien, a.k.a. Big Money

Stories

¹ Rodolfo Migliari made the alternate cover for Issue #1.
² Issue #4's cover art was inspired by Edward Hopper's "

Nighthawks A nighthawk is a nocturnal bird. Nighthawk(s) or Night Hawk(s) may also refer to: * ''Nighthawks'' (painting), by Edward Hopper, 1942 Books and comics * ''Nighthawk'' (novel), a 2017 novel by Clive Cussler * ''Night Hawk'' (comics), a British ...

" painting.Troy Hickman, ''Common Grounds'' trade paperback, November 2007, Issue #4 Cover, pg. 136

Collected Editions

The series has been collected in a

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

that includes: *Cover and Pinup Gallery¹ * ''Common Grounds'' Timeline *''Holey Crullers'' Bonus Material *Liberty Balance Pinup by George Pérez, Mike Perkins and Tom Smith

Notes

¹ Includes Issue #1's alternate cover by Rodolfo Migliari and a pinup by James Raiz, Roland Paris and Sonia Oback depicting various superheroes battling Crittorr and Wang Dang Doodle.

References

{{Reflist

External links

TopCow.com
- Top Cow Productions, Inc. website
TheTopCowStore.com
- Top Cow Productions, Inc. store Minicomics 2004 comics debuts