Crossover events are tricky things, balancing differing worlds, tones, art styles, and landscapes. While there are some that rise to the challenge, telling big sprawling epics that reward following different titles and authors can be overwhelming. Add to that, crossing over multiple titles that don’t even exist in a shared universe, and you have something even more daunting, figuring out just why the situation is happening. There’s always the potential for fun to make established characters total fish out of water or see how a character reacts to a world foreign to our own. Still, it takes a lot of work to make it exciting or impactful. In “Crossover” #4, Donny Cates creates a comic that relies on played-out tropes without adding much to the conversation.
Written by Donny CatesCover by Geoff Shaw
w/Dee Cunniffe and John J. Hill
Illustrated by Geoff Shaw
Colored by Dee Cunniffe
Lettered by John J. Hill“KIDS LOVE CHAINS,” Part Four
Hey kids, time for a field trip! 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!! Also: Man, how about that last issue, right? Crazy.
There’s something about “Crossover” #4 that feels very try-hard, a level of self-satisfied winking and nudging all but played out. Donny Cates isn’t doing anything clever with the concept of a post-modern cross-over. Characters swear, there’s a self-aware narrator who adds running commentary, and there are references that feel akin to Ready Player One. There’s also the problem of some pretty radical tone shifts throughout the issue. Perhaps it works better if you’re more familiar with Cates’ work, but moments come totally out of left field and can be somewhat jarring. The vignette at the end with Valofax works better than the man sitting in the basement, mainly because it does feel more relevant. Overall, though, these didn’t seem to add much to the overall story. It feels like the first aside exists to show the world’s danger, but it comes and goes so quickly that it adds little and appears to only be there for the shock value. The issue left me with questions, but none having to do with the story itself, rather about why this exists.
It’s hard to determine who is the intended audience for “Crossover” #4. There’s the occasional sweet moment when Ellie convinces Madman that she is a hero and has what it takes, but it just seems overall like a mean-spirited book. Characters are broken, jaded, and seem to have lost hope. There is some fun seeing the pastiche parodies in the museum, but it’s flanked by dialogue about a world that gawks and marvels at the merchandise but a world that hates them all the same. This goes along with the jarring tone shifts for the two vignettes. It’s hard to tell what purpose they serve, outside of further establishing that the world is a dark place. It seems that the introduction of heroes and heroics has made people more hostile and angrier. Perhaps it’s the bubble where monsters, robots, the helicarrier, and the Stay-Puft (just to name a few) are wreaking havoc, which has pushed them too far. It just doesn’t seem like the book is interested in why heroes matter. There’s a genuine possibility that heroes don’t matter, that the world would be better without them. But the book also seems to be on Ellie’s side. There are better approaches to “heroes in the real world.” This one was pretty lacking.
While the script has some big problems, decisions from the art team helped the comic feel unique. Geoff Shaw’s designs and Dee Cunnifee’s coloring help make the book visually engaging. The art team takes full effect of “Ben-Day dots” to make the hero characters appear otherworldly, especially how they contrast with things in the central universe. It helps to sell the concept of “Crossover” #4 that these worlds are colliding and in a significant way. The colors of the heroes are not as vibrant as the colors of Ellie’s costume. While the two smaller vignettes into Cates’ other books feel tonally jarring, it creates an interesting way to show what is and is not from our world. In the sequence with Valofax, the coloring and shading are entirely different, creating a darker tone matching the setting’s complexity. Yet, when Dee (a character from God’s Country) is in the primary setting, she has the same ben-day dots as everyone else. It’s an intriguing choice for a shorthand of misplaced characters, made even better when you start to notice the use of Ben-Day dots. Take, for instance, Ava. Initially, the dots are only through her hair but become more pronounced when she uses her powers. Shaw also does a good job creating fluid action, with an impressive setpiece of Madman taking care of some guards with a yoyo.
Overall, the art of “Crossover” #4 was better than the writing. The art had a fun interplay of textures, colors, and shadows that is visually interesting. It was fun to notice the subtle choices of color schemes and how the colors contrast their environments. The visuals gave the issue a stronger feeling of being a crossover than the big tone shifts or little sincere moments. Once again, it’s difficult to know who the audience is supposed to be. As a send-up of sprawling superhero adventures is just ok, the little moments about the importance of being a hero feel unearned, and the visual references don’t do much outside of having the audience go, “oh, I know that thing!” The issue may work better if you’re a longtime follower of Cates’ work, but as a standalone story, it doesn’t inspire much confidence to check those works out.
Final Verdict: 4.8 “Crossover” #4 makes some interesting artistic choices but lacks a clear message and leans too hard on tired tropes.
