A variety of sources are reporting that CrossGen has undergone a major restructuring which reportedly includes the laying off of up to 25 people, and a switch from salaries to page rates for at least some creators.  CrossGen has been in the midst of a search for a new round of financing (see 'Interview With Mark Alessi'), but what is not immediately apparent is whether the restructuring was as a result of conditions attached to the new financing or in lieu of a new financing agreement.  As of press time ICv2 had not received any comments from CrossGen in response to our queries about the current situation.

If reports of CrossGen's move toward greater use of freelance creators are correct, the restructuring could well mark the end of CrossGen's founder Mark Alessi's attempt to bring back a 'studio' system in which salaried creators worked on staff (and on site) to create a line of comic books.  According to numerous reports which have been confirmed by the creators involved, though not by CrossGen itself, in the future the company will operate more like the comic publishers it competes with, using freelance artists and writers, who are paid by the page.

Just before the story of CrossGen's restructuring broke, the publisher issued a very ambitious list of 26 comic titles it plans to release in October.  This represents a major improvement over September -- only 3 CrossGen titles are slated to ship this week--but there are still no trade paperbacks on the list.  The clearest indication of CrossGen's financial problems has been the company's inability to keep its titles on schedule since late July, which stands in stark contrast to CrossGen's sterling record of on time shipping prior to this summer.  On the positive side, it appears that CrossGen has come up with a hot book with its pirate adventure El Cazador, which sold out its initial run (see 'El Cazador #1 Sells Out') and has already evoked plenty of interest in Hollywood, where Pirates of The Caribbean has been the surprise hit of the summer.