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CrossGen Announces New Product: Compendia
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
In response to the growing concerns of the comic industry regarding inaccessibility due to the high price of modern single-issue comic books and the need to attract new mainstream readers, CrossGen has announced the launching of two new products. Entitled FORGE and EDGE, they are the first of its Compendia Series, and the first leg of a multi-legged plan to introduce better price performing products and to grow comic book readership.
Based on the proven models of European comics and manga compilations from Japan, FORGE and EDGE are both monthly, 200 plus page, full color, book series in standard trade paperback size that feature the same production values as CrossGen's monthly comics, including a quality paper stock similar to that of the monthly comics, all inside a card stock cover. FORGE and EDGE will sit on a bookshelf making them easy to rack, easy to store, and durable alternatives for those looking for a new way to read comics.
FORGE and EDGE will carry an initial price of $9.95. After the first few issues, page count will increase to near 300 pages and this increase will necessitate a moderate price increase of no more than two dollars per issue -- still an incredible value. Since FORGE and EDGE are primarily designed to bring new readers into comic books, the content of both FORGE and EDGE is planned to lag at least 90-120 days behind CrossGen's monthly comics and planned to not contain stories not already seen in the monthly comics.
For the first year, each issue of FORGE and EDGE will contain at least eight stories covering five series, increasing to six series by the end of 2002. FORGE and EDGE offer readers something comparable to eight comic books, a $23.60 value, for one low price.
FORGE #1 will be on sale April 10 and EDGE #1 will be on sale April 24. FORGE and EDGE will then continue to ship the second and fourth or fifth weeks of every month. FORGE #1 will contain: Crux #1-#3, Meridian #15, Negation Prequel, Sojourn Prequel and #1, and a preview of The Path. DGE #1 will contain: The First #8-#10, Mystic #15 and #16, Ruse #1, Scion #15, and Sigil #15. Each "in-process" series begins with the first issue following the second trade paperback collection and FORGE and EDGE both contain a significantly expanded "Story So Far" description for new readers, making it easy to jump onboard.
"CrossGen was founded around a very simple idea," said Mark Alessi, CrossGen's Publisher. "We set out to make comics relevant again to a mainstream audience. Part of doing that was telling stories that map to mainstream genres and tastes. Genres like science fiction, fantasy, mystery, etc. -- the kind of stories that make up a large percentage of the fiction categories of the major booksellers. However, this was only part of the overall concept. We also needed to put those comics into a package that makes price performance sense to this mainstream audience. People buy books, so we've serialized our stories in a book format. People expect value for their dollar, so we've put together a package that can be sold at a very competitive price. We call this new product Compendia, and the first two, more specifically -- FORGE and EDGE."
 FORGE and EDGE are the first stage of a planned mass-market initiative set to attract a new readers to the comic book industry. Further announcements regarding these plans will be forthcoming in 20-30 days.
"It's not about how many comics can we sell, but how many new readers can we bring into the comics industry," said CrossGen Vice President Business Development, Tony Panaccio. "This mass-market initiative is huge, greater than any thing that's ever been tried in this business. When those new readers come to comic stores looking for a product they understand and can afford, FORGE and EDGE will be there waiting. And they'll be waiting for them twice a month, every month, when they return again and again."
The company says FORGE and EDGE will not only appeal to new readers, but to existing readers looking for a new product choice. With the addition of Compendia to its line, CrossGen now offers readers three completely separate and easy ways to buy, read and enjoy their stories. CrossGen offers single-issue comic books, trade paperbacks, and now Compendia.
"We've been using this analogy around the office when explaining the types of choices we're offering readers," said Ian M. Feller, Director of Corporate Communications for CrossGen. "Consider your favorite soft drink, say cola. That cola is offered in many different forms for purchase. There's the 12 ounce can, 16 ounce bottle, 20 ounce bottle, 32 ounce bottle, 1 liter bottle, 64 ounce bottle, or it is available from a soda fountain, all at different prices. But in the end, it's all the same product. We are taking that formula and applying it to comics. And if you want something other than cola, you can choose one of our different genres the way you would a different soft drink flavor."
CrossGen says FORGE and EDGE also appeal to those existing readers that are looking for a cost-effective way to try additional CrossGen titles.
"We have a large percentage of readers that have been reading more than just one of our titles because of the overarching backstory," CrossGen's Director of Marketing and Sales, Chris Oarr said. "With FORGE and EDGE, those readers can now pick up additional titles at what breaks down to be very little additional money. For example, if they currently buy three of our books for about nine dollars, they can try five titles for just a dollar or two more. And if they currently read five titles and are spending about $15, they can now read the entire line for about five dollars more."
The company says, "FORGE and EDGE are the types of products that will not only appeal to readers looking for a new price performance choice, but to anyone who may have considered trying a CrossGen book but either didn't know how to begin or felt that it was too late to start. FORGE and EDGE offer readers another choice in making a decision of how to start reading CrossGen's comics."
"The train has not left the station," said James Breitbeil, Director of Marketing and Distribution for CrossGen. "Now with FORGE and EDGE, potential new readers have an easy and affordable way to jump aboard the CrossGen line. With CrossGen's Premier Retailer program up and running and gaining dozens of new members every week, potential readers know exactly where they can go to get them. There's no reason for anyone to feel they can't try CrossGen's stories."
Compendia section on CrossGen.com
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