Checker Book Publishing Group
Encyclopedia
Checker Book Publishing Group is an independent publisher of comics reprints, from newspaper strips
to modern out-of-print titles and collections from defunct publishers.
, CheckerBPG was established in 2000 by Mark Thompson, Paul Dubuc and Ben Rangel in order to bring back into print "dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning."
with a business degree, and worked for a newspaper before starting his first comics company - Checker Comics - in 1997. Based in the Oregon District, Checker Comics published original works including Danger Ranger and Mutator before becoming one of many victim of the collapse of the comics speculator bubble in the late-1990s. Closing his company in 1999, Thompson realised that the key elements of a successful business were "strategy, costs, sales and distribution," and a better business model might favour collection out-of-print comics, rather than creating new ones.
Trade paperback collections, often mistakenly identified as "graphic novels" (but both terms referring to comics in book format) "offer the publisher and the seller better margins," notes Thompson, as they do not cost much more to print than a comic, but have wider saleability - bookstores and libraries as well as comic shops and individuals.
By June, 2006, CheckerBPG was employing just three full-time and two part-time employees, (an increase from 2003 of one part-timer) allowing for streamlined production and distribution of its various collections. By the end of 2006, the company was looking to add "a salesperson, a publicity person and two part-time graphic artists", plus extra warehousing space. Thompson and Checker find "old comics and comic strips, [secure] the rights to reprint them, [give] them a computer-brushed makeover and [package] them in paperback form."
What gets printed depends upon who owns the rights, and how amenable they are to allowing Checker to publish it, says Thompson:
In 2010, Thompson decided to team up with Josh Blaylock of Devils Due Publishing to create Devil's Due Digital
Inc.
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While Thompson was setting up CheckerBPG, he compiled "a wish list of 900 comic books and strips and began contacting people who owned the rights." Investigating the works of Winsor McCay
at the Cincinnati Public Library where McCay worked (as well as in New York), Thompson expected to obtain hard-to-reprint microfilm artwork, but instead discovered that the library owned bound original print copies. Where original artwork is unavailable (as is the case with much of CheckerBPGs output), print copies are the next-best thing, and Thompson and his employees were (and are) able to scan the artwork, and spend - on average - a month removing signs of aging before taking around three months to actually compile and print each of their volumes.
As well as publishing over a dozen volumes showcasing the works of Little Nemo in Slumberland-creator Winsor McCay, Thompson was also able to negotiate with Ohio-native Milton Caniff
's nephew and executor Harry Guyton for the rights to Caniff's Steve Canyon
. Typically, Checker is able to negotiate based on a "cash advance and a percentage of sales" approaching "the industry standard of 5 percent".
Other reprint rights of older material secured by Checker include Dick Tracy
, Alex Raymond
's Flash Gordon
, the Gold Key
Star Trek
comics, and Johnny Hart
's B.C. as well as works by Theodor Seuss Geisel
. Ultimately, Thompson hopes to branch out from straight reprints to again form imprints to publish original works, possibly "catering to the Christian and alternative-comic markets."
_vol._3_(checker).jpg)
CheckerBPG was set up to fill a perceived gap in the market, since Thompson felt that "[t]he large book publishing houses do not completely understand comics, and the majority of comics publishers are not well versed in the complexities of the book trade". He therefore set out to bring comics back into print, with "high production standards" and "worldwide distribution," to better appeal to a wider audience.
Citing a combined experience of "15 years of book publicity and promotional experience" in the fields of marketing and PR, Checker aims to consistently maintain a high profile in print and online advertising, running adverts in such noted comics and book sources as Wizard
, Comics Buyer's Guide
, Comics Retailer, Library Journal
, Publishers Weekly
and Previews.
turned out to missing "computer files and negatives". Checker prides itself on being able to "work from older digital files, film, and even printed material," building digital files and, in many cases, restoring the original artwork for quality reproduction. Checker also promises to provide copies of the digital files they create to the original rights holders for the sake of posterity.
, (who also deal with WaRP Graphics
' ElfQuest
collections), which deals on their behalf with bookstores such as Barnes & Noble
, Borders
and Books-A-Million
, while Diamond Book Distributors
, FM International and Cold Cut Distribution deal with comicshop distribution, and some independent booksellers and libraries. In Great Britain
, Europe
and "the former British Empire
" (including Australasia
), Checker is represented by Turnaround Publisher Services, while Canada is stocked with Checker titles by Hushion House Publishing (who also represent graphic novel publisher NBM
). Checker's in-house distribution network sells to Amazon.com
, Buy.com
and the Science Fiction Book Club, and also withholds foreign language rights to its licenced titles. Recently, Italian
rights to Clive Barker's Hellraiser were awarded to "Lexy Production of Terni, Italy".
CheckerBPG launched with its November, 2001 release of Chuck Dixon
's Alien Legion
: Force Nomad, which Thompson called "the perfect title to launch [with]," highlighting Checker's intentions to "go back and rescue worthy comic book properties which lived and died in the era before the graphic novel format had taken hold, and to keep them available to the public in a durable, good-looking, complete format." Other early titles included Clive Barker
's Hellraiser
and his Eisner Award
-nominated anthology Tapping the Vein. Thompson also managed to negotiate the reprint rights to Topps Comics
' X-Files comics, as well as a couple of volumes of Alan Moore
's Awesome Comics
work: two volumes of his Supreme
, as well as the ultimately aborted Universe-relaunching mini-series Judgment Day
.
's Early Works, Max Allan Collins
' Dick Tracy
work, and the first volume of Milton Caniff
's Steve Canyon
(1947). By Summer, 2007, eight volumes of each were in print. Further volumes of McCay's works - including Dream Of The Rarebit Fiend
and his Editorial Works have also seen print, alongside the first (of two) collection of his Little Nemo in Slumberland strips. (See below.)
When Chester Gould retired from writing and drawing the Dick Tracy
newspaper strip in late 1977, it fell to crime writer Max Allan Collins
to take up the writing reins (with Gould's assistant Rick Fletcher on art until his death in 1983, when Dick Locher
took over) until 1993.
CheckerBPG released their first "of several" volume of Collins' Tracy works in November 2003 as Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles Volume 1, and a second and third volume followed within a year. Reprinted in the 'regular' trade paperback format, Checker's volumes print three daily strips per page, with the Sunday strips (in the first volume) "chopped up," losing the logo and "Rogues Gallery" headers (some of these were subsequently included as separate extras in Volume 2).
Checker's Press Release announcing Volume 3 claimed that the first two volumes had "met with across-the-board positive response, from critics to consumers," quoting favourable reviews from Suspended Animation and Booklist.
Although re-stating their intention that: "Strips from 1978-1989 [are] to see reprint in multiple volumes," no further volumes have been solicited or released. This could simply mean that subsequent volumes are on indefinite hold while Checker focuses its efforts elsewhere.
Sunday strips of Alex Raymond
. These strips had been previously collected in colour by Kitchen Sink Press
, but had been out-of-print for several years..jpg)
.jpg)
In Summer 2007, Checker announced a two-volume hardback edition of Winsor McCay's landmark strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, claiming it to "provide the most comprehensive collection of the series ever produced". Volume 1, collecting the strips published between 1905 and 1909 was solicited as being in full color, while Volume 2 (scheduled for Winter, 2007) was to contain a mixture of color and black & white strips, due to difficulties in obtaining source materials. In an August, 2007 interview with Newsarama
's Michael Lorah, Checker Publisher Mark Thompson noted that, while there have been several attempts to collect Little Nemo (from multiple publishers), the series has never been collected in its entirety.
The strip initially appeared in the New York Herald
on October 15, 1905, and ran until April 23, 1911 before switching to the New York American a week later, and finishing in 1913, before enjoying a brief resurgence from 1924 to 1927. Thompson assured Lorah that Checker intended to collect everything ("The 1920s series is going to be collected comprehensively"), including a rare McCay precursor which ran in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1903, entitled Tales of the Jungle Imps.
At the time, Thompson noted that the second volume would not contain full color, since Checker only had access to "approximately 60-75% of [the stripts] in full color, and the remainder are in black and white". However, Volume 2 failed to see print by its scheduled date(s), and on the 10th of December 2007, an "open letter" from Thompson was released to various websites. It read in part:
Little Nemo in Slumberland Volume 2 is currently expected before Summer, 2008.
's B.C.
and two volumes of early works by Theodor Seuss Geisl
, Checker have also published (and re-published) works from defunct companies such as Awesome Comics
, Epic Comics
, Gold Key Comics
, Malibu Comics
and Topps Comics
.
These include the highly acclaimed, but previously un-collected, Supreme
work produced by legendary comics-creator Alan Moore
for Rob Liefeld
; three volumes of Clive Barker
's Hellraiser
anthology (featuring work by Neil Gaiman
& Dave McKean
, Mike Mignola
, Alex Ross
, Larry Wachowski and others); three volumes each of Epic's Alien Legion
and Topps' X-Files and five volumes of Gold Key's Star Trek
comics as well as Will Jacobs
and Gerard Jones
' The Trouble With Girls
.
In his overview of books featuring to work of Winsor McCay for the hundredth anniversary of Little Nemo, Taylor Jessen of Animation World Magazine
damns Checker's McCay volumes with faint praise, calling the Winsor McCay Early Works series "abundant but erratically curated." Much of such criticism is due to the lack of 'good' art sources - relying on glorified photocopies of hundred-year-old newspapers rarely produces perfect artwork - that Checker has to deal with when producing such volumes.
Not everyone is critical, either. Newsarama poster "DuncanHines" is critical of the "crap image quality" of Checker's Supreme volumes, but writes that "their other reprints of Winsor McCay's early work, and their Early Works of Dr Seuss HCs are beautiful!"
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Similar problems have been encountered with Checker's reprints of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon Sunday strips. Artist and Librarian Derik A. Badman's review of the first three volumes praised Checker's decision to reprint in "rather large-sized hardcovers (unlike their microscopic reprints of Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon) on glossy paper". He reserves his disappointment for "the quality of reproduction [which he finds] occasionally muddy and often off register." He does not blame Checker, although his assumption that "finding originals or cleaning up the art would be extensive and costly," - and therefore did not occur - seems slightly at odds with Checker's own claims (albeit in direct reference to the works of McCay) to spend to spend around four months cleaning and compiling each book they publish, and their website's assertion that they utilise "only the highest quality specifications and materials on press, and proprietary pre-press techniques... using high end technology combined with experienced designers to accomplish the meticulous restoration that each project demands."
Ironically, since Thompson has gone on record as stating that, while, during the course of Checker's processes "Black-and-white comics can be colorized," he "likes to remain faithful to how they originally appeared"Badman writes:
Christopher Mills, reviewing the first Dick Tracy volume for "Guns in the Gutters" generally praises the "decent reproduction of the original strips", but notes that Checker "place only three dailies on each page, when there's clearly room for more" (doubly odd when one considers that the comparable Steve Canyon volumes reprint four per page) and that "the Sunday strips are chopped up" to fit the format, losing "the logo and Rogues Gallery headers." (These parts of the strips, removed to allow them to fit the book format, were, in Volume 2, included as an 'extra' feature.)
On the flipside of that strips-per-page argument, Checker's collections of Caniff's
Steve Canyon have received criticism for putting more strips on the page. Newsarama poster "Comic-reader" writes that "the format for the Steve Canyon reprints is wrong. It should have been landscape to allow the strips to be reprinted at a larger size. The dailies are often quite small." Newsarama's "DJ Sloofus" agrees, stating that "[one] can barely even read the Canyon reprints," as Checker is "cramming way too much copy on each page."
Johanna Draper Carlson, of "Comics Worth Reading" writes:
She does however say that "the small reproduction size does allow for a lot of content" to be collected in each volume, making the books "a substantial read".
Artist Rick Veitch
was quite clear in his opinion of Checker's Supreme
: The Returnupon receiving a complimentary copy (as one of the artists who drew flashback sequences), he wrote:
He mitigated his criticism, by pointing out that Thompson and Checker were working from "poor jpeg
s... so I [Veitch] know what he [Thompson] was up against and I'm sure he did the best he could, but the final product looks muddy, dark and just plain lousy."
Veitch also criticises Checker's decision to devote the blurb on both Supreme
volumes to Rob Liefeld
:
Veitch also notes that "the book's biggest failing is that the final issue of the story was never produced," and notes archly that Checker's tome "takes care of that little problem by ignoring it completely and just tacking "The End" on the last story". In summary Veitch concludes that the "volumes are sloppy, to say the least, but unless you want to hunt down the back issues, they are the only game in town". In addition, he notes that "[t]here are no royalties being paid to the creators for either of the SUPREME reprint volumes."
Indeed, Publishers Weekly
' s review of Flash Gordon, Volume 1 went so far as to note that "[t]he reproduction quality is fairly rough... panels and colors are frequently muddy and blurry." This statement, however, demonstrated the diligence with which Checker treats its output, as evidenced by Mark Thompson's personal swift rebuttal of the PW comment, writing that Publishers Weekly had necessarily only had access to an advance "Review Copy", subsequent to which:
Indeed, the book-as-published was well-received, with subsequent reviews writing, for example, that the volume featured pages of a "high quality", while "the images are large and the colors are amazing," others note that future volumes improve upon the printing quality also. Ink 19's review of Volume 4, for example, notes that by this point, the color is "clean but subdued", and the "high quality strips" are mirrored by being printed in "quality books".
. Cited reasons for this rating include a "failure to respond to 4 complaints filed against [the] business" and "3 serious complaints filed against [the] business". The BBB defines a serious complaint as one that indicates "a significant ethical failure by the business" or "a material failure with regard to the business’ products/services that resulted in significant consumer injury".
According to Checker, many of these complaints are due to the split from Diamond Comic Distribution Inc., in which Diamond had shown a rapidly deteriorating capability to process inbound projects and publications which resulted in nothing less than a complete inability to sell Checker product.
's Yellow Kid (often referred to as one of, if not the earliest comic strips published) is said to be forthcoming, and volumes reprinting work originally produced for now-defunct comics company CrossGen are likely to ultimately see print from Checker.
filed for bankruptcy in 2004, Disney (already interested in licencing some properties) acquired CrossGen's assets, and began to slowly decide how best to exploit their new properties. In December 2006, it was announced that "Checker Book Publishing Group and Walt Disney Publishing have announced a licensing agreement under which Checker will reprint original Crossgen Comics Company material," focusing particularly on the uncollected issues of Sojourn, Sigil
, Way of the Rat
and Scion
. These were to be produced using the original CrossGen digital files for better reproduction, and around half the original nine solicited were released as of January, 2008, after Thompson told Newsarama
in July, 2007 that "pre-orders have been good through Diamond", but that Checker was "a bit behind on the release schedule we originally announced".
Focusing on the uncollected issues, Checker's collections do not start at the beginning of the various series', starting at between Volume 3 and Volume 6, and following directly from the previously-published volumes released by CrossGen. Thompson stated that Checker was (as of July 2007) "strongly considering more collections and we will probably approach [Disney] with a proposal," qualifying this two weeks later as hopefully ultimately producing "catch up" "omnibus collections that have issues collected in one place [to] compliment [the] new volumes for storyline completeness."
Thompsons goal, as in all of Checker's work, is to "re-establish a trade schedule of the optimum material Crossgen produced so it is not lost to the ages".
Volumes of The Path
and Negation
, delayed for over a year, are presently due for publication in March, 2008.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
to modern out-of-print titles and collections from defunct publishers.
History
Based in Miamisburg near Dayton, OhioDayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, CheckerBPG was established in 2000 by Mark Thompson, Paul Dubuc and Ben Rangel in order to bring back into print "dormant, unpublished, and under-published serial comics and cartooning."
Checker Comics
CheckerBPG's publisher, Mark Thompson, (b. 1967/68) graduated from Miami UniversityMiami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
with a business degree, and worked for a newspaper before starting his first comics company - Checker Comics - in 1997. Based in the Oregon District, Checker Comics published original works including Danger Ranger and Mutator before becoming one of many victim of the collapse of the comics speculator bubble in the late-1990s. Closing his company in 1999, Thompson realised that the key elements of a successful business were "strategy, costs, sales and distribution," and a better business model might favour collection out-of-print comics, rather than creating new ones.
Trade paperback collections, often mistakenly identified as "graphic novels" (but both terms referring to comics in book format) "offer the publisher and the seller better margins," notes Thompson, as they do not cost much more to print than a comic, but have wider saleability - bookstores and libraries as well as comic shops and individuals.
CheckerBPG, Inc.
Checker Book Publishing was incorporated in 2001, and set to work collecting individual comics' content into single collections, which are printed at an outside press, but shipped in-house after difficulties with outside distribution. Over the next five years, Checker published 43 titles, and "as of 2008" they now have 60 titles in print - and according to Thompson, the company has not lost money on any of them. Sales between 2003 and 2004 doubled as Checker's output increased. Between 2004 and 2005, two of Checker's co-founders departed the company, impacting sales slightly, but not drastically.By June, 2006, CheckerBPG was employing just three full-time and two part-time employees, (an increase from 2003 of one part-timer) allowing for streamlined production and distribution of its various collections. By the end of 2006, the company was looking to add "a salesperson, a publicity person and two part-time graphic artists", plus extra warehousing space. Thompson and Checker find "old comics and comic strips, [secure] the rights to reprint them, [give] them a computer-brushed makeover and [package] them in paperback form."
What gets printed depends upon who owns the rights, and how amenable they are to allowing Checker to publish it, says Thompson:
In 2010, Thompson decided to team up with Josh Blaylock of Devils Due Publishing to create Devil's Due Digital
Devil's Due Digital
Devil’s Due Digital Inc. is an American digital publishing company established in 2010 by cofounders Mark Thompson of Checker Book Publishing Group and Josh Blaylock of Devil’s Due Publishing.-History:...
Inc.
Reprints & rights
Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
at the Cincinnati Public Library where McCay worked (as well as in New York), Thompson expected to obtain hard-to-reprint microfilm artwork, but instead discovered that the library owned bound original print copies. Where original artwork is unavailable (as is the case with much of CheckerBPGs output), print copies are the next-best thing, and Thompson and his employees were (and are) able to scan the artwork, and spend - on average - a month removing signs of aging before taking around three months to actually compile and print each of their volumes.
As well as publishing over a dozen volumes showcasing the works of Little Nemo in Slumberland-creator Winsor McCay, Thompson was also able to negotiate with Ohio-native Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
's nephew and executor Harry Guyton for the rights to Caniff's Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
. Typically, Checker is able to negotiate based on a "cash advance and a percentage of sales" approaching "the industry standard of 5 percent".
Other reprint rights of older material secured by Checker include Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
, Alex Raymond
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie "Alex" Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
's Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
, the Gold Key
Gold Key
In fiction, a gold key is a special token granting access to and control of a mythical or ultra-private or secret bank account or vault, such as a Swiss bank account. In reality, the key is often a code word and accounts are not completely anonymous....
Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
comics, and Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
's B.C. as well as works by Theodor Seuss Geisel
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
. Ultimately, Thompson hopes to branch out from straight reprints to again form imprints to publish original works, possibly "catering to the Christian and alternative-comic markets."
CheckerBPG's role
Citing a combined experience of "15 years of book publicity and promotional experience" in the fields of marketing and PR, Checker aims to consistently maintain a high profile in print and online advertising, running adverts in such noted comics and book sources as Wizard
Wizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
, Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
, Comics Retailer, Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
and Previews.
Reproduction
Checker claims to be able to produce high quality work from a variety of source materials - integral when trying to put together hundred-year-old newspaper strips, but also important when such recent comics as Supreme: The ReturnSupreme (comics)
Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
turned out to missing "computer files and negatives". Checker prides itself on being able to "work from older digital files, film, and even printed material," building digital files and, in many cases, restoring the original artwork for quality reproduction. Checker also promises to provide copies of the digital files they create to the original rights holders for the sake of posterity.
Worldwide distribution
CheckerBPG is represented in the US be distributor Midpoint Trade BooksMidpoint Trade Books, Inc.
Midpoint Trade Books, Inc. is a Sales, Marketing, and Distribution Company founded in 1996 by Eric Kampmann, Gail Kump, and Chris Bell. Located in the Chelsea area of New York City, Midpoint represents 275 publishers across the United States and in the United Kingdom...
, (who also deal with WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's...
' ElfQuest
Elfquest
Elfquest is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also...
collections), which deals on their behalf with bookstores such as Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
and Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a company that owns the second largest U.S. bookstore chain and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company operates over 200 stores in the South, Midwest, Northeast...
, while Diamond Book Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is the largest comic book distributor serving North America. They transport comic books from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to the retailers. Diamond dominates the direct market in the United States, and has exclusive arrangements with most...
, FM International and Cold Cut Distribution deal with comicshop distribution, and some independent booksellers and libraries. In Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and "the former British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
" (including Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
), Checker is represented by Turnaround Publisher Services, while Canada is stocked with Checker titles by Hushion House Publishing (who also represent graphic novel publisher NBM
NBM Publishing
NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans...
). Checker's in-house distribution network sells to Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Buy.com
Buy.com
Buy.com, Incorporated is an online retailer based in Aliso Viejo, California.Buy.com began by selling computers and electronics in 1997 and has since expanded into many other categories...
and the Science Fiction Book Club, and also withholds foreign language rights to its licenced titles. Recently, Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
rights to Clive Barker's Hellraiser were awarded to "Lexy Production of Terni, Italy".
Published works
Chuck Dixon
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
's Alien Legion
Alien Legion
Alien Legion is a science-fiction comic-book series and associated titles created by Carl Potts, Alan Zelenetz, and Frank Cirocco for Marvel Comics; Epic Comics imprint in 1983...
: Force Nomad, which Thompson called "the perfect title to launch [with]," highlighting Checker's intentions to "go back and rescue worthy comic book properties which lived and died in the era before the graphic novel format had taken hold, and to keep them available to the public in a durable, good-looking, complete format." Other early titles included Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
's Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
and his Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
-nominated anthology Tapping the Vein. Thompson also managed to negotiate the reprint rights to Topps Comics
Topps Comics
Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
' X-Files comics, as well as a couple of volumes of Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's Awesome Comics
Awesome Comics
Awesome Comics or Awesome Entertainment was an American comic book studio formed in 1997 by Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld...
work: two volumes of his Supreme
Supreme (comics)
Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
, as well as the ultimately aborted Universe-relaunching mini-series Judgment Day
Judgment Day (Awesome Comics)
Judgment Day was a limited series published by Awesome Comics from June to October 1997 written by acclaimed comic book writer Alan Moore. This story delved into the Awesome Comics universe of characters created by Rob Liefeld, including Supreme, Youngblood and Glory.-Publication history:The...
.
Newspaper reprints
CheckerBPG's status in reprinting archive and long-out-of-print material began in November, 2003 with their first collection of Winsor McCayWinsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
's Early Works, Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
' Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
work, and the first volume of Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
's Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
(1947). By Summer, 2007, eight volumes of each were in print. Further volumes of McCay's works - including Dream Of The Rarebit Fiend
Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend was a newspaper comic strip written and drawn by Winsor McCay beginning September 10, 1904. It was McCay's second successful newspaper strip, after Little Sammy Sneeze secured him a position on the cartoon staff of the New York Herald newspaper...
and his Editorial Works have also seen print, alongside the first (of two) collection of his Little Nemo in Slumberland strips. (See below.)
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
newspaper strip in late 1977, it fell to crime writer Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
to take up the writing reins (with Gould's assistant Rick Fletcher on art until his death in 1983, when Dick Locher
Dick Locher
Richard Earl Locher , better known as Dick Locher, is a nationally syndicated cartoonist.-Early life and career:Locher was born in Dubuque, Iowa. After high school, he began studying art at the University of Iowa and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. While in Chicago, he became an assistant to Rick...
took over) until 1993.
CheckerBPG released their first "of several" volume of Collins' Tracy works in November 2003 as Dick Tracy: The Collins Casefiles Volume 1, and a second and third volume followed within a year. Reprinted in the 'regular' trade paperback format, Checker's volumes print three daily strips per page, with the Sunday strips (in the first volume) "chopped up," losing the logo and "Rogues Gallery" headers (some of these were subsequently included as separate extras in Volume 2).
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- Volume 1 (Nov 2003) collects Max Allan Collin's Tracy-writing debut, covering the rough period of January–December 1978.
- Volume 2 (May 2004) collects the Dick Tracy strips originally published during 1979.
- Volume 3 (Nov 2004) collects the strips from January 6, 1980 to January 17, 1981.
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Checker's Press Release announcing Volume 3 claimed that the first two volumes had "met with across-the-board positive response, from critics to consumers," quoting favourable reviews from Suspended Animation and Booklist.
Although re-stating their intention that: "Strips from 1978-1989 [are] to see reprint in multiple volumes," no further volumes have been solicited or released. This could simply mean that subsequent volumes are on indefinite hold while Checker focuses its efforts elsewhere.
Flash Gordon
Between June 2004 and January 2007, Checker reprinted in seven volumes the complete Flash GordonFlash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
Sunday strips of Alex Raymond
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie "Alex" Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
. These strips had been previously collected in colour by Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen owned and operated Kitchen Sink Press until 1999. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in...
, but had been out-of-print for several years.
- Volume 1 (Jun 2004) collects Raymond's earliest Sunday Strips starting from the first, printed on January 7, 1934.
- Volume 2 (Aug 2004) collects strips from 1935 and 1936.
- Volume 3 (Mar 2005) collects the pages printed between October 25, 1936 and August 1, 1937.
- Volume 4 (Oct 2005) collects strips printed between 1938 and 1940.
- Volume 5 (Nov 2005) collects "The Ice Kingdom of Mongo", "Power Men of Mongo", and "The Fall of Ming"; 1940 to 1941.
- Volume 6 (Dec 2006) collects the pages printed from August 1941 to May 1943.
- Volume 7 (Jan 2007) collects the final strips from mid-1943, until the final Raymond issue from February 1945.
Little Nemo in Slumberland
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
's Michael Lorah, Checker Publisher Mark Thompson noted that, while there have been several attempts to collect Little Nemo (from multiple publishers), the series has never been collected in its entirety.
The strip initially appeared in the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
on October 15, 1905, and ran until April 23, 1911 before switching to the New York American a week later, and finishing in 1913, before enjoying a brief resurgence from 1924 to 1927. Thompson assured Lorah that Checker intended to collect everything ("The 1920s series is going to be collected comprehensively"), including a rare McCay precursor which ran in the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1903, entitled Tales of the Jungle Imps.
At the time, Thompson noted that the second volume would not contain full color, since Checker only had access to "approximately 60-75% of [the stripts] in full color, and the remainder are in black and white". However, Volume 2 failed to see print by its scheduled date(s), and on the 10th of December 2007, an "open letter" from Thompson was released to various websites. It read in part:
Little Nemo in Slumberland Volume 2 is currently expected before Summer, 2008.
Other collections
CheckerBPG does not only publish old works, nor does it focus solely on newspaper reprints. In addition to producing a collection of Johnny HartJohnny Hart
Johnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
's B.C.
B.C. (comic strip)
B.C. is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Johnny Hart. Set in prehistoric times, it features a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from various geologic eras...
and two volumes of early works by Theodor Seuss Geisl
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
, Checker have also published (and re-published) works from defunct companies such as Awesome Comics
Awesome Comics
Awesome Comics or Awesome Entertainment was an American comic book studio formed in 1997 by Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld...
, Epic Comics
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
, Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
, Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
and Topps Comics
Topps Comics
Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
.
These include the highly acclaimed, but previously un-collected, Supreme
Supreme (comics)
Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
work produced by legendary comics-creator Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
for Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
; three volumes of Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
's Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
anthology (featuring work by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
& Dave McKean
Dave McKean
David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
, Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
, Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
, Larry Wachowski and others); three volumes each of Epic's Alien Legion
Alien Legion
Alien Legion is a science-fiction comic-book series and associated titles created by Carl Potts, Alan Zelenetz, and Frank Cirocco for Marvel Comics; Epic Comics imprint in 1983...
and Topps' X-Files and five volumes of Gold Key's Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
comics as well as Will Jacobs
Will Jacobs
Will Jacobs is an American comics and humor writer. He was a coauthor with Gerard Jones on The Beaver Papers, The Comic Book Heroes, and the comic book The Trouble with Girls . He was a contributor to National Lampoon magazine and various DC Comics...
and Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
' The Trouble With Girls
The Trouble with Girls (comics)
The Trouble with Girls is an American comic book published serially from 1987–1993 by Malibu Comics/Eternity Comics, Comico, and Epic Comics...
.
Winsor McCay
Animation World Network
Animation World Network is an organization for animators, with an extensive website with news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. AWN also publishes a printed journal, "Animation World"....
damns Checker's McCay volumes with faint praise, calling the Winsor McCay Early Works series "abundant but erratically curated." Much of such criticism is due to the lack of 'good' art sources - relying on glorified photocopies of hundred-year-old newspapers rarely produces perfect artwork - that Checker has to deal with when producing such volumes.
Not everyone is critical, either. Newsarama poster "DuncanHines" is critical of the "crap image quality" of Checker's Supreme volumes, but writes that "their other reprints of Winsor McCay's early work, and their Early Works of Dr Seuss HCs are beautiful!"
Flash Gordon
Ironically, since Thompson has gone on record as stating that, while, during the course of Checker's processes "Black-and-white comics can be colorized," he "likes to remain faithful to how they originally appeared"Badman writes:
Format
The formats chosen by Checker in which to present their output have come in for some criticism. From relatively insignificant comments that, for example, the Flash Gordon volumes are an unhelpful size and shape to be easily stored on a bookcase (although that format suits the source material), to more pointed criticisms of the sizing of the strips collected in Checker's Dick Tracy and Steve Canyon volumes.Christopher Mills, reviewing the first Dick Tracy volume for "Guns in the Gutters" generally praises the "decent reproduction of the original strips", but notes that Checker "place only three dailies on each page, when there's clearly room for more" (doubly odd when one considers that the comparable Steve Canyon volumes reprint four per page) and that "the Sunday strips are chopped up" to fit the format, losing "the logo and Rogues Gallery headers." (These parts of the strips, removed to allow them to fit the book format, were, in Volume 2, included as an 'extra' feature.)
On the flipside of that strips-per-page argument, Checker's collections of Caniff's
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
Steve Canyon have received criticism for putting more strips on the page. Newsarama poster "Comic-reader" writes that "the format for the Steve Canyon reprints is wrong. It should have been landscape to allow the strips to be reprinted at a larger size. The dailies are often quite small." Newsarama's "DJ Sloofus" agrees, stating that "[one] can barely even read the Canyon reprints," as Checker is "cramming way too much copy on each page."
Johanna Draper Carlson, of "Comics Worth Reading" writes:
She does however say that "the small reproduction size does allow for a lot of content" to be collected in each volume, making the books "a substantial read".
Supreme
Rick Veitch
Richard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
was quite clear in his opinion of Checker's Supreme
Supreme (comics)
Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
: The Returnupon receiving a complimentary copy (as one of the artists who drew flashback sequences), he wrote:
He mitigated his criticism, by pointing out that Thompson and Checker were working from "poor jpeg
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
s... so I [Veitch] know what he [Thompson] was up against and I'm sure he did the best he could, but the final product looks muddy, dark and just plain lousy."
Veitch also criticises Checker's decision to devote the blurb on both Supreme
Supreme (comics)
Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
volumes to Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
:
Veitch also notes that "the book's biggest failing is that the final issue of the story was never produced," and notes archly that Checker's tome "takes care of that little problem by ignoring it completely and just tacking "The End" on the last story". In summary Veitch concludes that the "volumes are sloppy, to say the least, but unless you want to hunt down the back issues, they are the only game in town". In addition, he notes that "[t]here are no royalties being paid to the creators for either of the SUPREME reprint volumes."
Further reviews and criticism
In addition to some disappointment regarding the format and layout of some of their newspaper strip reprints, some of Checker's titles have drawn criticism directed towards the company's stated "High Quality Standards". In particular, critics have focused on art reproduction quality, citing, for example, a "faded" look in some of the Dick Tracy volumes where ink appears not to have been accurately applied, or the aforementioned "quality of reproduction," on Flash Gordon Volume 1, which is said to be "occasionally muddy and often off register" - some reviewers going so far as to allege more generally that "the quality of Checker's reproductions is very poor."Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
- "Checker... chose to delay the publication of the collection and revamp the book format and design to better reflect its original published format. The end book is something wholly different than what we provided to the editorial staff at Publishers Weekly."
Customer complaints
Checker Book Publishing Group currently has an F rating from the Better Business BureauBetter Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
. Cited reasons for this rating include a "failure to respond to 4 complaints filed against [the] business" and "3 serious complaints filed against [the] business". The BBB defines a serious complaint as one that indicates "a significant ethical failure by the business" or "a material failure with regard to the business’ products/services that resulted in significant consumer injury".
According to Checker, many of these complaints are due to the split from Diamond Comic Distribution Inc., in which Diamond had shown a rapidly deteriorating capability to process inbound projects and publications which resulted in nothing less than a complete inability to sell Checker product.
Coming Soon
A collection of Richard F. OutcaultRichard F. Outcault
Richard Felton Outcault was an American comic strip writer-artist. He was the creator of the series The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown, and he is considered the inventor of the modern comic strip.-Early life:...
's Yellow Kid (often referred to as one of, if not the earliest comic strips published) is said to be forthcoming, and volumes reprinting work originally produced for now-defunct comics company CrossGen are likely to ultimately see print from Checker.
CrossGen
After CrossGenCrossGen
Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
filed for bankruptcy in 2004, Disney (already interested in licencing some properties) acquired CrossGen's assets, and began to slowly decide how best to exploit their new properties. In December 2006, it was announced that "Checker Book Publishing Group and Walt Disney Publishing have announced a licensing agreement under which Checker will reprint original Crossgen Comics Company material," focusing particularly on the uncollected issues of Sojourn, Sigil
Sigil (comics)
Sigil is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment from July 2000 to December 2003, ending at issue forty-two. Sigil was one of the publisher's first four titles , a science fiction space opera, originally created by Mark Alessi and Gina M. Villa...
, Way of the Rat
Way of the Rat
Way of the Rat is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment in the wuxia sub-genre of martial arts adventure. Written by Chuck Dixon, with artwork by Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder, the series ran for a total of twenty-four issues before its publication was stopped due to...
and Scion
Scion (comics)
Scion was an American comic book published by CrossGen Entertainment from July 2000 to April 2004. It was cancelled due to the bankruptcy of Crossgen Comics Inc in 2004.-Plot synopsis:...
. These were to be produced using the original CrossGen digital files for better reproduction, and around half the original nine solicited were released as of January, 2008, after Thompson told Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
in July, 2007 that "pre-orders have been good through Diamond", but that Checker was "a bit behind on the release schedule we originally announced".
Focusing on the uncollected issues, Checker's collections do not start at the beginning of the various series', starting at between Volume 3 and Volume 6, and following directly from the previously-published volumes released by CrossGen. Thompson stated that Checker was (as of July 2007) "strongly considering more collections and we will probably approach [Disney] with a proposal," qualifying this two weeks later as hopefully ultimately producing "catch up" "omnibus collections that have issues collected in one place [to] compliment [the] new volumes for storyline completeness."
Thompsons goal, as in all of Checker's work, is to "re-establish a trade schedule of the optimum material Crossgen produced so it is not lost to the ages".
Volumes of The Path
The Path (comics)
The Path is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment from March 2002 to April 2004. It was cancelled due to the company's bankruptcy....
and Negation
Negation (comics)
Negation was a comic book series published from CrossGen. Tony Bedard was the writer for the entire run. Paul Pelletier was the artist for most of the issues, with an occasional fill-in artist taking an issue here and there.-Overview:...
, delayed for over a year, are presently due for publication in March, 2008.
2002, and Starting in 2002
- Alien LegionAlien LegionAlien Legion is a science-fiction comic-book series and associated titles created by Carl Potts, Alan Zelenetz, and Frank Cirocco for Marvel Comics; Epic Comics imprint in 1983...
:Carl PottsCarl Potts is an American comic-book writer, artist, and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics.-Early life:...
(creator), Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
, Larry StromanLarry StromanLarry Stroman is an American comic book artist and writer. After first gaining attention illustrating the Epic Comics series Alien Legion , he went on to illustrate various Marvel Comics books such as The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, Ghost Rider Larry Stroman is an American comic book artist and...
, Mark FarmerMark FarmerMark Farmer is a British comic book artist. He is best known as an inker, often working with Alan Davis.-Biography:Farmer got his start in the UK comics industry before becoming part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK creators that were an integral part of the DC Comics "new look" of the...
and Alan ZelenetzAlan ZelenetzAlan Zelenetz is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment...
(Nov 2002) ISBN 0-9710249-0-1 - Collects Vol. 2 #1-11 - Piecemaker, by Carl PottsCarl PottsCarl Potts is an American comic-book writer, artist, and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics.-Early life:...
(creator), Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
, Larry StromanLarry StromanLarry Stroman is an American comic book artist and writer. After first gaining attention illustrating the Epic Comics series Alien Legion , he went on to illustrate various Marvel Comics books such as The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, Ghost Rider Larry Stroman is an American comic book artist and...
and Mark FarmerMark FarmerMark Farmer is a British comic book artist. He is best known as an inker, often working with Alan Davis.-Biography:Farmer got his start in the UK comics industry before becoming part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK creators that were an integral part of the DC Comics "new look" of the...
(Nov 2002) ISBN 0-9710249-4-4 - Collects Vol. 2 #12-18 - Footsloggers, by Carl PottsCarl PottsCarl Potts is an American comic-book writer, artist, and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics.-Early life:...
, Alan ZelenetzAlan ZelenetzAlan Zelenetz is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment...
, Frank Cirocco, Terry AustinTerry Austin (comics)Terry Austin is an American comic book artist, working primarily as an inker. He is best known for his work embellishing John Byrne's pencils on The Uncanny X-Men from 1977–1981.-Early life and career:...
and Whilce PortacioWhilce PortacioWilliam "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book writer and artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men. Portacio was also one of the seven co-founders of Image Comics, though he did not become a partner in the company.-Early life:Portacio...
(Nov 2004) ISBN 0-9753808-7-7 - Collects Vol. 1(?) #1-?
- Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
:- HellraiserHellraiserHellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
:- Collected Best, by Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, Alex RossAlex RossNelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
, Tristin Shane, Neil GaimanNeil GaimanNeil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, Dave MckeanDave McKeanDavid McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
, Mark NelsonMark Nelson (artist)Mark A. Nelson is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and comic books.-Works:Mark Nelson has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1985...
, Frank LoveceFrank LoveceFrank Lovece is an American journalist, author, comedy performer and comic book writer. He was additionally one of the first professional Web journalists, becoming an editor of a Silicon Alley start-up in 1996....
, Bill KoebBill KoebBill Koeb is an American illustrator, painter, and comic-book artist whose work includes the Marvel Comics' series Clive Barker's Hellraiser and the Vertigo miniseries Faultlines...
, Kyle BakerKyle BakerKyle John Baker is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series Plastic Man....
, Malcom Smith, Paul JohnsonPaul Johnson (artist)Paul Johnson is a British comic book artist.-Biography:Paul Johnson orbited the peripheries of the British comic book industry in the early Eighties, self-publishing and appearing in influential but short-lived publications such as Psst! and Escape Magazine...
, D.G. ChichesterD.G. ChichesterDaniel G. Chichester is a comic book writer. His credits include Daredevil and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. for Marvel Comics.-Career:...
, Mark Evans, Sholly Fisch, Dan Speigle, Mike MignolaMike MignolaMichael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
, Colleen DoranColleen DoranColleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
, Del Stone Jr., Marc HempelMarc HempelMarc Hempel is an American cartoonist/comics artist best known for his work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman.-Biography:...
, Doug MurrayDoug Murray (comics)Doug Murray is an American comic book writer. He served in the Vietnam War, and was the main writer on the popular comic book series The 'Nam.-Bibliography:*The 'Nam #1-45, 49-51, 75 Dec 1986-Dec 1990*Mark Hazzard: Merc #5-12, March 1987-October 1987...
, Dwayne McDuffieDwayne McDuffieDwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
, Gray MorrowGray MorrowDwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow was an American illustrator of paperback books and comics.-Biography:Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Morrow is best known as art director of Spider-Man between 1967 and 1970 and as illustrator of the syndicated Tarzan, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Prince Valiant comic...
, et al. (Jun 2002) ISBN 0-9710249-2-8 - Collected Best II, by Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, Larry Wachowski, John Bolton, Dwayne McDuffieDwayne McDuffieDwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
, Dave DormanDave DormanDave Dorman is a science fiction, horror and fantasy illustrator.-Background:Dorman's parents are Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Dorman and Phyllis Dorman. Both parents are deceased. Dorman is married to award-winning TV/video producer, writer and publicist Denise Dorman of WriteBrain Media...
, Tim Conrad, Philip Nutman, Ricardo VillagranRicardo VillagranRicardo Villagran is an Argentinian illustrator known for his work in the American comic book industry.- Early life and education :Villagran was born in the small northern city of Corrientes in 1938...
, John Van Fleet, et al. (Jul 2003) ISBN 0-9710249-7-9 - Collected Best III, by Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, Larry Wachowski, John Bolton, Colleen DoranColleen DoranColleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
, John Van Fleet, Bernie WrightsonBernie WrightsonBernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
, Dan SpiegleDan SpiegleDan Spiegle is an American comic book and cartoon artist and illustrator . He has had a long career in drawing comics based on movie and television characters, and has worked for companies including Dell Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics.-Life and career:In his second year of high school,...
et al. (Sep 2004) ISBN 0-9753808-0-X
- Collected Best, by Clive Barker
- Tapping The Vein, by Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
, John Bolton, P. Craig RussellP. Craig RussellPhilip Craig Russell , also known as P. Craig Russell, is an American comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards...
, Charles WagnerCharles WagnerCharles Wagner was a French reformed pastor whose inspirational writings were influential in shaping the reformed theology of his time.-Biography:...
, Denys CowanDenys CowanDenys B. Cowan is an American comic book artist and television producer. He gained prominence as the primary artist on The Question, an acclaimed comic book series published by DC Comics for 36 issues from 1987 on, written by Dennis O'Neil.-Career:Denys Cowan is a 1979 graduate of the High School...
, Steve NilesSteve NilesSteve Niles is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark, Mystery Society and Batman: Gotham County Line....
, Klaus Jansen, Tim Conrad, Bo HamptonBo HamptonBo Hampton is a noted comic book and cartoon artist.He graduated from the School of Visual Arts, New York City. He drew, wrote and painted comics and graphic novels for 15 years, always with a bent toward realism that was fairly uncommon in the medium...
, Stan WochStan WochStan Woch is an American artist who has worked in the comics industry. His early career includes work as an assistant to Gray Morrow on the Barbara Cartland Romances and Buck Rogers comic strips...
, Hector GomezHéctor GómezHéctor Alexis Gómez is a major league baseball shortstop currently on the Colorado Rockies active roster....
, Fred Burke, Steve JohnsonSteve JohnsonSteve Johnson may refer to:* Steve Johnson , wide receiver playing for the Buffalo Bills* Steve Johnson , Australian Football League player* Steve Johnson , baseball player...
, et al. (Nov 2002) ISBN 0-9710249-3-6
- Hellraiser
- SupremeSupreme (comics)Supreme is a fictional superhero created by Rob Liefeld and first published by Image Comics, then Maximum Press, and later by Awesome Entertainment...
:- The Story of the Year, by Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Joe BennettJoe Bennett (penciller)Benedito José Nascimento , better known as Joe Bennett, is a Brazilian comic book artist.-Biography:Joe Bennett was born in Belém....
, Rick VeitchRick VeitchRichard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
, Keith GiffenKeith GiffenKeith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
, Steve OliffSteve OliffSteve Oliff is an American comic book artist who has worked as a colorist in the comics industry since 1978.-Biography:...
, Dan JurgensDan JurgensDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
, Richard HorieRichard HorieRichard Horie is an artist who has worked on many comics, mostly as a penciller and colorist, but also as writer and inker.-Biography:Richard Horie has worked in almost every field as a comics creator, from writer and penciller to inker and colorist, the latter of which he is perhaps now best known...
, Bill WrayBill WrayWilliam York Wray is an American cartoonist and landscape painter, notable for his Urban Landscape series of paintings, his many pages for Mad and his contributions to The Ren & Stimpy Show...
, Mark Pajarillo, Norm RapmundNorm Rapmund-Image Comics and Marvel:Rapmund's career began with Image Comics' Brigade #1 in 1992. He worked on the series concurrently with Image titles Bloodstrike and Team Youngblood until 1994, when he moved from Brigade to Supreme...
, Chris SprouseChris SprouseChris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
, Al Gordon, J. Morrigan, Kevin O'NeillKevin O'Neill (comics)Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...
and Jim MooneyJim MooneyJames Noel "Jim" Mooney was an American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, and as the signature artist of DC Comics' Supergirl, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books...
(Nov 2002) ISBN 0-9710249-5-2 - Collects #41-52b - The Return, by Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Chris SprouseChris SprouseChris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
, Al Gordon, Melinda GebbieMelinda GebbieMelinda Gebbie is an American comics artist and writer, probably best known for Lost Girls, the three-volume graphic novel she produced in collaboration with writer Alan Moore, published by Top Shelf.-Biography:...
, Rick VeitchRick VeitchRichard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
, J. Morrigan, Gil KaneGil KaneEli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
, Jim StarlinJim StarlinJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
, Matthew Dow SmithMatthew Dow SmithMatthew Dow Smith is an American comic book artist.- Bibliography :* Astronauts in Trouble: Live From the Moon #1 and #2* The Book of Fate #11* Day of Judgment #1-5...
, Jim BaikieJim BaikieJim Baikie is a British comics artist, who is best known for his work with Alan Moore on Skizz.-Biography:Baikie began his career illustrating Valentine for Fleetway. Over the next twenty years, he built a solid reputation working for TV comics such as Look-in, including adaptations of The Monkees...
, Rob LiefeldRob LiefeldRob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
and Ian ChurchillIan ChurchillIan Churchill is a British comic book artist, who has mostly worked in the American comic book industry.-Career:Churchill's early work included stints on Supergirl, Uncanny X-Men as well as the Deadpool: Sins of the Past limited series, in addition to a lengthy stay on Cable, the latter gaining him...
(May 2003) ISBN 0-9710249-6-0 - Collects Supreme #53-56; The Return #1-6
- The Story of the Year, by Alan Moore
2003, and Starting in 2003
- Dick TracyDick TracyDick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
: The Collins Case Files:- Volume 1, by Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
, Chester Gould and Rick Fletcher (Nov 2003) ISBN 0-9741664-2-1 - Volume 2, by Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
and Rick Fletcher (May 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-8-0 - Volume 3, by Max Allan CollinsMax Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
and Dick LocherDick LocherRichard Earl Locher , better known as Dick Locher, is a nationally syndicated cartoonist.-Early life and career:Locher was born in Dubuque, Iowa. After high school, he began studying art at the University of Iowa and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. While in Chicago, he became an assistant to Rick...
(Nov 2004) ISBN 0-9753808-8-5
- Volume 1, by Max Allan Collins
- Steve CanyonSteve CanyonSteve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
by Milton CaniffMilton CaniffMilton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
:- 1947, (Nov 2003) ISBN 0-9710249-9-5
- 1948, (Nov 2003) ISBN 0-9741664-1-3
- 1949, (Jun 2004) ISBN 0-9710249-1-X
- 1950, (Feb 2006) ISBN 1-933160-51-9
- 1951, (Apr 2006) ISBN 1-933160-10-1
- 1952, (Nov 2006) ISBN 1-933160-55-1
- 1953, (Dec 2006) ISBN 1-933160-57-8
- 1954, (Jun 2007) ISBN 1-933160-23-3
- Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
: Early Works:- Vol. I, (Nov 2003) ISBN 0-9741664-0-5
- Vol. II, (Apr 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-7-2
- Vol. III, (Jul 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-9-9
- Vol. IV, (Jan 2005) ISBN 0-9753808-1-8
- Vol. V, (Mar 2005) ISBN 0-9753808-2-6
- Vol. VI, (Sep 2005) ISBN 1-933160-05-5
- Vol. VII, (Apr 2006) ISBN 1-933160-05-5
- Vol. VIII, (Aug 2006) ISBN 1-933160-06-3
- Vol. IX, (Jul 2007) ISBN 1-933160-07-8
- Judgment DayJudgment Day (Awesome Comics)Judgment Day was a limited series published by Awesome Comics from June to October 1997 written by acclaimed comic book writer Alan Moore. This story delved into the Awesome Comics universe of characters created by Rob Liefeld, including Supreme, Youngblood and Glory.-Publication history:The...
, by Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Gil KaneGil KaneEli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
, Dan JurgensDan JurgensDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
, Keith GiffenKeith GiffenKeith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....
, Stephen Platt, Adam PollinaAdam PollinaAdam Pollina is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' X-Force comic book.-Biography:...
, Terry DodsonTerry DodsonTerrence "Terry" Dodson is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on titles such as Harley Quinn, Trouble, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Uncanny X-Men...
, Steve SkroceSteve SkroceSteve Skroce is a Canadian comic book and movie storyboard artist. He is of Croatian origin.-Biography:Skroce broke into comics in 1993 on the Clive Barker series Ectokid for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint. He went to work on the Marvel series Cable and X-Man before moving onto The Amazing...
, Chris SprouseChris SprouseChris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
, Jim StarlinJim StarlinJames P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
, Ian ChurchillIan ChurchillIan Churchill is a British comic book artist, who has mostly worked in the American comic book industry.-Career:Churchill's early work included stints on Supergirl, Uncanny X-Men as well as the Deadpool: Sins of the Past limited series, in addition to a lengthy stay on Cable, the latter gaining him...
, Jeff JohnsonJeff Johnson (comics)Jeffrey "Jeff" Johnson is an American comic book artist.He is best known for his work with writer Gerard Jones on Marvel Comics' Wonder Man and Malibu Comics' Solitaire and with writer Chuck Dixon on Crossgen's Way of the Rat though he has also pencilled many other titles in his long career in...
, Rick VeitchRick VeitchRichard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
, Rob LiefeldRob LiefeldRob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....
, Cedric NoconCedric NoconCedric Nocon is a Filipino comic book artist with credited work at Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Top Cow Productions, Wildstorm Productions, Extreme Studios, Boom! Studios, Maximum Press, and Digital Webbing.-Heroic Publishing:Cedric Nocon began his comic book professional career in 1993 at the...
and Marat Mychaels (Dec 2003) ISBN 0-9741664-5-6
2004, and Starting in 2004
- Alex RaymondAlex RaymondAlexander Gillespie "Alex" Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
's Flash GordonFlash GordonFlash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
:- Volume 1, (Jun 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-3-X
- Volume 2, (Aug 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-6-4
- Volume 3, (Mar 2005) ISBN 1-933160-25-X
- Volume 4, (Oct 2005) ISBN 1-933160-26-8
- Volume 5, (Nov 2005) ISBN 1-933160-27-6
- Volume 6, (Dec 2006) ISBN 1-933160-28-4
- Volume 7, (Jan 2007) ISBN 1-933160-20-9
- Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
: The Key Collection:- Volume 1, by Nevio Zaccara, Alberto GiolittiAlberto GiolittiAlberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
and Len WeinLen WeinLen Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
, (George KashdanGeorge KashdanGeorge Kashdan was an American comic book writer and editor, primarily for DC Comics, who co-created such characters as Tommy Tomorrow, Mysto, Magician Detective, and others...
+ Doug DrexlerDoug DrexlerDoug Drexler, born in New York City, is a visual effects artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, and an academy award-winning makeup artist who has collaborated with such talents as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Meryl Streep, and Warren Beatty. He began his career in the entertainment...
) (Jun 2004) ISBN 0-9741664-4-8 - Collects Gold KeyGold Key ComicsGold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
#1-8 - Volume 2, by Len WeinLen WeinLen Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
, Nevio Zaccara, Alberto GiolittiAlberto GiolittiAlberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
and George KashdanGeorge KashdanGeorge Kashdan was an American comic book writer and editor, primarily for DC Comics, who co-created such characters as Tommy Tomorrow, Mysto, Magician Detective, and others...
(Sep 2004) ISBN 0-9710249-8-7 - Collects #9-17 - Volume 3, by Nevio Zaccara, Alberto GiolittiAlberto GiolittiAlberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
and George KashdanGeorge KashdanGeorge Kashdan was an American comic book writer and editor, primarily for DC Comics, who co-created such characters as Tommy Tomorrow, Mysto, Magician Detective, and others...
(Feb 2005) ISBN 0-9753808-5-0 - Collects #18-25 - Volume 4, by Nevio Zaccara and Alberto GiolittiAlberto GiolittiAlberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
, (George KashdanGeorge KashdanGeorge Kashdan was an American comic book writer and editor, primarily for DC Comics, who co-created such characters as Tommy Tomorrow, Mysto, Magician Detective, and others...
+ Doug DrexlerDoug DrexlerDoug Drexler, born in New York City, is a visual effects artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, and an academy award-winning makeup artist who has collaborated with such talents as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Meryl Streep, and Warren Beatty. He began his career in the entertainment...
) (Sep 2005) ISBN 1-933160-12-8 - Collects #26-33 - Volume 5, by Nevio Zaccara, Alberto GiolittiAlberto GiolittiAlberto Giolitti was an Italian-American comic book artist.He was born in Rome, where his family held one of the most famous café, Giolitti, where he also worked for a while. He debuted as artist for Il Vittorioso in the late 1940s...
and Al McWilliams, (George KashdanGeorge KashdanGeorge Kashdan was an American comic book writer and editor, primarily for DC Comics, who co-created such characters as Tommy Tomorrow, Mysto, Magician Detective, and others...
+ Doug DrexlerDoug DrexlerDoug Drexler, born in New York City, is a visual effects artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, and an academy award-winning makeup artist who has collaborated with such talents as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Meryl Streep, and Warren Beatty. He began his career in the entertainment...
) (Feb 2006) ISBN 1-933160-13-6 - Collects #34-38+
- Volume 1, by Nevio Zaccara, Alberto Giolitti
2005, and Starting in 2005
- The X-FilesThe X-Files (comics)The X-Files comics was a spin-off from the television series of the same name, originally published by Topps Comics and, most recently, DC Comics imprint Wildstorm.-Publication history:...
:- Volume 1, by Stefan PetruchaStefan PetruchaStefan Petrucha is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.- Background :...
, Charlie AdlardCharlie AdlardCharles "Charlie" Adlard is a British comic book artist and penciller.He is best known for providing art on The Walking Dead and Savage.-Biography:...
, Miran Kim, John RozumJohn RozumJohn Rozum is an American writer of comic books who is best known for his work for Milestone Comics, where he wrote Xombi and Kobalt. He has also worked for Topps Comics and Marvel Comics...
, Gordon PurcellGordon PurcellGordon Purcell is an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for his Star Trek work, in particular his photorealistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly licensed books, such as X-Files, Xena, Lost in Space, Godzilla, The Young...
, Roy ThomasRoy ThomasRoy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, Val Mayrick and John Van Fleet (May 2005) ISBN 1-933160-02-0 - Collects Topps'Topps ComicsTopps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
#13-19; Pilot #0; "Squeeze" - Volume 2, by Kevin J. AndersonKevin J. AndersonKevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
, John RozumJohn RozumJohn Rozum is an American writer of comic books who is best known for his work for Milestone Comics, where he wrote Xombi and Kobalt. He has also worked for Topps Comics and Marvel Comics...
, Gordon PurcellGordon PurcellGordon Purcell is an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for his Star Trek work, in particular his photorealistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly licensed books, such as X-Files, Xena, Lost in Space, Godzilla, The Young...
, Josef Rubenstein, Miran Kim, Stefan PetruchaStefan PetruchaStefan Petrucha is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.- Background :...
and Charles Adlard (May 2005) ISBN 1-933160-03-9 - Collects #20-26; issue 1/2; Comic Digest #1 - Volume 3, by John RozumJohn RozumJohn Rozum is an American writer of comic books who is best known for his work for Milestone Comics, where he wrote Xombi and Kobalt. He has also worked for Topps Comics and Marvel Comics...
, Gordon PurcellGordon PurcellGordon Purcell is an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for his Star Trek work, in particular his photorealistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly licensed books, such as X-Files, Xena, Lost in Space, Godzilla, The Young...
, Josef Rubenstein, Stefan PetruchaStefan PetruchaStefan Petrucha is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.- Background :...
, Charles Adlard, John Van Fleet and Miran Kim (Dec 2005) ISBN 1-933160-39-X - Collects #27-29; "Fire"; "Ice"; Hero IllustratedHero IllustratedHero Illustrated was a comic book-themed magazine published in the early to mid 1990s in the United States. Columnists included Andy Mangels, and Frank Kurtz was at one time a managing editor. The journal won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication.- History :Hero...
- Volume 1, by Stefan Petrucha
- Theodor Seuss Geisel: The Early Works:
- Volume 1, (Sep 2005) ISBN 1-933160-01-2
- Volume 2, (Nov 2005) ISBN 1-933160-19-5
- Emmanuel Civiello's A Bit of Madness, by Civiello and Thomas Mosdi (Oct 2005) ISBN 0-9753808-9-3
2006, and Starting in 2006
- Dream of the Rarebit Fiend: The Saturdays, by Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
(Oct 2006)
- The Trouble with Girls by Will JacobsWill JacobsWill Jacobs is an American comics and humor writer. He was a coauthor with Gerard Jones on The Beaver Papers, The Comic Book Heroes, and the comic book The Trouble with Girls . He was a contributor to National Lampoon magazine and various DC Comics...
, Gerard JonesGerard JonesFor the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and Tim Hamilton:- Volume 1, (Nov 2006) ISBN 1-933160-45-4
- Volume 2, (Jan 2007) ISBN 1-933160-46-2
- Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
: Editorial Works, (Dec 2006) ISBN 1-933160-49-7
2007, and Starting in 2007
- Little Nemo in Slumberland, Vol. 1, by Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
(Jul 2007) ISBN 1933160-21-7 - ScionScion (comics)Scion was an American comic book published by CrossGen Entertainment from July 2000 to April 2004. It was cancelled due to the bankruptcy of Crossgen Comics Inc in 2004.-Plot synopsis:...
: Royal Wedding, (Vol. 6), by Ron MarzRon MarzRon Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
, Jim Fern, Jim CheungJim CheungJim Cheung is a British comic book artist, known for his work on the series such as Scion, New Avengers: Illuminati, Young Avengers and Avengers: The Children's Crusade.-Career:...
and Mark Morales (Jul 2007) ISBN 1-933160-60-8 - Collects #34-39
- Sojourn:
Ian EdgintonIan Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and Greg LandGreg LandGreg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...
(Jul 2007) ISBN 1-933160-44-6 - Collects #25-30 - The Berzerker's Tale, (Vol. 6), by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
, Ian EdgintonIan EdgintonIan Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
, Greg LandGreg LandGreg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...
, and Rick Magyar (Oct 2007) ISBN 1-933160-72-1 - Collects #31-34; Prequel
- growingold with BCB.C. (comic strip)B.C. is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Johnny Hart. Set in prehistoric times, it features a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from various geologic eras...
: A Celebration of Johnny HartJohnny HartJohnny Hart was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society...
, (Oct 2007) ISBN 1-933160-68-3
- SigilSigil (comics)Sigil is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment from July 2000 to December 2003, ending at issue forty-two. Sigil was one of the publisher's first four titles , a science fiction space opera, originally created by Mark Alessi and Gina M. Villa...
:- Death Match, (Vol. 5), by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and Scott EatonScott EatonThomas Scott Eaton is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the eight round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State....
(Oct 2007) ISBN 1-933160-58-6 - Planetary Union, (Vol. 6) by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and Scot EatonScot EatonScot Eaton is a comic book artist, best known for his work on Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, X-Men: Endangered Species, and X-Men: Messiah Complex.-Beginnings:...
ISBN 1-933160-67-5
- Death Match, (Vol. 5), by Chuck Dixon
- Way of the RatWay of the RatWay of the Rat is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment in the wuxia sub-genre of martial arts adventure. Written by Chuck Dixon, with artwork by Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder, the series ran for a total of twenty-four issues before its publication was stopped due to...
: Haunted Zhumar, (Vol. 3), by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and Jeff JohnsonJeff Johnson (comics)Jeffrey "Jeff" Johnson is an American comic book artist.He is best known for his work with writer Gerard Jones on Marvel Comics' Wonder Man and Malibu Comics' Solitaire and with writer Chuck Dixon on Crossgen's Way of the Rat though he has also pencilled many other titles in his long career in...
(Oct 2007) ISBN 1-933160-59-4
2008, and Starting in 2008
- NegationNegation (comics)Negation was a comic book series published from CrossGen. Tony Bedard was the writer for the entire run. Paul Pelletier was the artist for most of the issues, with an occasional fill-in artist taking an issue here and there.-Overview:...
: Hounded, (Vol. 3), by Tony BedardTony BedardAntony "Tony" J. L. Bedard is a writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry from the early '90s through the present. He is best known for his work at CrossGen Comics, where he was under exclusive contract, and for his run writing Marvel Comics X-Men spin-off Exiles.-Career:Tony...
and Paul PelletierPaul PelletierPaul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
(Jan 2008) ISBN 1-933160-63-2 - Collects #13-18
Forthcoming
- NegationNegation (comics)Negation was a comic book series published from CrossGen. Tony Bedard was the writer for the entire run. Paul Pelletier was the artist for most of the issues, with an occasional fill-in artist taking an issue here and there.-Overview:...
: Event Horizon, (Vol. 4), by Tony BedardTony BedardAntony "Tony" J. L. Bedard is a writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry from the early '90s through the present. He is best known for his work at CrossGen Comics, where he was under exclusive contract, and for his run writing Marvel Comics X-Men spin-off Exiles.-Career:Tony...
and Paul PelletierPaul PelletierPaul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
(was due Sep 2007) ISBN 1-933160-66-7 - Collects #19-24 - R. F. OutcaultRichard F. OutcaultRichard Felton Outcault was an American comic strip writer-artist. He was the creator of the series The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown, and he is considered the inventor of the modern comic strip.-Early life:...
's The Yellow KidThe Yellow KidThe Yellow Kid emerged as the lead character in Hogan's Alley, drawn by Richard F. Outcault, which became one of the first Sunday supplement comic strips in an American newspaper, although its graphical layout had already been thoroughly established in political and other, purely-for-entertainment...
, (with Poor Li'l Mose), (forthcoming - ?) ISBN 1-933160-69-1 - Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
: Early Works, Vol. X, (forthcoming - ?) ISBN 1-933160-08-X - The PathThe Path (comics)The Path is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment from March 2002 to April 2004. It was cancelled due to the company's bankruptcy....
: Death and Dishonor, (Vol. 3), by Ron MarzRon MarzRon Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
and Matthew SmithMatthew Dow SmithMatthew Dow Smith is an American comic book artist.- Bibliography :* Astronauts in Trouble: Live From the Moon #1 and #2* The Book of Fate #11* Day of Judgment #1-5...
(Mar 2008) ISBN 1-933160-64-0 - Collects #13-18 - Mort WalkerMort WalkerAddison Morton Walker , popularly known as Mort Walker, is an American comic artist best known for creating the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey in 1950 and Hi and Lois in 1954. He has signed Addison to some of his strips.Born in El Dorado, Kansas, he grew up in Kansas City, Missouri...
's Beetle BaileyBeetle BaileyBeetle Bailey is an American comic strip set in a fictional United States Army military post, created by cartoonist Mort Walker. It is among the oldest comic strips still being produced by the original creator...
1950-1951, (forthcoming - May 2008) - Little Nemo in Slumberland, Vol. 2 by Winsor McCayWinsor McCayWinsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
(forthcoming - Winter 2008) ISBN 978-1-933160-22