Right smack dab in the middle of what has become a remarkable year for comic books, Wizardworld: Chicago was short on major announcements and long on behind-the-scenes maneuvering and positioning.  Yes there were some major editorial undertakings unveiled -- Mark Waid is penning a year-long, 'Siegel- and Schuster-friendly' reworking of the Superman origin story for DC called Superman: Birthright -- but most of the big projects and new initiatives are being held for the San Diego Comicon International, which is little more than three weeks away.

What impact will the soaring success of the Spider-Man film have on comic convention attendance this summer?  So far the results look promising, though the final tally isn't in yet.  Fred Pierce of Wizard told ICv2 that advance ticket sales were almost even with last year, which he thought was surprising in view of the July 4 weekend scheduling.  Friday attendance at Wizardworld: Chicago, which may have benefited from the fact that many people enjoyed a four-day weekend holiday, appeared to be very strong in comparison to the Friday sessions of previous years.  Spidey's influence also didn't hurt Marvel in the fan-based Wizard Awards, in which Marvel achieved a dominance that is at least the equal of what it captures in the marketplace.

The big story that was bubbling under the surface, with occasional major eruptions, was the upheaval from CrossGen's announcement of two-related imprints designed to attract creators by offering various levels of creator ownership  (see 'CrossGen Launches Two New Imprints').  The concept of an artist retaining creative ownership is nothing new, Dark Horse, Marvel, DC, etc. all publish creator-owned titles, and Image is a company that publishes creator-owned titles run by the creators themselves.  The difference is in the terms of the agreement and CrossGen is offering a very good deal indeed, according to Christian Gossett from Archangel Studios, which left Image to publish on its own and then became the first to join CrossGen's CGE Imprint, which will now publish Archangel's The Red Star.  Gossett was ecstatic about the promotional and creative possibilities afforded by his alliance with CrossGen and effusive in his praise of CrossGen founder, Mark Alessi.