Noe’s Comics Nook: Crossover Volume 1

Review

Crossover is the definition of getting meta with your storytelling, pulling in dozens of characters from other comics properties (some less explicitly than others; probably hard to get DC to let you outright draw Superman), featuring a loud Narrator (presumably a comics writer voice), and gets to the heart of the terror superpowers could cause in real life. Oh, and it comes complete with a full page illustration of a news report on the death and kidnapping of at least fourteen comic book writers, including Brian K. Vaughn, Chip Zdarsky, Scott Snyder, and Robert Kirkman. These writers’ death and disappearance are, of course, due to the EVENT – the shattering of the divide between reality and fiction that sees comics characters emerging from a portal in Denver, Colorado and doing what they do best: fighting each other endlessly and causing rampant destruction. Like I said: meta, right?

As it turns out though, as we learn by the end of this first volume, things are a little more complicated than they first appear. Not all of the people who have crossed over are full of extraordinary powers, nor are all of those with powers necessarily fighting, and not even those fighting are necessarily fighting each other – some are fighting for survival against government forces that imprison, dissect, and experiment on those not from this reality. We meet our main characters at one of the last remaining comics shops in the U.S. – Otto, the owner who likes to wear inappropriate “Wertham Was Right” t-shirts; Ellie, our protagonist who works there and has secrets to keep; Ava, a young girl from the other side of the portal who may or may not be dangerous; and Ryan, a young man forced into arson by an abusive F/father – and from there, follow them on a journey to reunite Ava with her family. Things get chaotic quickly along the way.

It is difficult to say too much more about the plot without giving things away, but I can say that even if this sort of over-the-top comic story isn’t your thing, the artwork is worth giving the book a chance on its own. The blend of modern style for “reality” and the old, dotted method of printing color for the characters from the “other side” or fictional world makes for a fun visual landscape and can give insight into what’s happening throughout. Crossover will appeal to long-time comics fans seeking nostalgia for cancelled properties, fans of superhero event stories, and those looking to find hope in a crisis.

Elements of Story

Plot: The EVENT – the breaking of fantasy worlds, primarily of the superhero comics variety, into the real world – has left the world in a state of perpetual chaos. Amidst this chaos, we find ourselves following owner of a now destroyed comic shop Otto, his employee with many secrets and quirks Ellie, and young girl from beyond the EVENT Ava, on a journey to reunite both Ellie and Ava with their family.

Characters: Ellie, Otto, Ava Quinn, Ryan Lowe, Father Lowe, Nathaniel Abrams Pendleton, Doctor Blacqk, The Paybacks, Madman, Ellipsis Howell, Valofax, Numerous Comic Book Characters, Unseen Narrator (Writer of Story Voice)

Major Settings: Colorado, Denver, Provo (Utah), Otto’s Comics Shop, Power House, Demilitarized Zone, The Dome,

Themes: Disaster, family, belief, duty, power, hope

Lesson Plan Idea Using Common Core Standards (CCS)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 – Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Directions: Crossover is full of more characters than a reader can possibly keep up with without glancing back and rereading across the issues, but the crux of the story in this first volume centers around four major characters: Ellie, Otto, Ava, and Ryan. We meet each of these characters in the first issue and follow along with them throughout their family-seeking journey. And yet what we know about these characters changes dramatically throughout the course of the story.

For this assignment, students are to choose one of our four major characters and provide a detailed description of their role in the plot of Crossover volume 1. Describe how their motivations are revealed – and, perhaps, change – throughout the story and how the revelations impact the characters around them and the flow of the story itself. As most ongoing comics are prone to doing, this volume ends with a dramatic, cliffhanger reveal. Conclude this 2 to 3 page paper by speculating on what will come next for the character you have chosen in the upcoming volume 2.