CrossGen Comics announced the hiring of Chris Oarr as Director of Marketing and Sales. Oarr is best known in the industry for his tenure as Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) and his work as Executive Director of the Small Press Expo. Coming off a brief stint at DC Comics, Oarr is upbeat about working for CrossGen: 'It is very exciting to come to a company in the comics industry that is young, hungry, and wants to get things done. This atmosphere offers a breath of fresh air from my previous experiences.'
CrossGen Comics has gone after creative talent aggressively, signing such industry stars as George Perez, Mark Waid, Greg Land, and Butch Guice. In little more than a year of operation (the Tampa-based publisher of such comics as The First, Mystic, and Scion celebrated its first anniversary on May 24), CrossGen has quickly become the fifth-largest comic publisher, a status that is confirmed by the fact that it is the largest publisher for FM International, which is unable to distribute comics from the top four comic publishers (Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse), all of whom have exclusive distribution deals with Diamond. 
