- Common Grounds
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For other uses, see Common Ground (disambiguation).
Common Grounds
Issue #1 Cover A by J. Scott Campbell and Matt MillaPublication information Publisher Top Cow Productions Schedule Monthly Format Limited series Genre Superhero Publication date 2004 Number of issues 6 Main character(s) See "Characters" Creative team Writer(s) Troy Hickman Artist(s) Issue #1 Cover A::
J. Scott Campbell
Matt Milla
Issue #1 Cover B, #2-6:
Rodolfo Migliari
Common Grounds Pinup:
James Raiz
Roland Paris
Sonia Oback
Liberty Balance Pinup:
George Pérez
Mike Perkins
Tom SmithPenciller(s) Dan Jurgens
Michael Avon Oeming
Ethan Van Sciver
Chris Bachalo
Carlos Pacheco
George Pérez
Angel Medina
Sam KiethInker(s) Al Vey
Michael Avon Oeming
Jon Holdredge
Roland Paris
Norm Rapmund
Aaron Sowd
Tom Bar-Or
Jesus Merino
Mike Perkins
Sam KiethLetterer(s) Robin Spehar
Dreamer DesignColorist(s) Guy Major
Peter Pantazis
Brian Buccellatto
Sonia Oback
Tom Smith
John Starr
Beth SoteloCreator(s) Troy Hickman Collected editions Common Grounds ISBN 978-1-58240-841-5 Common Grounds is a six-issue comic book limited series created by writer Troy Hickman and published by Top Cow Productions in 2004. The series examined the life of superheroes and villains in and around a chain of coffee shops called Common Grounds.
Common Grounds received two Eisner Award nominations in 2005, for "Best Short Story" and "Best Anthology."[citation needed]
Contents
Overview
The series began in 1994 as the black-and-white mini-comic, Holey Crullers, written by Hickman and drawn by Jerry Smith, and was circulated through mail order and direct sales at comic book conventions (resulting in very few copies of Crullers being in existence today). In 1997, Wizard magazine became aware of the cult comic, and devoted a four-page article to it (a first for a photocopied, black-and-white mini-comic).
Then, serendipitously, in 2003, Wizard editor Jim McLauchlin became editor-in-chief of Top Cow Productions, and quickly contacted Hickman about getting the rights to the Holey Crullers scripts. By the beginning of 2004, Common Grounds had been launched as a six-issue series, featuring Hickman's stories and new artwork by comics superstars such as Dan Jurgens, George Pérez, Mike Oeming, Chris Bachalo, Sam Kieth, Angel Medina, Carlos Pacheco, and Ethan Van Sciver. Jurgens was the regular artist, providing art for one short-story every issue, while one of the guest artists provided the art for the other(s).
The series received a great deal of critical acclaim and garnered an even larger cult following, and in November 2007, a trade paperback was published collecting all six issues. The series' fame continued to grow even after publication had ceased, and in the summer of 2005, it received two Eisner Award nominations (Best Anthology and Best Short Story for "Where Monsters Dine," drawn by Angel Medina).
Title
The original 1990s comic series, Holey Crullers, centered around a chain of doughnut shops named "Holey Crullers". The name was a clever word-play on the fact that a doughnut is a type of cruller, a deep-fried cake pastry, with a hole in the center and also paid homage to the regular humorous outbursts of Robin in the 1960s era Batman (TV series).
Hickman reported that the decision was made to update the central concept from a chain of doughnut shops to coffee shops and change the name to Common Grounds in an attempt to be timely and more relevant to the coffee culture in the US in the last 1990s and early 2000s. Just as with the previous title, the name "Common Grounds" includes some double entendre in that it simultaneously brings to mind a safe, neutral haven where those of differing viewpoints can find some agreement ("common ground") and also recalls an important aspect of coffee, namely the "grounds". It was an absolute rule that no superheroes or villains were allowed to fight within any Common Grounds outlet, under penalty of not being served again.
The series includes an in-story reference to the name change in issue six when the company founder explains to an interviewer that he originally wanted to call his chain "Holey Crullers", but received a letter from the lawyers of the "old 60s superhero tv show" in which the sidekick always says "Holy This" and "Holy That" (see Holy cow (expression)), so he opted for Common Grounds instead.
Themes
The first volume of Common Grounds consists of thirteen self-contained stories (though there is a thread of continuity) in six issues featuring numerous superheroes and villains, including Speeding Bullet, Man-Witch, Mental Midget, Flammabelle, Digital Man & Analog Kid, the Acidic Jew, Deb-U-Ton, Strangeness & Charm, Blackwatch, the Liberty Balance, Eternal Flame, Big Money, and American Pi.
Hickman addressed a number of themes in the series which some may consider uncommon in the mainstream comics industry, including aging, obesity, differing moral codes on good vs evil, second chances, patriotism, religious faith, guilt and regret, hope, suicide, self-doubt, responsibility for one's own life and choices, redemption, and a number of touching issues regarding familial relations. He accomplished this by de-mystifying his superheroes and villains and exploring their humanity in a way that normal people could relate to them.
Ironically, Hickman also poked a little fun at the growing cynicism and rise in popularity of the gritty, scowling, heavy-handed anti-heroes who became so ubiquitous in the main-stream American comic industry from the late 1980s through the mid 2000s, but his "big break" came from a publisher primarily known for producing just such comics.
Characters
- Ed Franklin
- Gerald Smith, a.k.a. Speeding Bullet
- Gabriel "Gabe" Alexander, a.k.a. Mental Midget
- Robert Louis Dupree, a.k.a. Man-Witch
- Jenny Saunders
- "John" the serial rapist
- Tim Lesley, a.k.a. Analog Kid
- Chris Lesley, a.k.a. Digital Man
- Patricia Van Buren, a.k.a. Deb-U-Ton
- Moshe Chomsky, a.k.a. The Acidic Jew
- Sam Henderson, a.k.a. Strangeness
- Clarise Henderson, a.k.a. Charm
- "Thorny" Thorndyke
- Benjamin Bellott, a.k.a. Commander Power
- James McLain, a.k.a. Blackwatch
- The Superheavyweights
- Susan LaBelle, a.k.a. Knockout
- Red Fox II
- Miniaturian
- Coldspell
- Hi-Tec
- The Liberty Balance
- Earl Lumley, a.k.a. Lift-Off
- Gail Milgrim, a.k.a. Belle-Air
- The Flaming Follicle
- Mach Master
- Magna-Woman
- Captain Gallant
- The Eternal Flame
- Lea Anne Lyster, a.k.a. Kittycat
- Jeff Bailey, a.k.a. Big Money II
- Larry the delivery guy
- Grondar
- Crittorr
- Kkrapp
- Wang Dang Doodle
- Claire Grant, a.k.a. American Pi
- Zhang
- Stevie Parsons
- Michael O'Brien, a.k.a. Big Money
Stories
Issue Titles Major Character(s) Cover Artist(s) Penciller(s) Inker(s) Colorist(s) Release Date 1 A: "Beyond the Speed of Life"
B: "Head Games"A: Ed Franklin, Speeding Bullet
B: Mental Midget, Man-WitchJ. Scott Campbell, Matt Milla
Rodolfo Migliari1A: Dan Jurgens
B: Michael Avon OemingA: Al Vey
B: Michael Avon OemingA: Guy Major
B: Peter PantazisFebruary 2004 2 A: "Roles"
B: "Elsewhere"A: Jenny Saunders, "John"
B: Analog Kid, Digital ManRodolfo Migliari A: Ethan Van Sciver
B: Dan JurgensA: Jon Holdredge, Roland Paris, Norm Rapmund
B: Al VeyA: Brian Buccellato
B: Guy MajorMarch 2004 3 A: "Sanctuary"
B: "Heir of Truth"A: Deb-U-Ton, The Acidic Jew
B: Strangeness, CharmRodolfo Migliari A: Chris Bachalo
B: Dan JurgensA: Aaron Sowd, Tom Bar-Or
B: Al VeyA: Brian Buccellato, Sonia Oback
B: Guy MajorApril 2004 4 A: "Time of Their Lives"
B: "Fat Chance"
C: "Glory Days"A: Commander Power, Blackwatch
B: Knockout, Red Fox II, Miniaturian, Coldspell, Hi-Tec
C: Lift-Off, Belle-Air, the Flaming Follicle, Mach Master, Magna-Woman, Captain GallantRodolfo Migliari2 A: Carlos Pacheco
B: Dan Jurgens
C: George PérezA: Jesus Merino
B: Al Vey
C: Mike PerkinsA & B: Guy Major
C: Tom SmithMay 2004 5 A: "Where Monsters Dine"
B: "Lovelife"A: Larry, Grondar, Crittorr, Kkrapp, Wang Dang Doodle
B: The Eternal FlameRodolfo Migliari A: Angel Medina
B: Dan JurgensA: Jon Holdredge
B: Al VeyA: John Starr, Beth Sotelo
B: Guy MajorJune 2004 6 A: "This'll Be the Day"
B: "Loose Ends"A: American Pi, Zhang
B: Stevie Parsons, Michael O'BrienRodolfo Migliari A: Sam Kieth
B: Dan JurgensA: Sam Kieth
B: Al VeyA & B: Guy Major July 2004
1 Rodolfo Migliari made the alternate cover for Issue #1.[3][4]
2 Issue #4's cover art was inspired by Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" painting.[5][6]Collected Editions
The series has been collected in a trade paperback that includes:
- Cover and Pinup Gallery1
- Rodolfo Migliari and a pinup by James Raiz, Roland Paris and Sonia Oback depicting various superheroes battling Crittorr and Wang Dang Doodle.
References
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Table of Contents, pg. 3
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Cover and Pinup Gallery, pg. 131
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Cover and Pinup Gallery, pg. 131
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Issue #1 Cover B, pg. 133
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Cover and Pinup Gallery, pg. 131
- ^ Troy Hickman, Common Grounds trade paperback, November 2007, Issue #4 Cover, pg. 136
External Links
- TopCow.com - Top Cow Productions, Inc. website
- TheTopCowStore.com - Top Cow Productions, Inc. store
Categories:- Top Cow titles
- Comic book limited series
- Superhero comics
- Minicomics
- 2004 comic debuts
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