04-05-2004, 07:25 AM
Posted 04/04/2004
Source: Newsarama
Newsarama has learned that CrossGenâs Vice President of Publishing, Bill Rosemann quit his job this past Thursday. Little is known beyond that at this point, aside from the fact that it was Rosemann who left the company, and that he was not fired.
Rosemann was promoted to VP of Publishing in the latter part of last year, as the company went through its âreorganizationâ following widely reported financial difficulties. He had originally joined the company in February of 2003 as the Director of Marketing Communications, shortly after leaving Marvel Comics.
As with his position at Marvel, Rosemann quickly became the public voice and later face of CrossGen, as CrossGen chief Mark Alessi took a lower-profile approach in regards to the press and media. Rosemann was responsible for both coordinating media coverage of the company's output, as well as providing various outlets with preview material, acting as public spokesman, and overseeing publishing. To the end, Rosemann was a stringent defender of the company, its output, and many of its policies.
Rosemann's departure is the second high profile such leave-taking that happened last week, as writer Ian Edginton reported to Newsarama and other outlets that he had quit Sojourn in protest of company policies and management. Edginton particularly cited the company's upcoming book, American Power, which has been drawing mostly negative publicity from fans and the online comics community.
The book, likened to the first issue of Captain America in 1941, featured "real world" heroes going after terrorists, with the cover to the first issue featuring a leather-clad hero punching Osama bin Laden. An interview with the series writer, Chuck Dixon had been arranged with Newsarama through Rosemann, but was pulled at the last minute with no reason given. The title has remained a hotbed of controversy since its cover was revealed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extracted from Ian Edginton's Newsarama Interview a few days earlier.
(Ian Edginton was already a well-known writer when he came to CrossGen over a year ago. Named heir to Ron Marzâs titles that continued from the launch, Sojourn and Scion, Edginton took up the reigns of both titles, anxious to finally be doing sword and sorcery (after a fashion at least)
"The Christmas incident clinched it for me but obviously I needed to try and get back as much money as I could first. Then last month, Bill called me and said that they were looking to wind down Sojourn with issue #41, so could I start planning and plotting for that event? He also mentioned that Greg Land would be taking an extended break from the book to concentrate on other projects. I was pretty gutted. Despite everything, I actually quite enjoyed working on Sojourn and Scion. Iâd wanted to write a sword and sorcery book for years and so when the chance to write two came along, I was well pleased. Thereâs a perverse kind of logic at CrossGen, at a time when fantasy films are riding high, they cancel their major pair of fantasy titles and when Sojourn is actually moving up the sales charts, making it their only top 100 bestseller, they pull the rug from under it?
The thing that really got to me though was the launch of the American Power title. I realise that Iâm basing my opinions on a single picture and a couple of paragraphs of copy but isnât that what everyone is supposed to base their orders on too and whatâs worse itâs for Free Comic Book Day, when more kids are likely to pick it up than usual? That book is just wrong in so many ways I donât know where to start. Itâs crass, morally questionable and outright offensive to the families and memories of the men, women and children who died in 9/11 and the Atocha station bombing. From the way the book has been pitched, weâre not talking about a piece of finely crafted, probing, investigative literature or even journalism. Itâs exploitation plain and simple."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it just me or are things going from bad to worse over there at Crossgen?
Source: Newsarama
Newsarama has learned that CrossGenâs Vice President of Publishing, Bill Rosemann quit his job this past Thursday. Little is known beyond that at this point, aside from the fact that it was Rosemann who left the company, and that he was not fired.
Rosemann was promoted to VP of Publishing in the latter part of last year, as the company went through its âreorganizationâ following widely reported financial difficulties. He had originally joined the company in February of 2003 as the Director of Marketing Communications, shortly after leaving Marvel Comics.
As with his position at Marvel, Rosemann quickly became the public voice and later face of CrossGen, as CrossGen chief Mark Alessi took a lower-profile approach in regards to the press and media. Rosemann was responsible for both coordinating media coverage of the company's output, as well as providing various outlets with preview material, acting as public spokesman, and overseeing publishing. To the end, Rosemann was a stringent defender of the company, its output, and many of its policies.
Rosemann's departure is the second high profile such leave-taking that happened last week, as writer Ian Edginton reported to Newsarama and other outlets that he had quit Sojourn in protest of company policies and management. Edginton particularly cited the company's upcoming book, American Power, which has been drawing mostly negative publicity from fans and the online comics community.
The book, likened to the first issue of Captain America in 1941, featured "real world" heroes going after terrorists, with the cover to the first issue featuring a leather-clad hero punching Osama bin Laden. An interview with the series writer, Chuck Dixon had been arranged with Newsarama through Rosemann, but was pulled at the last minute with no reason given. The title has remained a hotbed of controversy since its cover was revealed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extracted from Ian Edginton's Newsarama Interview a few days earlier.
(Ian Edginton was already a well-known writer when he came to CrossGen over a year ago. Named heir to Ron Marzâs titles that continued from the launch, Sojourn and Scion, Edginton took up the reigns of both titles, anxious to finally be doing sword and sorcery (after a fashion at least)
"The Christmas incident clinched it for me but obviously I needed to try and get back as much money as I could first. Then last month, Bill called me and said that they were looking to wind down Sojourn with issue #41, so could I start planning and plotting for that event? He also mentioned that Greg Land would be taking an extended break from the book to concentrate on other projects. I was pretty gutted. Despite everything, I actually quite enjoyed working on Sojourn and Scion. Iâd wanted to write a sword and sorcery book for years and so when the chance to write two came along, I was well pleased. Thereâs a perverse kind of logic at CrossGen, at a time when fantasy films are riding high, they cancel their major pair of fantasy titles and when Sojourn is actually moving up the sales charts, making it their only top 100 bestseller, they pull the rug from under it?
The thing that really got to me though was the launch of the American Power title. I realise that Iâm basing my opinions on a single picture and a couple of paragraphs of copy but isnât that what everyone is supposed to base their orders on too and whatâs worse itâs for Free Comic Book Day, when more kids are likely to pick it up than usual? That book is just wrong in so many ways I donât know where to start. Itâs crass, morally questionable and outright offensive to the families and memories of the men, women and children who died in 9/11 and the Atocha station bombing. From the way the book has been pitched, weâre not talking about a piece of finely crafted, probing, investigative literature or even journalism. Itâs exploitation plain and simple."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is it just me or are things going from bad to worse over there at Crossgen?
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