TAMPA, FL., August 18, 2001 - In order to meet fan demand for a wide variety of licensed CrossGen merchandise, CrossGen will open the virtual doors of the CrossGen Mall for business in early September, 2001.

The mall will include an Apparel Shoppe, Licensed Products, Original Art, Custom Prints, and Comics. Some of the items available in the Mall include clothing, hats, backpacks, lithographs, comics and trade paperbacks, original art, statues, custom created and framed prints, and much more. Orders will be taken through these stores and items will be shipped directly to the customer. The mall will house portals to stores where fans can purchase a multitude of CrossGen branded items, including:

Apparel - Name-brand CrossGen T-shirts, polo shirts, ladies wear, hats, boxers, backpacks and more.

Custom Prints - A catalog of 70 different pieces of CrossGen art will be available online for fans to choose which piece they would like made into a custom art print. They will also be able to choose whether they'd like the piece signed by the team, or even professionally framed and shipped to their door.

Original Art - Many of our artists sell their original art to fans. At the CrossGen Mall, fans will get first crack at the best pieces available.

Dynamic Forces Specials - With our partnership with Dynamic Forces, fans will be able to find special autographed lithographs, portfolios and in 2002, CrossGen statues.

More - As CrossGen grows in popularity, more licensed products will be made available through the mall. The purpose of the mall is to meet the demands of both the hardcore CrossGen fan as well as the readers who might be new to the CrossGen Universe.

Knowing that shipping costs can be high for products offered online, CrossGen has taken every step to try and keep these costs at a reasonable level.

"Our fans have been asking us to produce a line of products for over a year now," said Ian M. Feller, CrossGen's Director of Corporate Communication. "They've asked for a way to get CrossGen clothing, statues, even comics that they've had trouble acquiring. Well, the partners we have lined up and the products we will be offering are going to make these fans very happy."

While CrossGen will be offering these products directly to the consumer, many of these products will also be available to retailers through the direct market.

"Launching this mall was just a good business decision for us," said CrossGen Publisher Mark Alessi. "We need to find ways to attract new customers into the world of comics. In the near future we will be confirming some major partners to help us in this cause. This mall will be part of the bigger picture."