It’s a new week and we’re kicking things off with some news and reviews from around the web. Start your day with what you might have missed this weekend!
Smash Pages – Rest in peace, John Paul Leon – Our thoughts are with his friends and family.
Reviews
Monkeys Fighting Robots – Crossover #6
Laughing Place – Star Wars: Darth Vader #11
Collected Editions – Wonder Woman Vol. 4: The Four Horsewomen
Crossover has been a rather interesting series. The story has gone back and forth between a series that stands on its own and a concept that’s “spot the pop culture reference”. When it has done the former, it’s a fantastic series and concept that’s been a wild ride. When it has done the latter, the story suffers delivering a choppy reading experience that’s focused more on visuals than the flow. Unfortunately, Crossover #6 relies a bit too much on its visuals to deliver.
While the issue isn’t bad, Donny Cates focuses on the couple of tasks our group must complete. Ellie and her group have shattered the dome and are surrounded by the chaos within. And that’s where the comic also falls apart. Within pages, the comic focuses on how many characters it can squeeze into a page. It’s spot the comic character that is focused on action but the story itself is a rather thin.
There’s a lot to enjoy with the issue. The action is fierce and flies at you. But, it’s really spot the other comic characters that’s the draw. A splash page is packed with characters that pop from the page. I myself found myself falling into it and trying to see how many of the characters I could name. But, it’s a distraction from a finale to the story arc that’s rather thin. It feels like a series of events as opposed to a real story. The drama is thin. The “twists” are predictable.
As usual, the art by Geoff Shaw is amazing. The series really is impressive. With colors by Dee Cunniffe and lettering by John J. Hill the blending of the “real world” and “comic world” is a sight to be hold. There’s so much packed into so many of the pages, it’s the draw of the comic, pun sort of intended. The entertainment and enjoyment of the comic comes from those visuals.
Crossover #6 feels a bit thin for the end of the story-arc. Its emotional moments don’t hit the way they should. The reveals are pretty obvious. It does its job but doesn’t excite and takes some of the air out of the balloon. The issue relies too heavily on its visuals to bring the entertainment instead of delivering heart.
Story: Donny Cates Art: Geoff Shaw
Color: Dee Cunniffe Letterer: John J. Hill
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
It’s Tuesday, one of two new comic book days! What are you all getting? What are you excited for? Sound off in the comments below. While you decide on that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
The Beat – A Year of Free Comics: OUTRAGE is the hero we need to slap down internet abuse – Free comics!
CBR – Less Than 50% of Justice League‘s Audience Completed It in Week 1 – Oooph. Not good numbers.
CBR – Godzilla vs. Kong Reigns in HBO Max’s Largest Audience – Interesting.
Reviews
Talking Comics – Bitter Root #11
Monkeys Fighting Robots – Crossover #5
The Guardian – Esther’s Notebook
The Beat – Orphan and the Five Beasts #1
The God of Blades has been obtained. The team needs to hustle to get to their destination of the dome. A military attack stands in the way. Crossover #5 is an interesting comic that feels like something is missing but still generally flows in an over-the-top nature. A terrorist attack has forced the government’s hand. It has forced an attack on the comic characters that have bled over into the real world and the dome. This complicates matters as our group of heroes is caught in-between.
Writer Donny Cates begins to wrap things up in this penultimate chapter of “Kids Love Chains”. The issue isn’t bad but feels like there’s something missing. What happens due to the attack is explained but we don’t see the setup of the attack. The terrorist attack itself is a bit odd as the person that’s the cause doesn’t have the tell-tale signs of being from the comic world (the dots). It’s a headscratcher why his captors would so easily fall for things. From there, it’s a quick decision to attack the dome as well which again feels like a quick ramp-up of the situation, and things are skipped off-panel. In other words, the comic feels a bit rushed and choppy.
Cates dials back the self-referencing and the comic doesn’t quite feel like ego-inflation which has been danced around for bits of previous issues. The issue is focused on that action as the group must decide what to do with the bombing raid before them (which makes you also wonder why the US hasn’t done this before?).
This is an issue that feels more visuals than dialogue and plot and Geoff Shaw delivers. There’s some stunning pages, especially as the God of Blades is used and a choice is made in how to deal with a threat. Along with Dee Cunniffe‘s color and John J. Hill‘s lettering and design, the series as a whole has shined when it has come to the art. Here’s a prime example as pages are packed in with action and characters and the comic both does its own thing and pays an homage to action comics of the past. The Ben Day dots that indicate a character is from comics continue to be amazing and such a nice detail that stands out in a creative way.
With some fun pop-culture references and a big action sequence, Crossover #5 is a fun comic to read. It stumbles in that it could use a bit more of a setup. Steps feel like they’ve been missed and we go from 0 to 10 in no time at all. I thought I missed an issue when I first began to read the comic. Still, it delivers action, drama, and ups the stakes of it all.
Story: Donny Cates Art: Geoff Shaw
Color: Dee Cunniffe Letterer/Design: John J. Hill
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 (Marvel) – Writer Steve Orlando takes Man-Thing through a journey in this mini-series celebrating the character.
Beta Ray Bill #1 (Marvel) – Can Beta Ray Bill finally get the spotlight he deserves?
Crossover #5 (Image Comics) – The series has gone back and forth across line of being a bit too self-referential and inside jokes but it’s a hell of a concept and it’s interesting to see what else the team folds in.
Nuclear Family #2 (AfterShock) – The first issue was intriguing and left us in the middle of a bombed-out American town. What is going on!?
The Other History of the DC Universe #3 (DC Comics) – The series has been impressive at how honest it’s been with each issue. This one takes on Katana during the 80s!
Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1 (BOOM! Studios) – The popular villain Astronema gets the spotlight as her origin is revealed.
Shadecraft #1 (Image Comics) – Zadie Lu is convinced that the shadows are trying to kill her and something weird is going on in her small town.
Silk #1 (Marvel) – A character that always deserved to be a bigger deal than she was, we’ll see if this miniseries is finally the one to put her over the top and cement A-status.
Two Moons #2 (Image Comics) – This horror series set during the Civil War had a solid debut and we want to see where it goes from there.
Witchblood #1 (Vault Comics) – A modern story of a witch cruising the Southwest as a gang of biker vampires wants the source of her coven’s power.
Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #2 (Dark Horse) – The first issue had a fun pulp sense about it and we’re hoping for more of that.
Last week’s reprints of the bestselling series Crossover by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw with Dee Cunniffe and John. J. Hill sent a surge of new customers to stores interested in picking up the series everyone is talking about. Image Comics will rush Crossover #4 back to print in order to keep up with the growing readership.
In Crossover #4, readers journey to the strange land of magical Colorado as our intrepid team of heroes searches for a way to shatter the dome and expose the truth behind The Event!
Crossover #4, second printing (Diamond Code JAN219070) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, March 31.
Crossover #1, second printing (Diamond Code JAN218668) and Crossover #3, second printing (Diamond Code JAN218669) will both be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, March 24.
The bestselling series Crossover by creative masterminds Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw with Dee Cunniffe and John. J. Hill sizzles with fan frenzy and both Crossover #1 and Crossover #3 will be rushed back to print in order to keep up with the unrelenting customer demand.
In Crossover #3, there are monsters and robots falling from the sky! Mysterious (and familiar??) superheroes joining our intrepid gang on their journey to event ground zero! The story continues with the series’ most explosive and shocking issue to date! Don’t miss this one, folks. If you do, it just might drive you… mad.
Crossover #1, second printing (Diamond Code JAN218668) and Crossover #3, second printing (Diamond Code JAN218669) will both be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, March 24.
Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Batman: Black & White #3 (DC Comics) – The series so far has been fantastic with a mix of creative voices and very different styles and takes on the classic character.
By the Horns #1 (Scout Comics) – Marisan Naso and Jason Muhr are back together for a new series about a woman on an act of murderous revenge against unicorns who trampled her husband.
Crossover #4 (Image Comics) – The series started off as “spot the comic reference” but it has shifted into an interesting story about xenophobia, immigration, and more.
Frank at Home on the Farm #2 (Scout Comics) – The first issue was full of mystery and we’re excited to see where this series goes because we’re honestly not sure!
Girl Haven (Oni Press) – Koretris is a haven for girls where no men or boys are allowed. When Ash, a boy, is sent there by a spell a whole bunch of questions are raised. Read our review.
I Breathed a Body #2 (AfterShock) – The first issue was an intriguing mix of horror and commentary about social media and we want to see what else it has to say.
Kaiju Score #4 (AfterShock) – This heist comic during a Kaiju attack has been fun so far but how else can things go wrong and what other double-crosses are left? We want to find out!
Marvel’s Voices: Legacy #1 (Marvel) – An impressive group of creators come together for this themed anthology. We’re always fans of seeing how different creators handle characters and checking out new voices.
Nailbiter Returns #10 (Image Comics) – The second volume of the horror series wraps up and it’s a bloody doozy.
Nuclear Family #1 (AfterShock) – Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story Breakfast at Twilight, the series is Cold War era science fiction that we’re excited to read.
Paranormal Hitmen #1 (Behemoth Comics) – Two hitmen are hired by a Government agency to hunt and kill ghosts but also need to deal with the mobsters after them.
Savage Circus #3 (Heavy Metal) – The issue begins the pivot from the first two issues of setup getting ready for the action to come. It’s so great and entertaining, read our review!
Stray Dogs #1 (Image Comics) – A suspense thriller starring dogs!? Yeah, we’re intrigued by this one.
Two Moons #1 (Image Comics) – A Pawnee man fighting for the Union during the Civil War discovers horrors worse than combat.
Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar #5 (Marvel) – The miniseries wraps up as Calgar takes on the Chaos forces!
Another exciting key character will make an appearance in Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe, and John J. Hill’s Crossover #4 on shelves this February from Image Comics.
In keeping with Crossover’s reputation for surprise cameos from beloved comic book icons, the final cover will remain a secret until the day it goes on sale. Eager fans will just have to be sure to pre-order copies of Crossover #4 with their local comics shop and then await for the surprise of who will join Madman and The Paybacks in this upcoming installment of one of the hottest, buzziest series in stores.
In Crossover #4, Ellie, Ryan, Otto and the mysterious Ava delve deeper into the mystery behind THE EVENT on their fateful journey to the dome and the epicenter of the greatest CROSSOVER in comics history!
Crossover #4 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, February 24.
Crossover has been an interesting series for its first two issues. The “comics come to the real world” has had some of its fun stemming from the “spot the comic character” aspect of it all. The comic itself has teased known comic characters but hasn’t really used them front and center. Crossover #3 changes all of that. Was writer Donny Cates goes meta with one of his co-creations, The Paybacks, coming to the story front and center.
The issue mostly involves various characters coming together as the journey to get to ground zero begins. But, it’s the latter half of the issue where things really stand out.
Cates has a lot of fun bringing in these co-creations (with writer Eliot Rahal) of The Paybacks to the comic. The Paybacks were a much too-short run comic series published by Dark Horse. Crossover #3 has fun with that mentioning the lack of support and its cancelation. The series itself was both a spoof and homage to comic books, a proto-Crossover in some ways.
But Crossover #3 has far more than that up its sleeve. It also introducesa more “classic” comic character to the narrative. It’s an interesting shift for the series. Up to this point, it has played up nostalgia but hasn’t done a deep dive using established comic characters. The move opens up a lot of possibilities of where this all goes and shifts the enjoyment from just fandom to all of the possibilities, especially due to the final reveal.
Geoff Shaw‘s art continues to be amazing. Along with the colors of Dee Cunniffe and lettering by John J. Hill the issue is another feather in everyone’s cap. Shaw also worked on The Paybacks, so to see him return with a slight twist of the style of Crossover makes it even more fun. The Ben-Day dots continue to amaze me and not only is a fantastic delineation from “reality” and the “comic world” but also a but of throwback for me to my early year of comic reading.
Crossover #3 is a fantastic issue that blends different worlds even more and allows Cate and Shaw return to an earlier property of theirs. That inclusion is fun (seriously, go read The Paybacks) but the further reveal really ups the “oh shit” factor of it all. This is a top-notch series that in its third issue has shifted things a bit taking this comic to an even crazier level of entertainment.
Story: Donny Cates Art: Geoff Shaw
Color: Dee Cunniffe Letterer/Design: John J. Hill
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics
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