REVIEW: ‘Crossover,’ Issue #11

Crossover #11 is written by Donny Cates, illustrated by Geoff Shaw, colored by Dee Cunniffe, and lettered and designed by John J. Hill. It’s published by Image Comics. Part four of “Meanwhile…” picks up from the mind-blowing last page of Crossover #10 and reveals more about the mysterious narrator who’s been driving the story. Ellie also comes face-to-face with her creator—quite literally, I might add—and the Comic Creator Killer is finally revealed.

Cates wrote a sentence when Crossover first launched that essentially served as the thesis statement for the series: “Stories, myths, legends…they are not fiction. They’re a virus. And they are spreading.” He was addressing the “event” that led to every fictional character who ever existed spilling out into the real world. It turns out that extends to the narrator as his story has essentially gotten away from him.

The first arc was supposed to be a love story, but it grew and shifted as the characters made decisions that altered the course of the narrative. This issue, and the series in total, serves as a metaphor for the evolution of creation. Once you’ve written something, it’s out of your hands—it can veer into a different direction or can be interpreted in a number of ways. And given how Cates often pours himself into his work, this leads to some highly poignant moments.

Since this is a quieter story than the previous issues, Shaw and Cunniffe mostly draw characters standing face to face and having conversations. Trust me, Shaw makes it look better than I’m making it sound. His characters have always been expressive, which comes in handy when they’re pouring their hearts out to each other or shouting angrily. Cunniffe applies a bluish-white filter to the opening pages, giving it the appearance of a black and white flashback. The only bits of color come from the massive dome that currently resides in Denver. In the present, Cunniffe also continues to separate real characters from fictional characters by the “Ben-Day” process that dots their skin with red. And she also colors Hill’s word captions in different shades; the opening captions are in white boxes while words scribbled on a notepad are in yellow boxes.

The last page of the issue will have folks talking, as it brings yet another popular comic book character into the fold. I won’t say much due to potential spoilers, but it’s a character that will get people excited. And it also happens to be an Image Comics character, specifically from one of the publisher’s most popular titles. Image celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so the timing of this appearance is highly serendipitous and adds a new wrinkle of danger to the story.

Crossover #11 finally reveals the mystery behind its narrator and the comic creator killer while also commenting on the nature of how stories can grow and evolve. This is an issue that people will be talking about, making me even more excited for the next issue.

Crossover #11 is available wherever comics are sold.