CrossGen

Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, 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. In July 2010, Marvel Comics (by then owned by Disney) announced plans to revive CrossGen titles.

History

CrossGen Comics, Inc., was founded in 1998, in Tampa, Florida by entrepreneur Mark Alessi.

In 1999, the company acquired the Orlando-based multigenre fan convention MegaCon, from founder James Bretibiel. Breitbiel then became CrossGen's Marketing and Distribution Director.

In January 2000, CrossGen Comics, Inc. debuted with CrossGenesis, a sneak-peek at the CrossGen universe. It gave an outline of the universe, worlds and characters of CrossGen’s flagship titles that would be released six months later. Mark Alessi and Gina M. Villa, head of creative departments, wrote a history of the Sigilverse before any comics were written. The head creative team consisted of Barbara Kesel, Mark Waid and Ron Marz. Unlike other comics companies such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics, which mainly rely on freelance writers and artists, most of CrossGen's talent were salaried employees of the company and worked out of its headquarters in Tampa. Later creators such as J.M. DeMatteis worked freelance, with CrossGen publishing finished properties. The company's publications covered a variety of genres with characters inhabiting a single shared universe.