Crossover #2

Ellie and Ryan both get missions in Crossover #2, by writer Donny Cates, artist Geoff Shaw, colorist Dee Cunniffe, and letterer John J. Hill. After a stellar first issue, Cates and company slow things down and do a bit of world-building, adding new wrinkles to the story.

Ellie goes to Otto's house to check on the girl and tell him what happened to the store. Otto reveals the girl's name is Avan and Ellie tells him what happened after he left. Ryan is taken into custody by the police and given to federal agent Nathaniel Abrams Pendleton. Pendleton tells Ryan about a prison set up for heroes who weren't under the dome when it went up and tells Ryan that he has a mission for him- he has to go to the dome. One of the people from the comic world, a precog, said that Ryan was the one who could end all of this. Pendleton gives him a briefcase with a note from the precog and a gun with a bullet that can take away powers. At Otto's, Ava tells Ellie and Otto more about her life- her family was outside the dome when it went up, and they were imprisoned in a government internment camp. Ellie wants to go there, and she and Otto argue about it. Outside, Ava reveals there's more to her than meets the eye.

Cates does a lot of world-building in this one, revealing some interesting things about the book's world. First off, not all of the heroes were behind the dome when it went up. Secondly, some heroes (or villains more likely) traded resources to control the powers of superpowered people to the government in exchange for favors. Finally, the government has internment camps for non-powered comic people. This is all very interesting and actually makes a lot of sense- the government would totally do these kinds of things.

Beyond that, Cates does a lot of set-up in this issue, and it's all very interesting. Tinfoil theory time- the comic brings up real-world comic creators, so that means Donny cates exists in that world. The precog who tells Pendleton about Ryan isn't a superhero but Donny Cates. This probably won't play out this way, but it kind of makes sense. The comic does a great job of building up the characters, though, revealing little things about them that will drive the story in later issues.

The art by Geoff Shaw is excellent. One of the highlights of the book is a splash page revealing the superhero prison. Shaw pulls a page from the old Cerebrus/Spawn crossover issue but shows the heroes' hands through the bars so readers can identify which were captured. The other highlight is the scene showing the internment camp. Shaw's character acting is also well done throughout the chapter, essential in an issue full of world-building and set-up.

While not as emotionally affecting as the first issue, Crossover #2 is still a great comic. Cates plays the whole thing perfectly, making all the set-up and world-building extremely interesting. He introduces a lot of plot points in this issue, ones that could make for fertile story ideas, and the book goes on. Shaw's artwork makes the whole thing look amazing, really bringing Cates' script to life. Crossover #2 sets up a lot of exciting stuff for the future and does it adroitly.

Grade: B