Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001

CROSSGEN COMICS FOR MAY

Following are CrossGen Comics' solicitations for May, with information provided by the company.

THE FIRST #7

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Bart Sears, inked by Andy Smith, colored by Mike Atiyeh.

Gannish, plagued by the unexplained phenomenon he witnessed-the creation of a new being by Enson-now makes the difficult journey to the far side of the Eidolon rift to question him about it. Meanwhile, Ingra's set her sights on Seahn, thinking that they might be useful to each other.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 2.

MYSTIC #12

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Kevin Sharpe, inked by Jason Baumgartner, colored by Richard Isanove.

Despite their uneasy truce, the Guild Masters begin to realize they've unleashed an evil they can't control in the demonic Animora. Moving against Giselle, Animora sends her ancient minions to test Giselle's mettle. The outcome pushes Darrow to finally choose where his loyalty will ultimately lie - with Giselle or Animora.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 9.

SIGIL #12

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Scot Eaton, inked by Andrew Hennessy, colored by Wil Quintana.

Sam's eyes are on the wrong prize. Busy chasing Zanni's assassins across Delassia, Sam is unaware that he's made a bitter enemy of one of the craftiest men in the galaxy -- one who today will take from Sam, with a cold and calculating precision, something very dear to his heart.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 16.

CRUX #2

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Steve Epting, inked by Rick Magyar.

The human race has disappeared, leaving behind an Earth weirdly littered with jigsaw pieces of times past. How can 21st century Times Square, 13th century Beijing, the land of the Norse Vikings, and Ancient Greece exist side-by-side? Are Capricia and her teammates caught in a time vortex, a dimensional fracture...or is there an even more startling explanation?

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 16.

CROSSGEN CHRONICLES #3

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by George Perez, inked by Bob Wiacek, colored by Laura DePuy.

Long ago on the floating island of Meridian, a young Minister-to-be named Turos first laid eyes on a beautiful young artist named Ideria. The only impediment to their romance is Ideria's other suitor...Ilahn, Turos' younger brother. A tale of Meridian's more recent past.

48 pages, $3.95, arrives in stores on May 23.

SCION #12

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Andrea Di Vito, inked by Rob Hunter, colored by Paul Mounts.

A more powerful Bron makes his bid for the Raven throne. The only thing standing in his way - his own father! Meanwhile, still intent on taking his revenge against Bron, Ethan clandestinely makes his way into the Eastern capital and attempts to steal into the very heart of the Raven Keep. But instead of finding his enemy, Ethan discovers an unexpected captive.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 23.

SCION TRADE PAPERBACK #1

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Jim Cheung and Rick Leonardi, inked by Don Hillsman II and Karl Kesel, colored by Caesar Rodriguez and Paul Mounts, painted cover by Adam Hughes.

Reprinting the first story arc contained in issues #1-7. The trade paperback tells the story of Ethan, a young prince on the cusp of manhood, who is forced to truly become a man when he is granted the power of the sigil, and his actions during a ritual combat tournament become the catalyst for war. On this world where a medieval façade hides high-tech advancement, follow Ethan and his second, Skink, as they are sent to the dungeon of their sworn enemy, Bron, only to be freed by the mysterious Ashleigh. Hunted by Bron, as well as the bounty hunter Exeter, Ethan tries to find his place in this world now on the brink of war. Does he return to his family and fight in a war he helped instigate, or does he follow Ashleigh and her Underground movement to free the Lesser Races? Ethan never thought his first days of manhood would be so complicated and filled with so much excitement. Also included is a complete cover gallery, and humorous anecdotes by Ron Marz, Jim Cheung, Don Hillsman II, and Caesar Rodriguez on the making of this storyline.

192 pages, $19.95, arrives in stores on May 23.

MERIDIAN #12

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Steve McNiven, inked by Tom Simmons, colored by Morry Hollowell.

In the mysterious caverns beneath the surface of Meridian, Sephie finds a link to her past and a hint of her future. Meanwhile, Reesha tests her limits and Ilahn's patience, while the refugees from Meridian set foot on their new home and Jad helps mark the occasion with a wedding.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on May 30.

MERIDIAN TRADE PAPERBACK #1

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Joshua Middleton and Steve McNiven, inked by Dexter Vines and Jordi Ensign, colored by Mike Atiyeh, Morry Hollowell and Paul Mounts, painted cover by Steve Rude.

Reprinting Meridian issues #1-7. The trade paperback tells the story of 16-year old Sephie, who lives on a world where cities float in the sky and ships travel through the air. Her city, Meridian, is a city with an economy based on shipbuilding and made up of the finest craftsmen. All is well on Meridian until Sephie's Uncle Ilahn comes to visit his brother Turos, Meridian's Minister. Ilahn is the Minister of the sky city of Cadador. All his life he has dreamed of taking control of Meridian away from his brother and ruling the greatest empire on the planet. When both Turos and Ilahn are engulfed in a strange light, both are granted the sigil, the strange mark of power. Unfortunately, that power is too much for Turos to bear and his mark is transferred to his daughter, Sephie. What does the sigil mean? How did they both come to get it? What type of power does it bring? And with Turos out of the way, how can Sephie stop her Uncle from fulfilling his dreams of conquest? Follow Sephie's plight as she is whisked away from her homeland and realizes it is now her responsibility to find her way home to save her people from the oncoming invasion by Cadador. Also included is a complete cover gallery and humorous anecdotes from Barbara Kesel and other creators who have worked on this title.

192 pages, $19.95, arrives in stores on May 30.

DENNIS O'NEIL'S NEW ROLE AT DC

DC Comics on Wednesday announced that Dennis O'Neil has retired from his position as group editor but will remain with the publisher as a consulting editor. O'Neil has also signed an exclusive contract with DC as a writer.

O'Neil has been an editor at DC since 1986, overseeing the Batman titles.

"It's been a rewarding and challenging 15 years," O'Neil said, "but I have a lot of plans I've been putting on hold because the hectic pace of being a comic-book editor hasn't allowed enough time. The aspect of the job I'll miss most is the close collaborative effort that goes into the making of a good comic, the collaboration between the editor and the creative teams, as well as among members of the editorial team itself. My new position should give me the best of both worlds."

"Denny is one of the truly great talents of our field. He has added memorable stories to our canons from his early days on Bat Lash, Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman, to his guiding of Batman through the rigors of 'No Man's Land,'" said Paul Levitz, DC's executive vice-president and publisher. "We understand that 15 years in the streets of Gotham can make a man consider a simpler life. We're pleased that he will continue to be an active contributor to our comics, and wish him well on this new stage of life."

"In 65 years of comic book history, Denny O'Neil has proven to be not only one of the best writers in the industry but also one of the best editors of other writers' work," said Jenette Kahn, DC's president and editor-in-chief. "His spare dialogue and his seamless construction have underscored the inherent drama in his stories which deal in sentiment but never sentimentality. Whether investing his scripts with critical social issues or just delivering a rousing good yarn, Denny has set the benchmark for writers to come. We are grateful that as a freelancer he will continue to entertain us, provoke us, inform us and occasionally even dazzle us."

X-MEN MOVIE UPDATE

The performance of the X-Men movie on home video and DVD has been credited for recent financial success of News Corp.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns Fox, reported a 7 percent increase over the quarter.

According to a release from the company, "The strong second quarter results were fueled primarily by the exceptional domestic video performance of X-Men, released on Nov. 21, and by the film's continuing international theatrical performance."

In other X-Men movie news.

* While promoting her web site, www.hallewood.com, Halle Berry, who played Storm, announced she married singer Eric Benet two weeks ago. Berry, who attended last summer's X-Men premiere at Ellis Island with Benet, is on board for the X-Men sequel. She is up for a Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Award for favorite actress for her part in X-Men.

* X-Men was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award in the contemporary films category, along with Charlie's Angels, Eric Brockovich, High Fidelity and Traffic. The awards will be presented on March 17 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

FIRST LOOK: THE MONARCHY #1

The Monarchy #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from WildStorm Productions and DC Comics. The issue is written by Doselle Young, with art by John McCrea and Garry Leach and a cover by McCrea.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Spinning out of events in The Authority #21, Jackson King, Christine Trelane and their new group, the Monarchy, go after the Young Authoritans - a group of youths who are taking the lessons of The Authority to extreme levels by going into poor neighborhoods and killing people they don't like. The world has fallen ill again, and it's time for the Monarchy to perform the emergency surgery required."

The Monarchy #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: HARLEY QUINN #5

Harley Quinn #5 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Karl Kesel, with art and cover by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Bo and Surley, the bounty hunters who've been on Harley's trail since issue #3, are joined by a new partner - a former FBI profiler who's about to uncover something verrrrry interesting about Harley's past. Meanwhile, Harley and the Quinntettes get a new member, and embark on a theft of gargantuan proportions."

Harley Quinn will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: NIGHTWING #54

Nightwing #54 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Chuck Dixon, with art and cover by Greg Land and Drew Geraci.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Officer Dick Grayson sometimes finds his hands tied when it comes to getting lowlifes off the street. Fortunately, Dick has a night job that allows him to pick up where his police cases end. But on this night, as he tries to stop a brutal spousal abuser as Nightwing, someone very close to him has a horrible accident - one that may take a life."

Nightwing #54 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #589

Adventures of Superman #589 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Joe Casey, with art by Duncan Rouleau, Jaime Mendoza and Marlo Alquiza and a cover by Paul Rivoche.

Here's how DC describes the issue, which is part two of the "Return to Krypton!" story:

"Superman's visit and reunion with his father Jor-El may be cut short as his father's enemy, General Zod, unleashes the Eradicators against them."

Adventures of Superman #589 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: GEN13 #62

Gen13 #62 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from WildStorm Productions and DC Comics. The issue is written by Adam Warren, with art by Ed Benes and Vince Russell and a cover by Warren.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"It's just another day for our Gen-Active teens: a terrifying view into Grunge's oversexed daydreams, a shallow discussion of protectionist vs. egalitarian feminism, a startling episode of binge eating, and a sudden and shocking explosion of violence and mayhem, with potentially serious results. Did we mention this all takes place entirely in scenes from the drive-through lane of a fast-food joint?"

Gen13 #62 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY