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CrossGen
Cross Generation Comics or CrossGen Comics was an American comic book publisher and entertainment company that operated from 1998 to 2004. The company's assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2004, and designated to Disney Publishing Worldwide. In July 2010, Disney re-established the brand through Marvel Comics, who announced plans to revive CrossGen titles, though it was short-lived. History CrossGen Comics, Inc., was founded in 1998, in Tampa, Florida, by entrepreneur Mark Alessi. In 1999, the company acquired the Orlando-based multi-genre fan convention MegaCon, from founder James Breitbiel, who became CrossGen's marketing and distribution director. In January 2000, CrossGen Comics, Inc. debuted with ''CrossGenesis'', a sneak-peek at the CrossGen universe. It provided an outline of the universe, worlds, and characters of CrossGen's flagship titles that would be released six months later. Gina M. Villa, head of creative departments, and Mark Alessi wrote a histo ...
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Mystic (comics)
''Mystic'' is a comic book from the Florida-based CrossGen Comics. It was created by writer Ron Marz and artist Brandon Peterson and was one of five flagship titles in the company's Sigilverse shared universe. ''Mystic'' ran for 43 issues (July 2000 – January 2004). Plot summary Overview Magic on the planet Ciress is an apprenticed profession organized by guilds specializing in one field of practice. The story centers on sisters Genevieve and Giselle Villard, nicknamed "Gis". The former had devoted her life to sorcery within the Nouveau Guild; the latter is a spoiled socialite who, against her wishes, is granted great power and responsibility as a Sigil-Bearer. Gis, formerly indifferent to sorcery, can now master not one, but all of the extant schools of magic. Story The first six issues of ''Mystic'' describe Giselle's gaining of the Sigil and the efforts of the guild leaders to regain her power. Giselle gains her Sigil in the first issue and without intending to, steals ...
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Sigil (comics)
''Sigil'' is an American comic book series published by Cross Gen Entertainment from July 2000 to December 2003, ending at issue forty-two. ''Sigil'' was one of the publisher's first four titles (the others being '' Mystic'', ''Scion'', and '' Meridian''), originally created by Mark Alessi and Gina M. Villa. The book is one of many from the publisher that took place in the Sigilverse, or the Cross Generation Universe. In 2011, ''Sigil'' was part of Marvel Comics' relaunch of the Cross Generation Universe. Setting The bulk of ''Sigil'' takes place on and around the worlds of the ''Planetary Union'', a group of five human-inhabited planets: ''Gaia'' (believed to be humanity's home world), ''Brejhur'', ''Delassia'', ''Kayseecay'', and ''Victor''. Humans had also colonized the neutral world of ''Tanipal'', which seceded from the Union sometime before the start of the series. Tanipal is ruled by the Sultan Ronolo. As the series opens, the Planetary Union has been at war with the '' ...
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Disney Publishing Worldwide
Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Editions, Disney Press, Kingswell, Freeform, and Hyperion Books for Children. It has creative centers in Glendale, California, and Milan, Italy. History In 1990, Disney Consumer Products discontinued its license for ''Topolino'', an Italian Mickey Mouse magazine. This led Michael Lynton, the Disney Consumer Products business development director, to start up its own Magazine Group with the similarly outlaid ''Disney Adventures''. Through Walt Disney Publications, Inc., Disney Publishing launched Disney Comics (publishing), Disney Comics in the United States. That same year, Disney began publishing ''Disney Adventures''. In 1991, Disney Publishing purchased ''Discover (magazine), Discover'' magazine from Family Media, placing it within its Magazin ...
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Meridian (comics)
''Meridian'' is a comic book series published by CrossGen Comics. It was written by Barbara Kesel, and penciled by a number of artists including Joshua Middleton and Steve McNiven. ''Meridian'' ran for 44 issues, from July of 2000 to April of 2004. Storyline details Meridian, the series' namesake, is one of many island city-states upon the world of Demetria. At some point in the world's history, a great natural cataclysm threw massive chunks of earth into the sky, creating the current system of floating islands. The islands, as well as the airships crucial to trade and transport, defy gravity due to the mysterious properties of a certain 'ore' which is not named. Each island is headed by a Minister, who has more or less monarchic power over their respective island, and while many communities still survive on the surface, contact and trade between the surface and the islands is rare. The main character of the series is Sephie, the daughter of Turos, the Minister of Meridian. He ...
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MegaCon
MegaCon, short for Mega Convention, is a large speculative fiction convention that caters to the comic book, sci-fi, anime, fantasy literature, fantasy, Tabletop role-playing game, RPG, and Video game, gaming communities, often occurring in spring at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The convention is the largest fan convention event in North America with an attendance of 210,000 in 2025 and generating an economic impact of 205 million dollars in 2024. History Founding The first comic book convention held in the Orlando area was OrlandoCon, held annually from 1974 to 1994. Regular guests included C. C. Beck, Floyd Gottfredson, and Hal Foster. A competing show, "Mega-Show" was founded by James Breitbiel in December 1993 at the Holiday Inn International Drive (Now the Avanti Palms) Mega-Show would occur a few times a year with a larger show "MegaCon", also by Breitbiel, first debuting in 1995 at the Orlando Expo Center (Now the UCF Center for Emerging Media). ...
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Mark Alessi
Mark Albert Alessi (August 28, 1953 – March 29, 2019) was an American businessman who was the CEO of a number of companies, most notably as the founder of comic publisher CrossGen where he created a number of the titles. Biography Alessi's first major company was Technical Resource Connection, Inc, which he founded in 1986. He was CEO of this company until 1996, at which time the company was sold to Perot Systems Corporation. He later, in 1998, became founder and publisher of CrossGen comics, which subsequently liquidated in 2004 and the company and its assets were sold to Disney. He then became the CEO of TOA Solutions, Inc., a company that he founded in 2004. He died of a sudden massive coronary arrest on March 29, 2019, at the age of 65. References External links Interview: Mark Alessi of Crossgen: Running Comics Like A Business The Trades, January 1, 2001 CrossGen CEO Mark Alessi addresses company financial issues Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Boo ...
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Barbara Kesel
Barbara Randall Kesel (née Randall, born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and editor of comic books. Her bibliography includes work for Crossgen, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. Biography Kesel initially entered the comics industry as college student after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters, when Giordano then offered her a writing job. Her first published comics story (credited as "Barbara J. Randall") was "He with Secrets Fears the Sound...", a Batgirl backup feature, in ''Detective Comics'' #518., , and After receiving her college degree in drama studies in 1983, she became an associate editor at DC Comics in 1984, and was promoted to editor the following year. and In 1988, she wrote a ''Batgirl Special'' and then co-wrote, with then-husband Karl Kesel, a '' Hawk and Dove'' miniseries, followed by an ongoing series that ran from 1989 until 1991. As a ...
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Ron Marz
Ron Marz (born November 17, 1965) is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as '' Batman/Aliens'', ''DC vs. Marvel'', ''Green Lantern'', ''Silver Surfer'', and ''Witchblade''. Career Marz is known for his work on ''Silver Surfer'' and ''Green Lantern,'' as well as the ''DC vs. Marvel'' crossover and '' Batman/Aliens''. He co-created Genis-Vell in ''Silver Surfer Annual'' #6 (1993). Marz worked on the CrossGen Comics series '' Scion'', '' Mystic'', '' Sojourn'', and '' The Path''. At Dark Horse Comics he created '' Samurai: Heaven and Earth'' and various ''Star Wars'' comics. He has written for Devil's Due Publishing's Aftermath line including ''Blade of Kumori''. In 1995, he had a brief run on '' X-O Manowar'' for Valiant Comics. The following year, Marz wrote the '' DC/Marvel: All Access'' limited series which was an intercompany crossover between DC and Marvel characters. While writing ''Green Lantern'', Marz wrote the " Emerald Twilight" storyline ...
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Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of ''Fantastic Four (comic book), The Fantastic Four'' and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and numerous others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand. Marvel counts among List of Marvel Comics characters, its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man, Wolverine (character), Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor, Doctor Strange, Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil, Black Panther (character), Black ...
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Shared Universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, characters, or world of the overall project. It is common in genres like science fiction. It differs from collaborative writing in which multiple artists are working together on the same work and from crossovers where the works and characters are independent except for a single meeting. The term ''shared universe'' is also used within comics to reflect the overall milieu created by the comic book publisher in which characters, events, and premises from one product line appear in other product lines in a media franchise. A specific kind of shared universe that is published across a variety of media (such as novels and films), each of them contributing to the growth, history, and status of the setting is called an "imaginary entertainment enviro ...
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Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of Book Publishing and Bookselling." With 51 issues a year, the emphasis today is on book reviews. History Nineteenth century The magazine was founded by bibliographer Frederick Leypoldt in the late 1860s and had various titles until Leypoldt settled on the name ''The Publishers' Weekly'' (with an apostrophe) in 1872. The publication was a compilation of information about newly published books, collected from publishers and from other sources by Leypoldt, for an audience of booksellers. By 1876, ''The Publishers' Weekly'' was being read by nine tenths of the booksellers in the country. In 1878, Leypoldt sold ''The Publishers' Weekly'' to his friend Richard Rogers Bowker, in order to free up time for his other bibliographic endeavors. Augu ...
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