Crosover #6
Ellie and company finally make it under the dome in Crossover #6, by writer Donny Cates, artist Geoff Shaw, colorist Dee Cunniffe, and letterer John J. Hill. For five issues, readers have been wondering just what’s under the dome and this issue they find out. It’s just as wild and wooly as one can imagine, and the book really earns its name in this issue.
Elle hits Ryan with Valofax, stopping him from shooting Ava. She talks some sense into him and then uses Valofax to open a portal into the dome. What greets them is a massive battle royale, with the group encountering characters familiar to any long-time indie comic fan. They take refuge in a nearby building but find it infested with zombies. Using Valofax, Elle is able to fight them off, but Otto gets surrounded, only to be saved by Hit-Girl. They get Avan where she needs to be, but the battle comes back to them. Elle is knocked out, and Otto is gravely injured. Before he dies, he exhorts Ryan to save Elle. Later, Elle wakes up in a hotel that Ryan got them. He says they can go back to the dome to find her parents, but Elle has one shocker left for him.
While Crossover has done a great job so far with showcasing its namesake, this issue goes all out with it, showing a who’s who of indie characters of the last thirty years- Savage Dragon, Shadowhawk, Witchblade, The Darkness, Lucifer from The Wicked + The Divine, Hit-Girl, X, and so many more. The end of the book has a thank you to all of the creators who lent Cates and company their characters, and it’s pretty great. It gives the big action that drives the issue even more oomph because it feels like an actual crossover. The main characters don’t really interact with too many of the others, but the one interaction is quite crucial to the end of the comic reveal.
The last page reveal of this issue changes the context of the book, and it’s a doozy. It’s hard to say whether it will be a surprise to everyone, but it is a huge moment. Looking back, there are definitely some things that make telegraph it a little bit, but nothing that out and out screams it from the rooftops. That’s one thing that makes it such an effective ending- the last page reveals a big enough shock that it will change everything about the book. It’ll be two months before another issue drops, and that’s going to be an eternity.
Shaw’s art is great. Of course, the highlight of the issue is the double-page splash of the battle under the dome. It’s a big moment, one this book has been building up to since the beginning, and Shaw nails it. The action scenes look amazing as well; it’s just an all-around great-looking issue.
Crossover #6 changes the whole book. It’s a great ending to the first story arc. Cates and Shaw really bring it with this issue, finally giving readers the massive crossover moment they’ve been looking for. The big twist at the end is nearly perfect, and it will be interesting to see where the book goes from here.
