[Editor's Note - Pictures are edited to better fit Suite 101 format.]
Sunday, March 4 at MegaCon CrossGen held a panel discussion with the following participants (left to right).
Mark Alessi (at podium), Laura DePuy, Barbara Kessel, Mark Alessi, Steve Epting, Brandon Peterson, Mark Waid, and Ron Marz
At this session CrossGen announced colorist Laura DePuy is joining the staff to work on an as-yet-unannounced comic book title coming out later this year from CrossGen. Mark Alessi was asked a number of direct questions and ended up responding to the audience questions.
Mark Alessi (Talking about the type of comic books CrossGen does). [CrossGen comics contain] layers within layers and wheels within wheels. [These comics] are for bright people. I will be leaving "Easter Eggs" in future issues. The rule is that we work for you [the customer] . We never miss a deadline. I will [Mark said in a jovial but serious tone] kill the person who does miss a deadline and it will never happen again. There will be another book [a new title] out in October and two more new books in 2002. We have a game plan. No spandex. No New York skyline. We have a [business] plan for the first seven to eight years. We have a game plan for years 8 through 15 for ongoing, related tales.
[In the CrossGen comics ] the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We leave clues, hints, trails and false trails. If you read all of them [the CrossGen comics] , you get one big, massive tale. We planned for success so don't be surprised if we have it.
Brandon Peterson - Or strongest sense is that we have diversity. Every person coming into the studio is doing their best work naturally. [If my work is finished] I will walk up and ask if [I] can help out [someone else with their work.]
Mark Alessi - These people work 65 to 70 hours a week to get work out on time. You have to be courteous. If you build a program that brings people together, then you WILL bring people together. MegaCon [Orlando] is run by CrossGen; every detail. In three years we intend to make this the biggest convention in the US.
Question from the audience on the best way to start a comic book right now.
Mark Waid - I suggest you self-publish. Use black and white interior. [The dollars can make sense because of inexpensive publishing costs and you don't have sell that many to get you money back.]
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