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The Children's Crusade (Vertigo comics)
Encyclopedia
The Children's Crusade is the over-arcing title of a seven-issue comic book
crossover
and limited series
, and specifically the two bookends thereof. It was published in 1993
and 1994
by DC Comics
as a part of the Vertigo imprint
.
The two bookends, which open and close the crossover were written by Neil Gaiman
and Alisa Kwitney
, with the middle five issues being the newly created or resurrected Annuals from the then-on-going Vertigo titles (bar the Arcana Annual, which re-launched a new Books of Magic
series). These were written by those titles' then-authors: Dick Foreman, Jamie Delano
, Nancy Collins
, Rachel Pollack
and John Ney Rieber
, respectively.
This storyline marked the first - and only - attempt by the then-brand-new Vertigo comic line to do a crossover
within its titles. Its relative lack of success, and the subsequent retooling of the Vertigo imprint to feature comics that do not tend to share a universe, make it unlikely to be repeated in such a manner. Subsequently, therefore, while individual characters (in particular John Constantine
) occasionally guest-star in other titles, such a wide-ranging crossover has not been attempted.
#1, Animal Man Annual
#1, Swamp Thing Annual
#7, Doom Patrol Annual
#2, Arcana Annual #1, and Children's Crusade #2.
", it focused on the children who played major roles in these books: Suzy, Maxine Baker, Tefé
, Dorothy Spinner
and Timothy Hunter
respectively.
. The advert featured a specially written five-panel strip in which Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine read the Vertigo Press release advertising the "big crossover in October and November [1993] in some of the Vertigo Annuals."
The crossover's tagline was "The Children's Crusade, it's no Fairy Tale," and the author of the comic-strip-advert (likely Neil Gaiman
, about whom it says "whoever he is") writes archly, through the character of Charles Rowland:
It turns out that all the children of the village as well as all other children who have ever disappeared (see "The Children's Crusade" & "The Pied Piper of Hamelin
") were taken to a place called "Free Country". Free Country is a place where children never grow old and are free from the abuse and tyranny of adults (child abuse
is a recurring theme). Free Country is run by a council of various children who have existed there hundreds of years. The council is attempting to bring over all the children in the world, but unfortunately Free Country is having trouble supporting them all. To help bolster Free Country's power they bring over five innately powerful children. As long as the children stay in Free Country they provide the place with power.
The comics include many references to the works of Robert Browning
.
and with art by Peter Gross
, the Arcana Annual reintroduced Timothy Hunter
from Neil Gaiman's
The Books of Magic
mini-series. The story concentrated mostly on a young dancer called Marya, who leaves behind Free Country and an overly attentive admirer named Daniel to recruit Timothy Hunter to their cause. Tim is destined to be the greatest magician of his age, and his support would greatly strengthen Free Country - but before she can find him, the young magician is kidnapped "respectfully" by a falconer named Tamlin.
Tamlin is apparently working on behalf of an unnamed Queen implied to be Titania, but when he takes Tim to a dying corner of Faerie he admits that he has his own agenda: Faerie is dying, and the falconer thinks that Tim may be able to save it. He gives Tim a gift of a magical stone, and leaves him to find his own way back to the real world. When he does, Tim meets with Marya and agrees to go to Free Country to see if he can help there. Marya doesn't return with him, deciding to stay in the real world and fulfil her dream of becoming a dancer.
The Arcana Annual also acted as a prelude to a monthly The Books of Magic comic, which continued the stories of Tim and Tamlin, and Marya and Daniel.
The Children's Crusade has never been reprinted as a collected edition, but due to its relationship with the ongoing series the Arcana: The Books of Magic Annual #1 was included in the collected edition of The Books of Faerie
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
and limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, and specifically the two bookends thereof. It was published in 1993
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
and 1994
1994 in comics
-Year overall:* Huge changes in the marketplace force many retailers and small publishers out of business...
by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
as a part of the Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
.
The two bookends, which open and close the crossover were written by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and Alisa Kwitney
Alisa Kwitney
Alisa Kwitney is an American author.Kwitney was born in New York City. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Columbia University's Master of Fine Arts Fiction Writing Program. Kwitney was also an editor for Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC...
, with the middle five issues being the newly created or resurrected Annuals from the then-on-going Vertigo titles (bar the Arcana Annual, which re-launched a new Books of Magic
The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
series). These were written by those titles' then-authors: Dick Foreman, Jamie Delano
Jamie Delano
Jamie Delano is a British comics writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers. Best known as the first writer of the comic book series Hellblazer, starring John Constantine.- Biography :...
, Nancy Collins
Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
, Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack
Rachel Pollack is an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot...
and John Ney Rieber
John Ney Rieber
John Ney Rieber is an American comic book writer. He has been writing for the comics The Books of Magic, Captain America, G.I. Joe and Tomb Raider.-Bibliography:Comics work includes:*Shadows Fall Issues #1-6...
, respectively.
This storyline marked the first - and only - attempt by the then-brand-new Vertigo comic line to do a crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
within its titles. Its relative lack of success, and the subsequent retooling of the Vertigo imprint to feature comics that do not tend to share a universe, make it unlikely to be repeated in such a manner. Subsequently, therefore, while individual characters (in particular John Constantine
John Constantine
John Constantine is a fictional character, an occult detective anti-hero in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly under the Vertigo imprint. The character first appeared in Swamp Thing #37 , and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch...
) occasionally guest-star in other titles, such a wide-ranging crossover has not been attempted.
Titles
In addition to the two Children's Crusade issues, the crossover ran through five newly created/resurrected Annuals. In reading order the event runs as follows: Children's Crusade #1, Black Orchid AnnualBlack Orchid
Black Orchid is the name of three fictional superheroines published by DC Comics. The original version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 .-Susan Linden-Thorne:...
#1, Animal Man Annual
Animal Man
Animal Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily “borrow” the abilities of animals...
#1, Swamp Thing Annual
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
#7, Doom Patrol Annual
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
#2, Arcana Annual #1, and Children's Crusade #2.
Characters
Alongside Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland, the "Dead Boy DetectivesDead Boy Detectives
The Dead Boy Detectives are fictional characters that have appeared in comic books published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. They were created by writer Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III in The Sandman #25 ....
", it focused on the children who played major roles in these books: Suzy, Maxine Baker, Tefé
Tefé Holland
Tefé Holland is a fictional character, a DC Comics universe leading and supporting character. The character is the daughter of Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane Holland. She first appears as the Sprout in Swamp Thing #65...
, Dorothy Spinner
Dorothy Spinner
Dorothy Spinner is a fictional character created by Paul Kupperberg and owned by DC Comics. She was a former member of the Doom Patrol with the ability to bring imaginary beings to life. She first appeared in Doom Patrol vol...
and Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter, is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic vol. 1 #1 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.-Publication history:...
respectively.
Advertising
The crossover was advertised in the trade press, amongst them the fledgling Hero IllustratedHero Illustrated
Hero Illustrated was a comic book-themed magazine published in the early to mid 1990s in the United States. Columnists included Andy Mangels, and Frank Kurtz was at one time a managing editor. The journal won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication.- History :Hero...
. The advert featured a specially written five-panel strip in which Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine read the Vertigo Press release advertising the "big crossover in October and November [1993] in some of the Vertigo Annuals."
The crossover's tagline was "The Children's Crusade, it's no Fairy Tale," and the author of the comic-strip-advert (likely Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, about whom it says "whoever he is") writes archly, through the character of Charles Rowland:
- "It says here that the Vertigo Universe will never be the same again.
- Of course, it was never the same before."
Plot summaries
The story starts with the ghosts of two boys, Edwin and Charles (seen previously in issue #25 of The Sandman and later in The Dead Boy Detectives), who have set up shop as detectives for hire, with nothing but the knowledge of the great mystery novels and films. The two boys are approached by a young girl that finds their ad and enlists them to locate her brother who, along with several other children, disappeared from the small English hamlet they all live in, called Flaxdown.It turns out that all the children of the village as well as all other children who have ever disappeared (see "The Children's Crusade" & "The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
") were taken to a place called "Free Country". Free Country is a place where children never grow old and are free from the abuse and tyranny of adults (child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
is a recurring theme). Free Country is run by a council of various children who have existed there hundreds of years. The council is attempting to bring over all the children in the world, but unfortunately Free Country is having trouble supporting them all. To help bolster Free Country's power they bring over five innately powerful children. As long as the children stay in Free Country they provide the place with power.
The comics include many references to the works of Robert Browning
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
.
Arcana: The Books of Magic
Written by John Ney RieberJohn Ney Rieber
John Ney Rieber is an American comic book writer. He has been writing for the comics The Books of Magic, Captain America, G.I. Joe and Tomb Raider.-Bibliography:Comics work includes:*Shadows Fall Issues #1-6...
and with art by Peter Gross
Peter Gross (comics)
Peter Gross is an American comic book writer and artist known for such works as The Books of Magic, Lucifer and The Unwritten.-Biography:Gross attended St. John's University and did graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Superior...
, the Arcana Annual reintroduced Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter, is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic vol. 1 #1 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.-Publication history:...
from Neil Gaiman's
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
mini-series. The story concentrated mostly on a young dancer called Marya, who leaves behind Free Country and an overly attentive admirer named Daniel to recruit Timothy Hunter to their cause. Tim is destined to be the greatest magician of his age, and his support would greatly strengthen Free Country - but before she can find him, the young magician is kidnapped "respectfully" by a falconer named Tamlin.
Tamlin is apparently working on behalf of an unnamed Queen implied to be Titania, but when he takes Tim to a dying corner of Faerie he admits that he has his own agenda: Faerie is dying, and the falconer thinks that Tim may be able to save it. He gives Tim a gift of a magical stone, and leaves him to find his own way back to the real world. When he does, Tim meets with Marya and agrees to go to Free Country to see if he can help there. Marya doesn't return with him, deciding to stay in the real world and fulfil her dream of becoming a dancer.
The Arcana Annual also acted as a prelude to a monthly The Books of Magic comic, which continued the stories of Tim and Tamlin, and Marya and Daniel.
The Children's Crusade has never been reprinted as a collected edition, but due to its relationship with the ongoing series the Arcana: The Books of Magic Annual #1 was included in the collected edition of The Books of Faerie
The Books of Faerie
The Books of Faerie was a series of three mini-series spun off from Vertigo Comics' series The Books of Magic written by Bronwyn Carlton and John Ney Rieber...
.