Crossover (Image Comics)
| Crossover | |
|---|---|
 Cover A for issue #1 by Geoff Shaw with Dave Stewart. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Format | Montly |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | November 4, 2020 — present |
| No. of issues | 3 |
| Creative team | |
| Created by |
|
| Written by | Donny Cates |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Penciller(s) | Geoff Shaw |
| Letterer(s) | John J. Hill |
| Colorist(s) | Dee Cunniffe |
| Editor(s) | Mark Waid |
Crossover is an American comic book ongoing series created by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe and John J. Hill.[1] The series is being published by Image Comics and debuted on November 4, 2020.[2]
Publication history
In July 2020, during San Diego Comic-Con 2020, Image Comics announced a comic book series titled Crossover, being written by Donny Cates, drawn by Geoff Shaw, colored by Dee Cunniffe and lettered by John J. Hill.[1][3] Back on 2017, they have already being involved in the creation of God Country and Redneck, two other Image series.[4]
According to Cates and Shaw during an interview on IGN, the story is inspired by the concept of several crossover summer events that are presented by comic book publishers like DC Comics, Marvel Comics, among others, with the story being inspired as a mixture between Avengers: Endgame and Cloverfield, and they also revealed the possibility for other Image characters to appear.[4][5]
Setting
Plot
In 2017, fictional comic book characters come to life in the real world, and their actions cause a lot of unintentional destruction and death around the city of Denver, Colorado.[2]
In 2022, Ellipses Howell, an employee for a direct market retailer, joins forces with other humans and characters, and embarks on a quest to return to her home in Denver and find out the cause behind "The Event".[6]
The Event
"The Event" is the phenomenon that occurred in Denver, Colorado during 2017.[2]
Characters
Protagonists
- Ellipses "Ellie" Howell
- Orion "Ryan" Lowe
- Ava Quinn
- Otto
Antagonists
- Father Lowe
- Special Director Nathaniel Abrams Pendleton
Returning
Characters in italics are actually mentioned.
| Character | Creator(s) | Owner(s) | Franchise | First appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archie Andrews | John L. Goldwater, Bob Montana and Vic Bloom | Archie Comics | Archie | Issue #2 (mentioned) |
| Batman | Bob Kane | DC Comics | DC Universe | Issue #1 (mentioned) Issue #2 (cameo) |
| Count Dracula | Bram Stoker | State of Bram Stoker | Dracula | Issue #2 (mentioned) |
| Doctor Strange | Steve Ditko and Stan Lee | Marvel Comics | Marvel Universe | Issue #3 (mentioned) |
| Hulk | Stan Lee and Jack Kirby | Marvel Comics | Marvel Universe | Issue #1 (mentioned) |
| Godzilla | Ishirō Honda, Tomoyuki Tanaka and Eiji Tsubaraya | Toho | Godzilla | Issue #2 (mentioned) |
| Gundam | Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino | Bandai Namco Holdings | Gundam | Issue #3 |
| Invincible | Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker | Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment | Invincible | Issue #1 (cameo) |
| Madman | Mike Allred | Mike Allred | Madman | Issue #3 |
Paybacks
|
Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw | Dark Horse Comics and Les Humanoïdes Associés | Comics' Greatest World and Heavy Metal | Issue #3 |
| Runaways | Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona | Marvel Comics | Marvel Universe | Issue #2 (mentioned) |
| Scooby-Doo | Joe Ruby, Ken Spears and Iwao Takamoto | Hanna-Barbera | Scooby-Doo | Issue #2 (mentioned) |
| Spawn | Todd McFarlane | Image Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions | Spawn | Issue #2 (cameo) |
| The Thing | Stan Lee and Jack Kirby | Marvel Comics | Marvel Universe | Issue #2 (cameo) |
| Thor | Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby | Marvel Comics | Marvel Universe | Issue #1 (mentioned) |
| Superman | Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster | DC Comics | DC Universe | Issue #1 (cameo) |
| Wonder Woman | William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter | DC Comics | DC Universe | Issue #2 (cameo) |
Guests
Characters in italics are actually mentioned.
Issues
| Issue | Title | Written by | Drawn by | Colored by | Lettered by | Publication date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kids Love Chains (Part One)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | November 4, 2020 |
| In 2017, the city of Denver was invaded by fictional superheroes and supervillains fighting each other, causing destruction and death, until a superhero created a force field around the city. Five years later, most of society has rejected those characters, but Ellipses Howell is one the few people who still believes in them. She works for a comic book located in Provo, until one day, her boss Otto spots Ava, a fictional character who somehow got evacuated from Denver's dome. This alarms a group of mob of fanatical Protestants lead by Mr. Lowe, who forces his son Ryan to toss a Molotov cocktail against the shop, causing it to explode. Ava reveals a figure helped them escape. | ||||||
| 2 | "Kids Love Chains (Part Two)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | December 9, 2020 |
| Following the burnout of their comic book shop, Ellie is given asylum by Otto. She offers herself to return Ava to her parents, unaware she has superpowers of her own. Following his temporary imprisonment, Ryan is secretly recruited by Special Director Nathaniel Abrams Dendleton, as he reveals that Ryan would play a major role in ending the Event in Denver. In the meantime, Father Lowe's followers continue killing several comic book writers and artists. | ||||||
| 3 | "Kids Love Chains (Part Three)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | January 6, 2021 |
| While Ellie, Otto and Ava travel to Denver, they met Ryan, who decided to escape from his father. At the same time, a Gundam is fighting a kaiju, but the group is rescued by the Paybacks, who were sent by Madman, the figure that helped Ava and several others to escape the dome. | ||||||
| 4 | "Kids Love Chains (Part Four)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | February 24, 2021 |
| 5 | "Kids Love Chains (Part Five)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | March 31, 2021 |
| 6 | "Kids Love Chains (Part Six)" | Donny Cates | Geoff Shaw | Dee Cunniffe | John J. Hill | April 28, 2021 |
Reception
Oscar Maltby wrote for Newsarama that the first issue was "bold as hell" and an intriguing start.[7]
| Issue | Publication date | Critic rating | Critic reviews | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 4, 2020 | 9.0/10 | 23 | [8] |
| 2 | December 9, 2020 | 8.3/10 | 13 | [9] |
| 3 | January 6, 2021 | 8.2/10 | 9 | [10] |
| Overall | — | 8.4/10 | 47 | [11] |
Collected editions
| Title | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossover, Volume 1 | Crossover #1−6 | 176 | May 25, 2021 | 1534318933, 978-1534318939 |
References
- ^ a b McMillan, Graeme (July 23, 2020). "Image Comics Sets Real-World Series 'Crossover'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c Marston, George (July 24, 2020). "Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw explain the ambitious story behind Crossover". Newsarama. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ Adams, Tim (July 23, 2020). "Crossover: Image Debuts First Look at Cates & Shaw's Explosive New Series". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ a b Quaintance, Zack (July 23, 2020). "SDCC '20: What is Image Comics' CROSSOVER? Donny Cates explains…". The Beat. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Creating the Anti-Crossover Event at Image Comics". IGN. July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Odgers, Jodi (July 26, 2020). "Comic-Con@Home: Image Teases Crossover's EPIC Scope & Aspirations". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- ^ Maltby, Oscar (2020-11-04). "Best Shots review: Crossover #1 "bold as hell" - spoilers". Newsarama.
- ^ "Crossover #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ "Crossover #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Crossover #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- ^ "Crossover (2020) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.