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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject: CrossGen: rights and wrongs.
After posting last night, I was thinking further about Crossgen: particularly, what they did right and what they did wrong. Anyone with a view, please chip in.
Now, firstly, what they did wrong might have had nothing to do with the product or its marketing. I had a shop go bust because of my inexperience in managing property, not because I couldn't run a shop. But there could be reasons why I, a major comics addict who spends the equivalent of a hundred dollars a month on the things, never bought a Crossgen comic while the company still existed.
Apparently - from what I've read about the collapse - Crossgen was expressly meant to be accessible, in contrast to the continuity-bound main comics publishers. God knows, then, why they devised the Sigil concept, which, along with a homogenous marketing identity, is exactly what did put me off. The worst choice of titles in comics history - Brath, Scion, Sojourn, Sigil - didn't help. Early artwork was dodgy in an Image way, but later on, they used very good artists, and standards of colouring and lettering were high.
Writing varied, even within the work of a single writer: Tony Bedard wrote the incomprehensible The Negation, the okay Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the excellent and funny Route666. The Way Of The Rat was distinctive and interesting, The Path was beautiful, Meridian was sweet, Ruse clever and different... and I probably would have bought some of them if not for that big sigil implying that you couldn't get one without all the rest.
Anyone here agree or disagree, or have another POV entirely?
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:31 am Post subject: Re: CrossGen: rights and wrongs.
They never really had anything that grabbed me. I was interested in a few but the art turned me away for the most part. I have been always been an art first kinda guy. Sometimes I can get past it if the story is good enough but that requires a name. I am willing to give a chance to people like Alan Moore, Neil Gaimen, and a few other people if they have art that doesn't grab me, but sometimes, even their name, isn't enough.
What kind of art do you like? The generic Image kind of style repels me, but I thought The Path was gorgeous, very raw and dark, and some other stuff looked okay and nicely coloured.
Sadly considering my own use of Poser, I don't really enjoy Greg Land's work: too literally 3D?
Route666 is a hoot.
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: CrossGen: rights and wrongs.
That is a hard thing to say. I like a wide variety of art but it just needs to be well drawn, with correct anatomy or a decent consistent style. Current likes are Bryan Hitch, Stuart Immonen, John Cassaday, Lenlil Yu ... there are too many to name really and a lot of my likes go toward more graphic novel stuff liek George Pratt and Scott Hampton etc...
The Path looked pretty good (from the samples I saw online) but read a bit too flat sometimes.
From wha I saw, Greg Land's work was kind of generic but okay. Too posey but sometimes okay. I saw an interior that I sort of liked in my google search.
Immonen was one of those artists I'd noticed were okay but never really looked into, until recently I picked up ShockRockets. Very nice art, except for one page done in 3D, which needed some inks. It's the Land thing again: I think when you start from Poser, as I do, one of your priorities should be to get away from that look, a long way and fast.
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Thinking about it, I got the 44 Years of FF DVD recently, and there's a Stuart Immonen run in there. I should have a look. There are some Pachecos, too: one of my favourites.
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Lots of variation in the FF. I love John Byrne's run, which has a kind of family thing going on, a kind of warmth. Not to mention at least two different kinds of very fine artwork.
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Lots of variation in the FF. I love John Byrne's run, which has a kind of family thing going on, a kind of warmth. Not to mention at least two different kinds of very fine artwork.
IMP. _________________ RIVER: skin on the outside. First chapter FREE from www.ianmpalmer.com
Joined: Jun 13, 2003 Posts: 177 Location: southern california
Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject:
My opininion is late out of the gate on this one but I was very fond of Ruse, Way of the Rat and Sojurn. All of the titles had potential though. What did they do right? Started with custom built work space and hired established pros. The down side? The initial working crew was too small and artistic quality varied. In my opinion they sort of shot themselves by not going with any young bloods too. All of the "old guys" in comics either keep up with changing artistic trends or they retire. Crossgen was going with a very classy art style that lacked the edge of many independant books. What was really wrong? Well. . . when a guy starts a business just because he has a shit load of money and likes comics. . . . A+ for style but Z- for brains. Publishing is not a big money business, comics even less so. Although with movie liscensing i s'pose that can change a little. _________________ Never smile too big, the gods mistake it for hubris.
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