''Common Grounds'' is a six-issue

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

created by writer Troy Hickman and published by

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. The company is known for publishing titles such as '' Cyberforce'', '' The Darkness'', ''Sunstone, Wanted,'' and '' Witch ...

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 awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

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 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'' magazine covered it in a four-page article. In 2003, Wizard editor Jim McLauchlin 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 Comics, DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday, Hank H ...

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 (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (c ...

, Mike Oeming,

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 (Sandman), Death series. C ...

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 "about ...

, 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 bra ...

, 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. He illustrated and drew covers for a number of superhero titles in the 2000s, primarily for DC Comics, including ' ...

. 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 pastry 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 popular in parts of Europe and North America. In Europe it is typically either made of a string of dough that is folded over and twisted twice to create its signature shape or is formed from a rectangle of do ...

with a hole in the center, that paid homage to the regular outbursts of Robin in the 1960s era ''

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

''. 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 painter and printmaker. He is one of America's most renowned artists and known for his skill in depicting modern American life and landscapes. Born in Nyack, New York, to a ...

's " Nighthawks" 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