''Common Grounds'' is a six-issue

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

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 ...

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 sp ...

and published by

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint (trade name), imprint of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. History During the early years of Image Comics, which was founded in 1992, co-founder Marc Silvestri share ...

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 60 ...

. 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 A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105&n ...

, ''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 run Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication (such as a book) are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulat ...

s. In 1997, ''

Wizard Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book sup ...

'' magazine covered it in a four-page article. In 2003, Wizard editor

Jim McLauchlin Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim' ...

became editor-in-chief of

. 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 Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

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 Chris Bachalo (born August 23, 1965) is a Canadian comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics' ''Shade, the Changing Man'' and Neil Gaiman's two Death series. Chris has also illus ...

Sam Kieth Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Maxx'' and '' Zero Girl''. Career Comics Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "abo ...

, Angel Medina,

Carlos Pacheco Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14 November 1961 – 9 November 2022) was a Spanish comics penciller. After breaking into the European market doing cover work for Planeta De Agostini, he gained recognition doing work for Marvel UK, the England-based br ...

, and

Ethan Van Sciver Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (No date on article; date appears in the website') (; born September 3, 1974) is an American comics artist and social media personality. He is known for illustrating or drawing covers for a number of superhero titles in th ...

. 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 fran ...

shops named "Holey Crullers". The name was a word-play on a type of doughnut, a

cruller A cruller () is a deep-fried pastry like a doughnut popular in Europe and North America often made from a rectangle of dough with a cut made in the middle that allows it to be pulled over and through itself, producing twists in the sides of the ...

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 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 the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

''. 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 *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

Rodolfo Migliari Rodolfo Migliari (born May 21, 1976) is an Argentine comic book cover artist and painter. He is best known for creating the painted portrait of the Justice Society of America that appears in the Smallville episode Absolute Justice. And for illus ...

made the alternate cover for Issue #1.
² Issue #4's cover art was inspired by

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism, American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolor painting, watercolorist and printmaker in e ...

'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 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

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