Year One

Issue's Four, Five and Six of The Way of the Warrior were distributed, as was a collected edition, each eclipsing the last in both numbers and popularity. With Shi #1 reaching upwards of $50.00, I decided to re-release the book as Shi #1: The Fan Appreciation Edition. With its lower price of $1.95 and insert poster, it quickly became our number one seller.

I guess the first taste of "Shi-mania" occurred at the San Diego Comic Con in 1995. With the loyal following that Shi had attained, Crusade began to expand her visibility through new titles and merchandising. Shi - Senryaku #1 was released that summer, as was our first major cross-over with Image Comics, Shi/Cyblade- The Battle for Independents. Written by Gary Cohn, edited by Peter Gutierrez and artwork contributed by the industry's most popular names, Senryaku took an in-depth look into Ana's past using the parables of the thirty six stratagems from the Chinese Art of War. Meanwhile, Shi/Cyblade took a shrewd look into the struggles of self publishers and other creative owned properties against the major public companies.

By the end of 1995 the critically acclaimed Senryaku miniseries would become our most popular, and we added yet more collected editions, a multitude of posters, T-shirts, calendars, and other collectibles. Crusade and Shi's crowning achievement was our first Shi Chromium Trading Card Set.