CrossGen Entertainment’s founder, Mark Alessi, died yesterday morning, Bleeding Cool reports.
Alessi was raised in Connecticut and graduated from Xavier High School in 1971. After founding and acting as CEO for Technical Resource Connection, he established CrossGen Comics in Tampa, Florida. The purpose of CrossGen was to directly compete with comic book giants Marvel and DC Comics by publishing shared-universe and creator-owned stories. Publishing for CrossGen began in 2000 with titles like “Mystic,” “Sigil,” “Meridian,” “Negation,” and “Scion” – all titles linked by a shared universe and both fantasy and science-fiction story elements and themes.
CrossGen recruited several creators to work for them exclusively as salaried employees, including writers Barbara Kesel, Chuck Dixon, Mark Waid, Tony Bedard, and Ron Marz, and artists like Jim Cheung, Greg Land and many others. Many of these creators had their first significant work released by CrossGen.
CrossGen was eventually liquidated in 2004, and its assets were sold to the Walt Disney Company.
After CrossGen, Alessi co-founded and acted as CEO for software company TOA Solution, and later became the president of Bards Faire, an IP entertainment firm for comics creators.
Alessi is survived by his daughter, son, and sister. Multiversity Comics sends our condolences to his family and friends.
