CrossGen Founder Mark Alessi Has Passed Away
John F. Trent
|
CrossGen founder Mark Alessi passed away yesterday morning.
Alessi was the founder of CrossGen Entertainment, a comic book company that aimed to rival Marvel and DC Comics. The company’s head creative team included Barbara Kesel, Mark Waid, and Ron Marz. They also employed other top comic book talent including Chuck Dixon, Bart Sears, Jim Cheung, Scot Eaton, Steve McNiven, and J.M. DeMatteis.
Alessi founded CrossGen Entertainment in 1998 and would purchase the Orlando-based fan convention MegaCon in 1999. The company would launch the CrossGen Comics universe in 2000.
The titles included Sigil, Mystic, Scion, CrossGen Chronicles, The First, Crux, Sojourn, Ruse, and Negation. They also published, Brath, Chimera, El Cazador, Solus, and Mark of Charon.
The company would be purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 2004.
Before starting CrossGen Entertainment, Alessi was the CEO of Technical Resource Connection. He ran the company for 10 years before selling it to Perot Systems Corporation in 1996.
Many comic book creators remembered Mark Alessi.
RIP Mark Alessi. Godspeed, brother.
— Chuck Dixon (@Dixonverse) March 30, 2019
R.I.P Mark Alessi! pic.twitter.com/QqyvWuac0n
— Sergio Cariello (@SergioCariello) March 30, 2019
This morning I heard the news that Mark Alessi passed away. Love him or hate him, he and Crossgen were needed at that time in comic history. He was a bull in a china shop but what he did with the studio jump-started the rest of the industry. Forever grateful for my career.
— Andrew Crossley (@CrossleyColor) March 30, 2019
Greatly saddened by the news that Mark Alessi passed away. I have no details, but I know I owe my writing career to him and the opportunities he gave all of us at CrossGen Comics. Godspeed, Mark. And my sincere condolences to those he leaves behind.
— Tony Bedard (@TonyBedard) March 30, 2019
Mark Alessi, the founder of CrossGen, passed away. About 20 years ago, CrossGen made a line of great comics, with production quality that rivalled Marvel and DC.
— Patch Zircher (@PatrickZircher) March 30, 2019
RIP Mark Alessi. Thanks for giving me a tour of your studio and employing my friends. #crossgen #comics pic.twitter.com/qkn5Q7AOxz
— Shannon Eric Denton (@ShannonDenton) March 30, 2019
More About:Comic Books