PDA

Archiv verlassen und diese Seite im Standarddesign anzeigen : CGE / C6C News



Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:28
Hier findet Ihr in Zukunft alle Infos über die bei den neuen CG US-Labeln erscheinenden Comics sowie über eventuelle deutche Fassungen derselben.

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:30
CG Entertainment To Publish Comics From CrossGen And Creator-Owned Companies; New Imprint, Code 6 Comics, Created For Non-CG Titles
CrossGeneration Comics, Inc. has launched two entities which will make it easier for creators to see their work published, licensed properties to make the transition into comic book form, and help resurrect other comics which have languished without the support of a publishing house.

CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Those projects include but are not limited to:
· Affiliated Creator-Owned comics - Comics created and owned by companies outside of CrossGen.
· Code 6 Comics - Code 6 Comics is a new imprint under CrossGen created for the purpose of publishing non-CrossGen Universe continuity titles, such as new projects outside of the CrossGen stable of creators who are willing to share ownership of the project with Code 6 Comics.

In addition, all of CrossGen’s current and future titles within - as well as outside - the continuity of the CrossGen Universe will also now be published through CG Entertainment’s Supply Agreement with Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign this agreement to CGE. This will allow CrossGen to publish and distribute all of the products stated above through the CGE banner. None of these new ventures could have been implemented without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond’s consideration in this regard.

Creators whose titles are published through CGE as affiliates will retain complete ownership of their properties, but be able to choose from an extensive list of added value services from CrossGen that include marketing, licensing, Comics on the Web and merchandising among others. These same creators will also benefit from lower printing costs and better discounts and promotion in the direct market, again with thanks going to Diamond Comic Distributors for allowing CrossGen to assign its current distribution contract to CGE. As more titles are added under CGE, deeper discounts and a higher profile in the direct market will result.

Code 6 Comics, CrossGen’s independent comics imprint, is named for the Florida police signal code for “escaped prisoner.” This is a hint at the imprint’s primary purpose, which is to provide a friendly home for creator-developed projects which lack the funding for traditional self-publishing. Through Code 6 Comics, creators would share ownership of the titles, but in return receive a much more comprehensive set of benefits that would allow them to make a living at producing such comics, while at the same time benefiting from back-end participation in the profitability of those titles through all print and ancillary revenue streams. These creators benefit from the built-in licensing arms in film, television, Comics on the Web, video games and other areas that CrossGen has worked for nearly three years to create and prove effective.

“CrossGen’s primary mission has been and always will be to make comics relevant to a new generation,” said CrossGeneration Comics Publisher and CEO Mark Alessi. “The creation of CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics is a natural and logical progression of that mission. We’d be foolish and arrogant to believe that CrossGen’s creators are the only people out there creating great comics. The problem, though, is that the existing means for independent creators to get their works published isn’t equal to the task of delivering them to the currently troubled marketplace. There’s some great stuff out there that hasn’t seen the light of day, so we’re taking on the additional responsibility of using the marketing and distribution infrastructure we’ve created at CrossGen to bring other comics to the public. And I cannot stress enough my appreciation to Diamond for helping us by assigning us the process right to establish these new entities. Diamond has in the past been criticized for its business practices by independent creators, but their help and support in setting up CGE and in end result the Code 6 Comics imprint, proves Diamond’s commitment to helping the independent creator, and will soon result in the publishing and marketing of some very fine comics.”

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:31
Team Red Star Brings Their Flagship Title to CrossGen's New Publishing Line

CrossGeneration Comics new publishing imprint, CG Entertainment, will begin publishing the popular independent comic book The Red Star starting with issue #10, the beginning of the book's newest story arc, scheduled for release in November.

The Red Star will be the first independent comic to carry CG Entertainment's logo, and be solicited and distributed to the direct market under the new CGE label. CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign its publishing Supply Agreement to CGE and allow CrossGen to publish and distribute non-CrossGen continuity titles - such as The Red Star - through CGE, as well. This new venture could have not have been created without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond's consideration in this regard.

"The Red Star is one of the most beautiful comics being published today, and what Team Red Star has been going through in order to get their book to market is a perfect illustration of why CGE exists," Alessi said. "The fact that these guys have had to work so hard to get this book on shelves is ridiculous. We believe in their book, we believe in their commitment to quality and we believe that together we can pave the way for a long and prosperous run with one of the highest quality comics on the market today. And again, I cannot thank Diamond Comic Distributors enough for helping us set up our distribution contracts under CGE so that arrangements like the one with Team Red Star could come about. They've gone above and beyond on this one."

Team Red Star's new publishing imprint, Archangel Studios, will provide CGE with the finished product, which CGE will solicit, distribute and market.

"CGE is exactly what we've been looking for," said Christian Gossett, creator of The Red Star and co-owner of Archangel Studios. "We have had nothing but respect for the way CrossGen has approached the comics industry, and as independent creators, we feel that CGE allows us to tap into the best of both worlds. We get to create The Red Star the way we always have, but then we also get to benefit from the market strength and marketing ingenuity of one of comics' movers and shakers."

"The ball is really rolling now with the addition of The Red Star to the CGE family," said Ian M. Feller, Director Business Development for CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics. "We couldn't be happier to have such an incredible bunch of people associated with this new entity. CGE has only just been announced and the response to it has been overwhelming. It sure seems that there are a lot of creators looking for someplace new to bring their projects."

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:33
New Series Second To Debut Under CGE Imprint

Snake Plissken has escaped from New York to his new home in Florida, with CG Entertainment, thanks to an agreement between Hurricane Entertainment and CGE to publish the new series under the new imprint.

When Hurricane Entertainment, creators of Image Comics' Violent Messiahs announced this past week they were working with film director John Carpenter, producer Debra Hill and actor Kurt Russell to produce a new comic book series based on the new adventures of their infamous Escape From New York and Escape From Los Angeles protagonist Snake Plissken, the company left out the key information of just which publisher would be presenting the series.

"We're sorry about that," said Jan Utstein-O'Neill, Hurricane's CEO. "But when you're working with some of Hollywood's finest, how can you help but want to have a flair for the dramatic?"

As previously announced, the ongoing series, entitled John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles – which will pick up the story of Snake beginning the day after the ending of the 1981 cult-classic film by John Carpenter – will premiere in the Spring of 2003. Tone Rodriguez, penciler of Violent Messiahs will illustrate the series. Hurricane partner and Violent Messiahs and Chassis co-creator William O'Neill will write the series. Some of Rodriguez's sample pages are already circulating on the Internet.

"We've seen some of the stuff that Tone has already produced for this series, and all we can say is ‘wow!'" said CG Entertainment Business Development Director Ian Feller. "Just as with our initial CGE affiliate, Team Red Star, the folks at Hurricane are among the best in the business. They work hard, produce great quality comics and are wonderful as partners. Working with them is a treat, and being able to publish anything with Snake Plissken in it is just a kick!"

Violent Messiahs, Hurricane's other ongoing series, will continue to be published by Image Comics.

"We have a great relationship with Jim Valentino and Image, and they do a great job with Violent Messiahs, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future," said Hurricane's O'Neill. "We love what CGE can bring to the table for the Snake Plissken project, and we're ecstatic that CrossGen and Image have created a situation for us in which we can happily maintain business relationships with both of them."

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:34
New York Times BestSelling Author Brings Hit Franchise to New Imprint

Not wasting time in getting its new creator-participation comics imprint off the ground, Code 6 Comics has inked an agreement with twelve-time New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore to bring his acclaimed fantasy series Demon Wars to comic book form, it was announced at Comic-Con International today.

The original Demon Wars series told the story of Elbryan Wynden, an elven-trained ranger, and his band of friends as they face off against the Demon Dactyl, an embodiment of evil. Salvatore has begun writing a second series of Demon Wars novels, and it is those that the comics will be based on.

Salvatore will not be writing the comics, though his editorial presence will be felt throughout the process. The writer already attached to the comics series is Scott Ciencin, a New York Times bestselling author of adult and children's fiction, and contemporary of Salvatore's when both he and Ciencin wrote fantasy books for the Forgotten Realms™ series. Praised by Science Fiction Review as "one of today's finest fantasy writers" and listed in the Encyclopedia of Fantasy, Scott has written over fifty novels and many short stories and comic books including six novels in the popular Random House Dinotopia™ series, which has just been made into an $85 million dollar six hour television event by Hallmark Entertainment for ABC television and greenlit as an ongoing series in the fall.

Artist Ron Wagner has also been tapped to be among the first to tackle some of the creative challenges of bringing Salvatore's Demon Wars creations to the comics page.

"Our mission at CrossGen has always been to bring new readers to comics – and to do it by raising the bar on quality as much as possible," said Ian Feller, Director of Business Development of Code 6 Comics. "This is one of those deals that delivers on both of those promises with a powerful punch. Bob Salvatore is one of the most read fantasy writers in the world, and we're all betting that we'll be able to bring some of his millions of readers into comics with this series."

Salvatore said he was looking to bring Demon Wars to comics, and after investigating all the options before him, Code 6 was the best possible choice.

"I'm really excited about this, because I come from a ‘shared worlds’ universe with Demon Wars," Salvatore said. "In looking at what CrossGen was doing, I saw an absolute parallel in what I was doing. I wanted to take Demon Wars to a new audience, and Code 6 wants to take comics to a new audience, so this is the perfect first step for both of us. This is going to be a lot of fun."

The particulars of the entire creative team and the regularity of the title have yet to be determined, and the launch date of the first issue has not been set.

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:41
When asked about ownership of Salvatore's Demon Wars under Code 6 by Newsarama.com, CrossGen's Tony Panaccio said:

"CrossGen has a majority ownership in the property R.A. Salvatore's Demon
Wars Comics. We are not adapting the novels, but rather, telling new stories in the Demon Wars universe. So, no we don't have a piece of the books, obviously, but we majority-own the comics property."

Ein erstes Cover gibt´s hier:
http://www.newsarama.com/CrossGen/DemonWarspromo.jpg

Ralph Kruhm
08.08.2002, 06:43
Ein Preview-Cover und erste Zeichnungen gibt´s hier, zusammen mit weiteren Infos...:

http://161.58.84.234/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000014

Ralph Kruhm
09.08.2002, 09:07
Frisch von Newsarama...:

CrossGen Entertainment’s third title, announced this past weekend at SDCC will be DemonWars, based on the line of fantasy novels by R.A. Salvatore. Coming out under the Code 6 imprint, the series will be written by Scott Ciencin, with art by Ron Wagner. We talked with CGE’s Ian Feller for a little more information on the hows and whys of the deal.
“We were contacted by a writer named Scott Ciencin,” said Ian Feller, Director of Business development, CGE. “Scott is a good friend of Ron Marz as well as R.A. Salvatore. He knew of our new line and inquired as to whether or not we'd be interested in doing DemonWars. At the same time, he was speaking with Salvatore about whether or not he'd be interested in working with us. It turned out that DemonWars was a perfect fit for us and that we were exactly what R.A. Salvatore envisioned for his property.”

From the time of the announcement, there was slight confusion over why DemonWars, an already established property, would come in under Code 6, which, by virtue of the agreement between the publisher and Salvatore, would give CrossGen 75% ownership in the property.

According to Feller, Salvatore went with Code 6 over the other alternative, CrossGen Entertainment (which would have allowed the author to retail all ownership of the property), simply because he’s a novelist, rather than a comic book publisher. “Salvatore understood that we know how to make and sell great comic books,” Feller said. “And he was very impressed with the array of ancillary options we offered. He wants to make DemonWars a franchise. To do so he needed a partner that could help him accomplish those goals.

“While there has been a lot of talk about the general contract structure on Code 6 and CGE books, we're not going to be at liberty to discuss actual contracts once they are executed. Those documents are confidential in nature, and we can't breach that confidentiality. That having been said, the important thing to know is that we only have the rights to the characters and events that will be featured in the comics. Our deal has nothing to do with his novels. The comics will be totally new stories that take place within the world he has created in his novels. So like any other Code 6 deal, we will be actively pursuing all ancillary opportunities for the DemonWars comic book, including movies, etc.”

While it could be seen that, given its fantasy base, the first book to come under the Code 6 imprint will actually compete directly with the rest of CrossGen’s line of titles, Feller feels the situation is exactly the opposite.

“We have 13 monthly titles that all compete to one extent or another with each other, Feller said. “Every time you expand your line, you take the chance of that happening. However, with DemonWars, we don’t feel that chance is present at all. While CrossGen has tens of thousands of regular readers, R.A. Salvatore, a New York Times best-selling author, has several millions of readers - and in both cases, there is little existing crossover in the marketplace. This deal was a no-brainer because of its nearly unlimited potential to expand the marketplace for CrossGen and for comics overall. There are six existing books in the DemonWars saga and a new one on the way in May. We are hoping to draw those readers into comic stores to buy the DemonWars comic and hopefully others.”

To get the word out to Salvatore’s regular readers, Feller said that DemonWars publisher Del Ray is looking to cross-promote the novels and comics. “They’re smart enough to see that success for one equates to success for the other,” Feller said.

Feller also explained that both publishers will have something different to offer when it comes to the franchise – the DemonWars comic projects will follow different paths than the novels.

“The stories in the comics will be all-new, all-original,” Feller said. “There are certain characters in the DemonWars novels that R.A. Salvatore has been requested by his fans to explore further, but the novels just weren't the place. So we'll be tackling those characters. There is a massive world already created from the novels. There're plenty of opportunities to further flesh out the world and the myriad of characters and races that exist there.”

Code 6’s DemonWars projects will take the form of 22-page comics, with each storyline running six issues. The arcs will be collected into trades for the bookstore and Direct Market.

A challenge Code 6 will have in attracting crossover readers from Salvatore’s novel audience will surely come in the form of price point and perceived value. At the standard CrossGen cover price of $2.95, a single issue of DemonWars is just less than half the cover price of a DemonWars novel – which run roughly 500 pages and contain a complete story.

Code 6 and Salvatore will need to convince novel readers that they need to spend $17.70 (six issues @ $2.95) on six flimsy (compared to novels) installments, with a story totaling 132 pages to get a full story. It’s the challenge that confronts all publishers as comic costs have climbed over the years, and it’s one for which Feller feels there’s no easy answer.

“Of course there are concerns about price point for the single issues, but that's not something that can truly be addressed,” Feller said. “Our expectation is to sell a fair amount into the Direct Market and work to bring book readers there to buy them. But the likely scenario is that more new readers will come in looking for the collected editions. These will seem more like the type of product book readers are familiar with. It's the same philosophy we've taken with all CrossGen product.”

So far, CGE has three properties, Red Star Hurricane’s Snake Plissken, and DemonWars, when asked how indicative these three titles were to what will be coming in the future from CGE, Feller took the opportunity to crow a little about the company’s current slate – and it’s future.

“Right now, we're the only publisher in comics who currently publishes all styles of comics - wholly-owned, creator-owned, licensed and creator-participation,” Feller said. “The idea was to create a foundation that was unlimited in nature so that we could choose the best projects from all three of those worlds. So, the cagey answer to this question is to expect the unexpected, as with DemonWars, but also, to expect that quality will be our primary concern in whatever we bring to bear. There will be some from existing creators, some from new creators, some licensed properties, and some that no one will expect. Trust me on this, we've got a few things cooking that will blow people's minds.”

Ralph Kruhm
14.08.2002, 07:09
Von Time Imp im US-Forum:

(Spoiler bzgl. der Zeit, wann innerhalb der DW Chronologie die Comics spielen werden)

"Well talked with RA Salvatore this past weekend at Gen Con...

One think that got me about the promo art is that the big guy is blonde. I dont remember any of the other rangers being blonde...

So I asked when the first arc would take place. Its set in Alpinador and deals with the ranger from up there. Which means its about 50+ years before the novels."