Crossover
Cover A for issue #1 by Geoff Shaw with Dave Stewart.
Publication information
Publisher
FormatMonthly
Genre
Publication dateNovember 4, 2020 — August 18, 2022
No. of issues13 (plus 1 special)
Creative team
Created by
Written by
Penciller(s)
Letterer(s)John J. Hill
Colorist(s)
Editor(s)Mark Waid
Collected editions
Kids Love ChainsISBN 1-5343-1893-3
The Ten-Cent PlagueISBN 1-5343-1928-X

Crossover is an American comic book ongoing series created by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe and John J. Hill, and is being published by Image Comics.[1]

The series debuted on November 4, 2020 and was put on hold on August 18, 2022.[2]

Premise

In 2017, fictional characters from comic books, across various publishers and genres, come to life in the real world, causing mayhem, destruction and death around the city of Denver, Colorado.[2]

Five years later, a ragtag team of humans and characters join forces and embark on a quest to return to Denver, now domed off and containing the displaced characters, to find out the cause behind "The Event".[3]

Publication history

In July 2020, during San Diego Comic-Con, Image Comics announced a comic book series titled Crossover, created by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe and John J. Hill.[1][4] Three years earlier, they created God Country and Redneck, two other Image series.[5]

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 on "Avengers: Endgame as Cloverfield", and they also revealed the possibility for other characters from Image and other owners to appear.[5][6]

Following the release of issue #1 in 3D edition on August 18, 2022, Image put the series on hold to release another comic book titled Vanish, also co-created by Cates.[7]

Characters

Main

  • Ellipses "Ellie" Howell — A survivor of the Event in Denver, Colorado, who works as an employee for a direct market retailer in Otto's comic book store, but now wants to return to her home. She is in fact a character from the fictional world.
  • Orion "Ryan" Lowe — The son of an extremist Protestant, who previously has an altercation with Ellie and the others, but according to a prisoner in the Powerhouse (whose identity is later revealed), he will play a role in ending the Event.
  • Ava Quinn — A citizen from the other world, who has superpowers of her own and befriends Ellie.
  • Otto — The owner of a comic book store in Provo, Utah, who is Ellie's boss.
  • Father Lowe — Ryan's abusive father and an extremist Protestant, who strongly believes the Event in Denver is the Devil's work to the point of planning a war against the characters.
  • Nathaniel Abrams Pendleton — The Special Director of the Powerhouse, an organization that hunts characters, to the point of even doing experiments on them. He secretly instructs Ryan to find the way to end the Event, while holding Donny Cates as a prisoner against his will.

Guest

Returning

Character(s) Franchise Creator(s) Owner(s)
Antiquarian The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Archie Andrews Archie Vic Bloom, John L. Goldwater and Bob Montana Archie Comics
Aristus God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
Avengelyne Avengelyne Cathy Christian, Rob Liefeld and Tony Lobito Rob Liefeld and Little Wolf Productions (published by Image Comics)
Batman DC Universe Bill Finger and Bob Kane DC Comics (Warner Bros. Discovery)
Battle Pope Battle Pope Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (published by Skybound Entertainment through Image Comics)
Bloodpouch The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Carnage Marvel Universe Mark Bagley and David Michelinie Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Christian Walker Powers Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming Jinxworld (currently published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Colonel Weird Black Hammer Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston 171 Studios and Dean Ormston (Published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Combo Man Marvel Universe Hector Collazo, John Statema and Mark Gruenwald Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Cosmic Ghost Rider Marvel Universe Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Count Dracula Dracula Bram Stoker In the public domain
The Darkness Top Cow Universe Garth Ennis, Marc Silvestri and David Wohl Top Cow Productions (published through Image Comics)
Deanna "Dee" Quinlan God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
Denna Pilgrim Powers Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming Jinxworld (currently published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Doctor Blaqk The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Doctor Strange Marvel Universe Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
The Driver The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Elizabeth Quinlan God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
Emmet Quinlan God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
Emory Rains The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Escape Goat Buzzkill Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw and Mark Reznicek Mark Reznicek and Donny Cates (originally published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group; now published by Image Comics)
Francis Pierce Buzzkill Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw and Mark Reznicek Mark Reznicek and Donny Cates (originally published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group; now published by Image Comics)
Gertrude I Hate Fairyland Skottie Young Skottie Young (published by Image Comics)
Ghost Comics' Greatest World Barbara Kesel, Jerry Prosser, Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley and Chris Warner Dark Horse Comics (Embracer Group)
Godzilla Godzilla Eiji Tsubaraya, Ishirō Honda and Tomoyuki Tanaka Toho (North American comic books currently published by IDW Publishing)
High Guard Buzzkill Donny Cates, Mark Reznicek and Geoff Shaw Mark Reznicek and Donny Cates (originally published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group; now published by Image Comics)
Hit-Girl Kick-Ass Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Dave and Eggsy Ltd. and John Romita Jr. (published by Millarworld, a Netflix company, through Image Comics)
Hulk Marvel Universe Jack Kirby and Stan Lee Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Invincible Invincible Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley (published by Skybound Entertainment through Image Comics)
Janey Quinlan God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
The Joker DC Universe Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson DC Comics (Warner Bros. Discovery)
Lucifer The Wicked + The Divine Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (published by Image Comics)
Luther Strode The Strange Talent of Luther Strode Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore (published by Image Comics)
Madman Madman Mike Allred Mike Allred (currently published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group)
Max Damage Irredeemable Peter Krause and Mark Waid Boom! Studios
Miss Adventure The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Negan The Walking Dead Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard Robert Kirkman (published by Skybound Entertainment through Image Comics)
Night Knight The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Panteradactyl Buzzkill Donny Cates, Mark Reznicek and Geoff Shaw Mark Reznicek and Donny Cates (originally published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group; now published by Image Comics)
Rawhide Kid Marvel Universe Bob Brown and Stan Lee Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Roy Quinlan God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
RX-78-2 Gundam Gundam Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate Sotsu/Sunrise (Bandai Namco Holdings)
Savage Dragon Savage Dragon Erik Larsen Erik Larsen (published by Image Comics)
Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo Joe Ruby, Ken Spears and Iwao Takamoto Cartoon Network Studios/Hanna-Barbera (Warner Bros. Discovery) (comic books published by DC Comics)
ShadowHawk ShadowHawk Jim Valentino Jim Valentino/Shadowline (published through Image Comics)
Shoxxx Buzzkill Donny Cates, Mark Reznicek and Geoff Shaw Mark Reznicek and Donny Cates (originally published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of Embracer Group; now published by Image Comics)
Soviet Nunchuck The Paybacks Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal and Geoff Shaw (published by Dark Horse Comics, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group)
Spawn Spawn Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane Productions (published through Image Comics)
Spider-Man Marvel Universe Steve Ditko and Stan Lee Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
The Squid Watchmen Dave Gibbons, John Higgins and Alan Moore DC Comics (Warner Bros. Discovery)
Starfox Marvel Universe Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Ghostbusters Dan Aykroyd and Bill Bryan Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Superman DC Universe Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel DC Comics (Warner Bros. Discovery) and the Jerry Siegel Family [8]
The Thing Marvel Universe Jack Kirby and Stan Lee Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
Thor Marvel Universe Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber Marvel Comics (The Walt Disney Company)
The Tick The Tick Ben Edlund Ben Edlund (published by New England Comics)
Valofax God Country Donny Cates, John J. Hill, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw (published by Image Comics)
Witchblade Top Cow Universe Brian Haberlin, Marc Silvestri, Michael Turner and David Wohl Top Cow Productions (published through Image Comics)
Wonder Woman DC Universe William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter DC Comics (Warner Bros. Discovery)

Issues

Issue Title Written by Drawn by Colored by Publication date
#1 "Kids Love Chains: Part One" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe 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 Ellie Howell is one of the few people who still believes in them. She works for a comic book store located in Provo, until one day, her boss Otto spots Ava, a fictional character who somehow got evacuated from Denver. This alarms a mob of fanatical Protestants led by Father 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.[9]
#2 "Kids Love Chains: Part Two" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe 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. During his temporary imprisonment, Ryan is secretly recruited by Nathaniel Abrams Pendleton, Special Director of the Powerhouse, as he reveals that Ryan would play a major role in ending the Event in Denver. In the meantime, there are murders against comic book writers and artists, like Brian K. Vaughan.[10]
#3 "Kids Love Chains: Part Three" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe January 6, 2021
While Ellie, Otto and Ava travel to Denver, they meet 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.[11]
#4 "Kids Love Chains: Part Four" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe February 24, 2021
Madman reveals that Ava's parents are back in the fictional world through a portal inside Denver, and Payback member Doctor Blaqk reveals he was the one that put the dome over the city, but as long as the characters stay away from it, their powers weaken. The group travels to the National Event Memorial and Museum Center, where they meet Deanna Quinlan, granddaughter of Emmet Quinlan and keeper of the sword Valofax. Meanwhile, Father Lowe keeps a prisoner inside his ministry compound, while Director Pendleton receives orders to advance the experiments of the "Amalgam Program".[12]
#5 "Kids Love Chains: Part Five" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe March 31, 2021
Father Lowe uses his prisoner as a suicide bomb inside the Powerhouse, as part of his plan to start a war against the characters. The group travels inside the dome in Denver, where they are confronted by an army of Amalgams sent by the government, but as an army of planes begin to launch missiles, Ava unleashes her powers to destroy them. As Madman fails to convince her to stop, Ryan has no choice but to shoot Ava with the same special gun that he was given by Pendleton.[13]
#6 "Kids Love Chains: Conclusion" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe April 28, 2021
After Ellie prevents Ryan from shooting Ava, the group reunites to find the portal. However, many characters still fight each other after years. The team succeeds in finding the portal and Ava returns to her world with her parents. Ellie and Ryan escape from the dome, but Otto gets injured and left behind in the process. Inside an apartment, Ellie reveals to Ryan that she is not a real human, but a character from the fictional world.[14]
#7 — Chip Zdarsky Phil Hester and Ande Parks Dee Cunniffe June 30, 2021
In the wake of the murders against comic book celebrities, Steve Murray is on the run when he meets his alter ego "Chip Zdarsky". While trying to escape by car, they have a crash, and when Chip is killed by an assailant, Steve escapes and reports what happened to detectives Christian Walker and Denna Pilgrim from the Powers Division.[15]
#8 "Meanwhile: Part One" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe September 29, 2021
While Ellie and Ryan deal with their issues, they are taken to the Powerhouse by the Powers Division. Pendleton informs Ryan about the recent murders against comic book celebrities, and that he has Father Lowe in custody for the previous bombing. In the meantime, the mysterious prisoner gets upset for how the order of events has been changed due to Ellie's actions.[16]
#9 "Meanwhile: Part Two" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe November 3, 2021
When Walker and Pilgrim interrogate Ellie about the murders, Father Lowe reveals to Ryan that he knows the killer's identity and intentions. Walker and Pilgrim then investigate a crime scene, where the victim is Scott Snyder and the murder weapon is a Batarang.[17]
#10 "Meanwhile: Part Three" Brian Michael Bendis and Donny Cates Michael Avon Oeming and Geoff Shaw Nick Filardi and Dee Cunniffe December 8, 2021
Pendleton reveals most of his past as a family man who got widowed after the Event, and decided to solve the mystery behind what happened. He also knows the mysterious prisoner inside the Powerhouse is in fact Donny Cates himself.[18]
#11 "Meanwhile: Part Four" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe February 2, 2022
In a previous interrogation, Cates reveals to Pendleton he only wanted to make a love story, but the idea was cancelled before the Event happened. Pendleton forces Cates to remain as a prisoner in the Powerhouse until an "ending" is made. In the present, when Ellie initially does not believe in Cates' words, he secretly gives her a letter detailing the coming events. When Walker and Pilgrim take Father Love to a baseball stadium in search for the killer, it was revealed that Negan was the material author, but it was Lowe who orchestrated those killings.[19]
#12 "Meanwhile: Part Five" Robert Kirkman and Donny Cates Phil Hester and Geoff Shaw Klaus Janson and Dee Cunniffe March 2, 2022
Sometime after the Event, Negan met and killed his creator, Robert Kirkman, as revenge for the life he gave him. Back in the present, Negan reveals to Walker and Pilgrim about why he joined Father Lowe, as they both share the same interest of freeing the real world from all fictional characters. Besides, he met another person more powerful than Cates. Within the Powerhouse, Cates manages to use his powers to lock Pendleton in his own room, while freeing Ellie (reunited by Valofax) and Ryan (armed with a lightsaber) to save Walker and Pilgrim.[20]
#13 "Meanwhile: Conclusion" Donny Cates Geoff Shaw Dee Cunniffe May 11, 2022
The humans and characters go into an all-out war, as Negan takes Donny hostage, but Ellie uses Valofax to impale them both. When Father Lowe tries to become a suicide bomb, Ryan tries to reason with him, but Pendleton kills him by using a special armor. In his dying moment, Donny reveals to Ellie and Ryan that they must kill artist Geoff Shaw in order to put an end to the Event in Denver.[21]
#1 3D Special side story Donny Cates and Matthew Rosenberg Megan Hutchison Dee Cunniffe August 18, 2022

Reception

Oscar Maltby wrote for Newsarama that the first issue was "bold as hell" and an intriguing start.[22]

Issue Publication date Critic rating Critic reviews Ref.
#1 November 4, 2020 8.9/10 26 [23]
#2 December 9, 2020 7.9/10 15 [24]
#3 January 6, 2021 8.4/10 11 [25]
#4 February 24, 2021 8.2/10 14 [26]
#5 March 31, 2021 8.0/10 12 [27]
#6 April 28, 2021 9.2/10 11 [28]
#7 June 30, 2021 8.5/10 7 [29]
#8 September 29, 2021 8.9/10 6 [30]
#9 November 3, 2021 9.3/10 [31]
#10 December 8, 2021 8.1/10 [32]
#11 February 2, 2022 9.1/10 [33]
#12 March 2, 2022 8.9/10 4 [34]
#13 May 11, 2022 9.2/10 6 [35]
Overall 8.7/10 130 [36]

Collected editions

Title Volume Material collected Pages Publication date ISBN
Crossover, Volume 1: Kids Love Chains 1
  • Crossover #1−6
 176 May 26, 2021 1534318933, 978-1534318939
Crossover, Volume 2: The Ten-Cent Plague 2
  • Crossover #7−13
 June 8, 2022 153431928X, 978-1534319288

References

  1. 1 2 McMillan, Graeme (July 23, 2020). "Image Comics Sets Real-World Series 'Crossover'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Marston, George (July 24, 2020). "Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw explain the ambitious story behind Crossover". Newsarama. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ Odgers, Jodi (July 26, 2020). "Comic-Con@Home: Image Teases Crossover's EPIC Scope & Aspirations". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ Adams, Tim (July 23, 2020). "Crossover: Image Debuts First Look at Cates & Shaw's Explosive New Series". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Quaintance, Zack (July 23, 2020). "SDCC '20: What is Image Comics' CROSSOVER? Donny Cates explains…". The Beat. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Creating the Anti-Crossover Event at Image Comics". IGN. July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman Bring Their Creator-Owned Series Vanish to Image Comics (Exclusive)". Comics. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  8. ↑ Nobleman, Marc. ""By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family" explained". Noblemania. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Crossover #1 (2020). Image Comics.
  10. ↑ Crossover #2 (2020). Image Comics.
  11. ↑ Crossover #3 (2021). Image Comics.
  12. ↑ Crossover #4 (2021). Image Comics.
  13. ↑ Crossover #5 (2021). Image Comics.
  14. ↑ Crossover #6 (2021). Image Comics.
  15. ↑ Crossover #7 (2021). Image Comics.
  16. ↑ Crossover #8 (2021). Image Comics.
  17. ↑ Crossover #9 (2021). Image Comics.
  18. ↑ Crossover #10 (2021). Image Comics.
  19. ↑ Crossover #12 (2022). Image Comics.
  20. ↑ Crossover #12 (2022). Image Comics.
  21. ↑ Crossover #13 (2022). Image Comics.
  22. ↑ Maltby, Oscar (2020-11-04). "Best Shots review: Crossover #1 "bold as hell" - spoilers". Newsarama.
  23. ↑ "Crossover #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  24. ↑ "Crossover #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  25. ↑ "Crossover #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  26. ↑ "Crossover #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  27. ↑ "Crossover #5 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  28. ↑ "Crossover #6 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  29. ↑ "Crossover #7 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  30. ↑ "Crossover #8 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  31. ↑ "Crossover #9 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  32. ↑ "Crossover #10 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  33. ↑ "Crossover #11 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  34. ↑ "Crossover #12 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  35. ↑ "Crossover #13 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  36. ↑ "Crossover (2020) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
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