s h o t g u n r e v i e w s

CrossGen Brings Their “A” Game:
The First Four CrossGen Trade Paperbacks
Review by: Troy Brownfield

It’s been a year since CrossGen exploded onto the comics scene. With a visionary leader in Mark Alessi and an ever-growing roster of talent, CrossGen has captured attention with fresh stories, outstanding art, vibrant colors and quality work. Everything about CrossGen has been different, and their dynamic approach to trade paperback collections is no exception.

Overview: The collections respectively gather the first seven issues of Mystic, Scion, Sigil and Meridian. However, CrossGen doesn’t just stop at a “gather and sell” formula. Each volume contains the relevant “1.5” issue section from the first issue of CrossGen Chronicles. Every volume also features an introduction by Alessi, detailing the themes and ideas behind each series. Possibly the most innovative feature is that each issue within each collection has an introduction contributed by a member of the creative team or the CrossGen staff. Whether it’s Ron Marz addressing the burden of power for Mystic #2 or Barbara Kesel riffing on the heroic nature of Meridian’s Sephie, these intros provide a great perspective on the creative process.

Frankly, these collections just look spectacular. The paper quality is outstanding, the colors have lost none of their snap, and even the introductory credits are clever (representative icons next to each creators name actually show you the steps that a comic takes to completion. It’s startingly simple, but brilliantly effective). CrossGen has also given each volume a distinct name and clearly numbered each one. Together, they feel like the first installment of an impressive library. For lack of a better description, these are “graphic DVDs”.

Let’s look at these one by one:

Mystic: Rite of Passage

Writer: Ron Marz
Penciller: Brandon Peterson (#1.5, Claudio Castellini; #7, Steve McNiven)
Inker: John Dell (#1.5, Caesar Rodriguez/Andrew Crossley; #7, Mark Lipka)
Colorist: Andrew Crossley (#1.5, Michael Atiyeh; #7, JD Smith)
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Painting by Joseph Michael Linser

Rating:

Probably the most instantly recognizable book, Mystic positioned itself as something familiar, the “magic babe book”, then totally surprised us. Ron Marz has always handled the idea of power vs. responsibility well; here he’s constructed an intelligent book with an appealing lead character that struggles with real issues.

Our protagonist is Giselle, who lives in a world where magic is the norm. Her sister is set to receive great power as a magic guild master, but Giselle accidentally gets that, and a great deal more. Giselle doesn’t want the power that she gets from her sigil, and this immediately puts her into opposition with the guild masters and her own sister.

Part of the hook to these early issues is seeing how Giselle confronts her personal issues with the power while staving off those who would take it from her. Marz has also imbued the book with an air of romantic entanglement that’s hard to sustain in more mainstream titles. This is a very well-written book that’s elevated further by its incredible visuals. Highly recommended.

Scion: Conflict of Conscience

Writer: Ron Marz
Penciller: Jim Cheung (#1.5, Claudio Castellini; #7, Rick Leonardi)
Inker: Don Hillsman II (#1.5, Caesar Rodriguez/Andrew Crossley; #7, Karl Kesel)
Colorist: Caesar Rodriguez (#1.5, Michael Atiyeh; #7, Paul Mounts)
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Painting by Adam Hughes

Rating:

Scion easily grabs the title of my favorite CrossGen book. Another treatise on power and the individual by Ron Marz, Scion tells the story of Ethan, a young noble whose family, the Herons, have held conflict with the rival Ravens for generations. Early circumstances (like the revelation of his own sigil) force Ethan into flight, intrigue and war.

As with Mystic, Marz weaves a compelling story around a likeable character. However, as good as the art is on the first title, I’d have to say that Scion is able to surpass it. Jim Cheung’s art is uniformly incredible. Every page is fairly exploding with innovative lines and boldy realized visions. He’s going to be the next guy that every young artist wishes he could be.

By turns shocking and action-packed, written with intelligence and depth, and drawn with the utmost care, Scion was easily one of the best books to debut in 2000 from any company. This is an easy choice for any discerning comics fan.

Sigil: Mark of Power

Writer: Barbara Kesel
Penciller: Ben Lai (#1.5, Claudio Castellini; #6, Steve McNiven, #7, Kevin Sharpe)
Inker: Ray Lai (#1.5, Caesar Rodriguez/Andrew Crossley; #6, Jordi Ensign and Batt, #7, Randy Elliott)
Colorist: Wil Quintana (#1.5, Michael Atiyeh)
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Painting by Christopher Moeller

Rating:

I’ll admit it. Sigil was my least favorite CrossGen book when the company launched. However, I have to say that upon a second reading in collected form, the story has a better ebb and flow. Credit for this is due to Barbara Kesel, who has an innate talent for taking familiar situations and creating deep characters from within them.

The most evident weakness in the early Sigil issues is the art of Ben and Ray Lai. I found their style to be fairly derivitive of early Image. Also, the main male characters, Sam and Jemerik, looked almost identical during the Lai tenure. My enjoyment of the title leaped immediately after their departure from the book.

That’s not to say that this volume isn’t enjoyable. Far from it. Kesel and company have created a space opera with the pulsing rhythm of a Saturday afternoon serial. Things move at a breakneck pace, and the furious action forces the characters to develop while on the run. It’s a testament to Kesel’s skill as a writer that the action scenes usually reveal the most interesting turns and shadings in her characters; under the hands of other writers, it would all seem to be just flash and thunder. That’s not the case here. Sigil certainly bears investigating.

Meridian: Flying Solo

Writer: Barbara Kesel
Penciller: Joshua Middleton (#1.5, Claudio Castellini; #6, 7, Steve McNiven)
Inker: Dexter Vines (#1.5, Caesar Rodriguez/Andrew Crossley; #6 Vines w/Dell, #7, Jordin Ensign)
Colorist: Michael Atiyeh (#6, 7, Morry Hollowell)
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Painting by Steve Rude

Rating:

Meridian wonderfully brings to life a fantasy realm populated by craftsmen, traders, one diabolical villain, and one vibrant young girl. Sephie may be one of the best of CrossGen’s recent creations, as she is a character that represents that most neglected of comic demographics: the young woman. Sephie’s success as a character is dependent on her intelligence, her heart and the insightful writing of Barbara Kesel. Teen magazines should be ashamed of themselves for not giving Sephie covers.

The various artists to service this title thus far have brought a great fairy tale quality to the proceedings. This is high fantasy, and the artists have worked diligently to make the surroundings unique.

Meridian is one of those books that comics fans should use to introduce younger readers to the hobby. It certainly should receive more recognition from the “mainstream” media for appealing to young women with wit and sensitivity.

Taking all four of these collections into account, it’s easy to see that CrossGen has staked out a place in the comics industry with strong talent and creativity. I look forward to seeing them succeed in the coming years. And you should want to look back and say, “Here’s where it started; with these.”

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