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Crossover #1-6
Crossover
Que se passe-t-il lorsqu'un mega crossover, mêlant l'ensemble des héros de toutes les séries comics, fait irruption dans notre réalité et ravage la ville de Denver et sa population ? Plusieurs années après le désastre, la bataille fait toujours rage mais elle a heureusement été circonscrite derrière un champ de force. Ellie, une survivante de ce crossover, tient depuis la dernière boutique de comics dans un monde qui a appris à détester ces héros de papier. On brûle à nouveau des comics dans la rue, Marvel et DC ont mis la clé sous la porte et sa librairie fait office de musée pour cette culture en voie de disparition. Lorsque l'une de ces créatures de papier pénètre dans la boutique pour chercher de l'aide, Ellie s'engage dans une odyssée en quadrichromie...
184 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2020
17 people are currently reading
552 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
November 18, 2021
So, yes and no.
The story was fun - comic book characters end up getting thrown into our reality and crazy world-altering shit happens. There's really no rhyme or reason for anything that occurs but it's very readable.
Don't look at the plot too closely and you'll be fine.
Cates is a good writer, so I was flipping the pages with intensity to see what was going to happen next. And every issue ended on a cliffhanger with a character from another comic showing up!
Dun, dun, duuuuun!
SKHER-POW!
And here's where the biggest problem for me came in. I really didn't know who the fuck most of these people were. And I've read several of Cates's other books.
So while I recognized a lot of other cameos appearances, very few of the big reveal scenes meant much to me. At the end of the book, another shocking reveal left me wondering if I was supposed to recognize the girl at the end, as well.
When all was said and done, the downfall of this book (for me) wasn't that Cates didn't come up with a fantastic story, it's that he overrated his audience's knowledge of some of these random characters. I'm not going to claim to be some sort of expert on every comic out there, but I think I read enough to say that I can't be the only one out there who was scratching my head a good 70% of the time.
Having said that, I still thought this was wacky good fun and I intend to come back for volume 2.
The story was fun - comic book characters end up getting thrown into our reality and crazy world-altering shit happens. There's really no rhyme or reason for anything that occurs but it's very readable.
Don't look at the plot too closely and you'll be fine.
Cates is a good writer, so I was flipping the pages with intensity to see what was going to happen next. And every issue ended on a cliffhanger with a character from another comic showing up!
Dun, dun, duuuuun!
SKHER-POW!
And here's where the biggest problem for me came in. I really didn't know who the fuck most of these people were. And I've read several of Cates's other books.
So while I recognized a lot of other cameos appearances, very few of the big reveal scenes meant much to me. At the end of the book, another shocking reveal left me wondering if I was supposed to recognize the girl at the end, as well.
When all was said and done, the downfall of this book (for me) wasn't that Cates didn't come up with a fantastic story, it's that he overrated his audience's knowledge of some of these random characters. I'm not going to claim to be some sort of expert on every comic out there, but I think I read enough to say that I can't be the only one out there who was scratching my head a good 70% of the time.
Having said that, I still thought this was wacky good fun and I intend to come back for volume 2.
June 6, 2021
When a mega comic book event crossover manifests in our universe, what happens? Years later, we see the fallout as we are introduced to the main character. She is a survivor of the Crossover and now owns the last "real" comic book shop in the country. Superhero comics were burned in the aftermath, Marvel and DC went out of business, and her shop is the only one still carrying them. When someone from the 4 color universe walks into her comic shop, they start a journey to get her home.
I loved how Cates mixed this in with his other comics, and not only his own but other creator owned comics. There were characters from Image comics but also Dark Horse and Boom as well. I thought the black and white zombies of The Walking Dead was a nice touch as well. I love the meta nature of this book without it getting Grant Morrison weird.
I loved how Cates mixed this in with his other comics, and not only his own but other creator owned comics. There were characters from Image comics but also Dark Horse and Boom as well. I thought the black and white zombies of The Walking Dead was a nice touch as well. I love the meta nature of this book without it getting Grant Morrison weird.
May 26, 2021
I can tell you the premise of Crossover, Volume 1: Kids Love Chains (the subtitle is a quote by toymaker Todd McFarlane - no clue what it means, unless he’s being literal, in which case he’s as mad as he’s always seemed): comic book characters emerge in the “real” world and wreak havoc for no reason.
I can’t tell you the story though because Donny Cates is an incompetent writer/storyteller who doesn’t seem capable of producing anything coherent or interesting. Superhero characters suddenly come to life - no idea why - and cause widespread damage in Denver, Colorado - no idea why this place specifically - before being contained in a dome in Provo, Utah - no idea why this place specifically. Some rando comics fans come across a little girl who’s somehow escaped the dome and, with the help of some (conveniently all Image) comics characters, take her back to the dome, for no reason.
… huh?
Besides not understanding why anything was or what was happening, the new characters are an uninspired bunch: generic “strong female character”, stock cute kid character, weak male character whose arc will inevitably be to toughen up, stereotypical Christian nutjob leader. There’s nothing to these cardboard cut-outs. And the main character’s name - “Ellipses Howell” - is sickeningly twee.
Twee is how I’d describe a lot of this book. Cates wants to make you believe this is a world where comics are edgy and the biggest thing, and he completely fails. It reads like the sad ramblings of an extremely sheltered comics fan who doesn’t realise that comics, despite becoming more popular in the last decade or so, is still a niche medium in pop culture, and always will be.
And I disagree with his thesis that fictional characters impact the world more than real people. Sure, lots of people know who Superman is but what does that knowledge do exactly? They’ll watch a movie or play a game or (heaven forbid) read a comic featuring the character but then they’ll forget about him and move on with their lives. Superman will “outlive” all of us but he’s still just a drawing without the ability to have the kind of impact any living person has on our world.
Beyond the feeble and unconvincing worldbuilding is the poorly constructed story. Why are comics writers being killed? Presumably because people blame them for their characters’ destruction in the “real world”, right? But then if these writers have this remarkable power, then why not create new characters who can undo the damage and help our world - some kind of hero who can magically resurrect the dead and restore the damaged infrastructure?
In addition to just happening to create a dome to contain the superheroes just in time, the government also has “draining lamps” that limit the superheroes’ powers - how convenient! And the idea that the Christian fanatic and his small group of idiots in Utah could somehow convince the US government to instigate a war against superheroes is laughable - this guy is the smallest of smalltime nobodies who can’t even influence his own son. Contrivances like these only underline how hacky Cates is as a writer.
The final part of the book is non-stop fan service as one Image character after another is trotted out (though we’re told that Marvel and DC characters are also supposed to be in this mess, we don’t see them probably for legal reasons - good for Marvel/DC, not getting involved in trash like this; they’ve got their own trash to get involved in!).
I guess if you’re a fan of crap like Black Hammer and Hitgirl then this part of the book might set your heart aflutter, but, really, who shivs a git about Madman or Savage Dragon? I like Mike Allred but I’ve never felt the urge to go back and read his Madman books, and this book has only affirmed I likely never will either! And Savage Dragon - if this drek wasn’t by one of the Image co-founders, it would have been cancelled years ago. Cates’ back must be sore from all the patting as he also throws in his own terrible creations, from Buzzkill to God Country. It’s all so gratuitous and serves absolutely no narrative purpose.
Mystifying, unengaging story, terrible characters, a handful of half-baked, dull ideas executed badly, and a whole lotta pointless noise at the end, Crossover, Volume 1: Kids Love Chains is one helluva boring read. No idea how Donny Cates has any fans - his Marvel work is just as awful - but those are the only ones this rubbish will appeal to.
I can’t tell you the story though because Donny Cates is an incompetent writer/storyteller who doesn’t seem capable of producing anything coherent or interesting. Superhero characters suddenly come to life - no idea why - and cause widespread damage in Denver, Colorado - no idea why this place specifically - before being contained in a dome in Provo, Utah - no idea why this place specifically. Some rando comics fans come across a little girl who’s somehow escaped the dome and, with the help of some (conveniently all Image) comics characters, take her back to the dome, for no reason.
… huh?
Besides not understanding why anything was or what was happening, the new characters are an uninspired bunch: generic “strong female character”, stock cute kid character, weak male character whose arc will inevitably be to toughen up, stereotypical Christian nutjob leader. There’s nothing to these cardboard cut-outs. And the main character’s name - “Ellipses Howell” - is sickeningly twee.
Twee is how I’d describe a lot of this book. Cates wants to make you believe this is a world where comics are edgy and the biggest thing, and he completely fails. It reads like the sad ramblings of an extremely sheltered comics fan who doesn’t realise that comics, despite becoming more popular in the last decade or so, is still a niche medium in pop culture, and always will be.
And I disagree with his thesis that fictional characters impact the world more than real people. Sure, lots of people know who Superman is but what does that knowledge do exactly? They’ll watch a movie or play a game or (heaven forbid) read a comic featuring the character but then they’ll forget about him and move on with their lives. Superman will “outlive” all of us but he’s still just a drawing without the ability to have the kind of impact any living person has on our world.
Beyond the feeble and unconvincing worldbuilding is the poorly constructed story. Why are comics writers being killed? Presumably because people blame them for their characters’ destruction in the “real world”, right? But then if these writers have this remarkable power, then why not create new characters who can undo the damage and help our world - some kind of hero who can magically resurrect the dead and restore the damaged infrastructure?
In addition to just happening to create a dome to contain the superheroes just in time, the government also has “draining lamps” that limit the superheroes’ powers - how convenient! And the idea that the Christian fanatic and his small group of idiots in Utah could somehow convince the US government to instigate a war against superheroes is laughable - this guy is the smallest of smalltime nobodies who can’t even influence his own son. Contrivances like these only underline how hacky Cates is as a writer.
The final part of the book is non-stop fan service as one Image character after another is trotted out (though we’re told that Marvel and DC characters are also supposed to be in this mess, we don’t see them probably for legal reasons - good for Marvel/DC, not getting involved in trash like this; they’ve got their own trash to get involved in!).
I guess if you’re a fan of crap like Black Hammer and Hitgirl then this part of the book might set your heart aflutter, but, really, who shivs a git about Madman or Savage Dragon? I like Mike Allred but I’ve never felt the urge to go back and read his Madman books, and this book has only affirmed I likely never will either! And Savage Dragon - if this drek wasn’t by one of the Image co-founders, it would have been cancelled years ago. Cates’ back must be sore from all the patting as he also throws in his own terrible creations, from Buzzkill to God Country. It’s all so gratuitous and serves absolutely no narrative purpose.
Mystifying, unengaging story, terrible characters, a handful of half-baked, dull ideas executed badly, and a whole lotta pointless noise at the end, Crossover, Volume 1: Kids Love Chains is one helluva boring read. No idea how Donny Cates has any fans - his Marvel work is just as awful - but those are the only ones this rubbish will appeal to.
May 8, 2021
It's a crossover event! Every superhero character ever has crossed over into our world! Obviously we don't get to see the actually famous ones, but there's still plenty of famous heroes from the indie world of comics, right? Right! But they are also not really here. Lots of heroes are presented as if I should know them, and I had no idea who they were (to be fair, Cates also plays a bit with this, presenting a superhero group whose comic was immediately cancelled).
Ah, who cares, the concept still works, there's still a good story that could be told..! But there isn't. The plot is rather dull, and even worse, the not-powered characters are flat and a bit uninteresting, and never really develop much. I just found myself barely caring about what was happening.
The art is uniformly excellent, and does a good job of selling the world and the invading heroes especially.
Cates introduces the book by saying how important this project is to him personally, and the narrator of the book goes on about how important and impactful comics are, and so it's a real shame how disappointingly unimpactful this book is.
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
Ah, who cares, the concept still works, there's still a good story that could be told..! But there isn't. The plot is rather dull, and even worse, the not-powered characters are flat and a bit uninteresting, and never really develop much. I just found myself barely caring about what was happening.
The art is uniformly excellent, and does a good job of selling the world and the invading heroes especially.
Cates introduces the book by saying how important this project is to him personally, and the narrator of the book goes on about how important and impactful comics are, and so it's a real shame how disappointingly unimpactful this book is.
(Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss)
May 30, 2021
*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
The concept of this comic was so fantastic...ally wasted! If you’re going to bring comic characters into the real world at least make sure those characters are ones people will know!
I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t read tons of indie comics or because some of these so called comic characters don’t even exist, but either way I spent the majority of this vol having no idea who the comic characters introduced were. It would’ve been okay if the protagonist Ellie hadn’t kept being shocked by each character’s reveal. I couldn’t match her shock in any way and it made her reactions seem cliche and hyperbolic.
The narrative voice was quirky. It bordered on exasperating. It was like a little fangirl in the background of scenes explaining stuff away with too much exposition. But the question always remained as to who was actually the one narrating and that mystery was probably the most interesting part of this vol.
Above all, this comic very much came across as simply marketing for other comics. Interesting concept, middling execution. I didn’t love it but I didn’t really hate it either. If the opportunity arises I’ll probably read the next vol too.
The concept of this comic was so fantastic...ally wasted! If you’re going to bring comic characters into the real world at least make sure those characters are ones people will know!
I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t read tons of indie comics or because some of these so called comic characters don’t even exist, but either way I spent the majority of this vol having no idea who the comic characters introduced were. It would’ve been okay if the protagonist Ellie hadn’t kept being shocked by each character’s reveal. I couldn’t match her shock in any way and it made her reactions seem cliche and hyperbolic.
The narrative voice was quirky. It bordered on exasperating. It was like a little fangirl in the background of scenes explaining stuff away with too much exposition. But the question always remained as to who was actually the one narrating and that mystery was probably the most interesting part of this vol.
Above all, this comic very much came across as simply marketing for other comics. Interesting concept, middling execution. I didn’t love it but I didn’t really hate it either. If the opportunity arises I’ll probably read the next vol too.
April 28, 2021
This was so cool! A big event breaks out in the real world in 2017 and so people get trapped in a dome in Colorado and we pick up years later with a girl named Ellipses Howell and her going through this world and working in a comic shop where comics are banned, DC and Marvel too and while there are heroes fighting in the dome, on the other side you have Ellie and Otto her boss meet a comic character Ava (from the comic world) and most of the story is about them trying to take this girl to her parents inside the dome through the portal and them meeting various characters from Donny's Paybacks like Doctor Blaqk, Buzzkill and certainly Valofax also shows up and its epic how its done! Also a boy Ryan whose story is quite fascinating and their ultimate battle against threats both human and this comic and will they be able to fulfill their objective? What characters will they meet? Cameos of some characters are so amazing to see and finally when they do, what big revelation about Ellipses will shake the ending?
Amazing story and yes some of it gets convoluted unless you have read various other titles and I had so I know most cameos or easter eggs and it makes for a fun and unique story and this volume was pretty much a set up and big things are still to come and the art is just so gorgeous as it flows nicely with the writing! Just pure fun reading this book!
Amazing story and yes some of it gets convoluted unless you have read various other titles and I had so I know most cameos or easter eggs and it makes for a fun and unique story and this volume was pretty much a set up and big things are still to come and the art is just so gorgeous as it flows nicely with the writing! Just pure fun reading this book!
May 21, 2021
Crossover is an ambitious title from Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, positing what might happen if the comic book world began to encroach on our own. Following the actions of a girl who works in a comic shop and the son of a group of zealots who want to murder all the comic book characters, it's a book unlike any other that Image are publishing.
Crossover's premise is something that would only work in comics, and Donny Cates really gets into the nitty-gritty of that. The effect of the comic book characters on the real world, as well as how they're reacted to, feel real and long lasting, right from the first issue. And yet even in this big, wide world of craziness, Cates keeps the story tightly focused on our two leads so we never feel like we're spinning out.
The actual 'crossover' of it all is where the ambition really shines. I can only imagine the legal loopholes Cates must have had to jump through to get this book published given all the characters involved. You won't see any Marvel or DC heroes in anything but silhouette, but their presence is definitely felt, and the characters you DO get to see keep things very interesting, and have a bit more flexibility given their relative obscurity.
Shaw's artwork really sells the book too - the way he subtley alters the visuals to fit the comic book characters worlds, and how he makes characters from different books stand out among their peers reminds me of Dan Schoening's Ghostbusters crossovers, using multiple styles all on one page to make everyone feel different and pop off the page.
Crossover is an example of how there are some stories that can only be told in a visual medium like comics. This wouldn't work as a TV show, or even an animated series - it's just not built like that. Whether it can keep the momentum and interest up after this insane first arc remains to be seen, but for now I'm captivated by what Cates tries next.
Crossover's premise is something that would only work in comics, and Donny Cates really gets into the nitty-gritty of that. The effect of the comic book characters on the real world, as well as how they're reacted to, feel real and long lasting, right from the first issue. And yet even in this big, wide world of craziness, Cates keeps the story tightly focused on our two leads so we never feel like we're spinning out.
The actual 'crossover' of it all is where the ambition really shines. I can only imagine the legal loopholes Cates must have had to jump through to get this book published given all the characters involved. You won't see any Marvel or DC heroes in anything but silhouette, but their presence is definitely felt, and the characters you DO get to see keep things very interesting, and have a bit more flexibility given their relative obscurity.
Shaw's artwork really sells the book too - the way he subtley alters the visuals to fit the comic book characters worlds, and how he makes characters from different books stand out among their peers reminds me of Dan Schoening's Ghostbusters crossovers, using multiple styles all on one page to make everyone feel different and pop off the page.
Crossover is an example of how there are some stories that can only be told in a visual medium like comics. This wouldn't work as a TV show, or even an animated series - it's just not built like that. Whether it can keep the momentum and interest up after this insane first arc remains to be seen, but for now I'm captivated by what Cates tries next.
May 25, 2021
On January 11th 2017, a portal opens in the city of Denver, Colorado, in which fictional characters from comic books and other media come to life and cause a lot of unintentional destruction and death. Five years later, Ellipses “Ellie” Howell, a survivor of the Event, works and sleeps in a comic book store in Provo, Utah. When a young girl named Ava, a character from the other world, arrives into the store, Ellie joins forces with other humans and characters, and embarks on a quest to return to her home in Denver.
Please click here for my full review.
Please click here for my full review.
January 2, 2022
I'm not a fan of most Crossover events in comics, but this was a fun 4th wall breaking read for sure. Anyone who has a decent base knowledge of comic industry will spot lots of goodies within.
The plot is fun so far and visually this book is AAA no doubt about it. Not sure what the overall plan is for this series it seems like there is potential for a long run, with a seemingly endless mine of material to draw from.
The plot is fun so far and visually this book is AAA no doubt about it. Not sure what the overall plan is for this series it seems like there is potential for a long run, with a seemingly endless mine of material to draw from.
January 8, 2022
Pop culture, comic book fans and characters, imagination and reality—all jammed into an industrial grade blender and processed at high speed.
I had no idea who anybody was, although some things were vaguely familiar. Was it entertaining? Production values were high. What does the title mean—Kids Love Chains? Gosh, I only read it last night and now I have no idea. Did I ever know?
Put together by a "powerhouse creative team" and highly anticipated, this Crossover is a crossover in many way, which is part of the story and part of the inside jokes. Comic book fans will be especially delighted, or perhaps disappointed.
I had no idea who anybody was, although some things were vaguely familiar. Was it entertaining? Production values were high. What does the title mean—Kids Love Chains? Gosh, I only read it last night and now I have no idea. Did I ever know?
Put together by a "powerhouse creative team" and highly anticipated, this Crossover is a crossover in many way, which is part of the story and part of the inside jokes. Comic book fans will be especially delighted, or perhaps disappointed.
February 28, 2022
An interesting premise, of superheroic cosms invading normal earth. Fun use of a couple of licensed characters (though not enough to make this truly a big deal). A big twist at the end, just where you knew there was going to be a big twist.
But, this story feels too small and too railroaded to be really impressive. In this volume, it's just an extended fetch quest. Hoping for something more in future volumes given the scope of the premise.
But, this story feels too small and too railroaded to be really impressive. In this volume, it's just an extended fetch quest. Hoping for something more in future volumes given the scope of the premise.
June 1, 2021
Ah do you love to be teased? Tickled and poked and feeling like an absolute martyr? If you do, Crossover is your gal. For sure. Endless teasing about all the great, big, famous, notorious characters that we'll see. Cliffhangers a-plenty. Pages and pages of hinting. A prison where we can't see anything beyond the bars, but casually hanging out of the cells are hundreds of super-arms. Recognize; the gloves of batman, the big arms of the Thing, the chains of Spawn. And your expectations rise.
But do we even get treated with a decent cameo? Sadly, we don't. This is a superhero world where all genius heroes get caught and bound by the powerless people of earth, and where the cancelled bunch ends up trying to save the world. Where Donny Cates presents us with his own past characters saving the world.
The art is very decent, there are some good spreads. That's just it, good. Not stellar or amazing or breathtaking. You know, all the things you'd imagine you'd see in a BIG CROSSOVER EVENT COMIC like this. I enjoyed myself and by now Cates has left an enticing trail of breadcrumbs for me to follow to the next volume....I do want to see some questions answered. I have a gut feeling however, that the answers be as underwhelming as the HERO REVEALS we've seen in this volume.
But do we even get treated with a decent cameo? Sadly, we don't. This is a superhero world where all genius heroes get caught and bound by the powerless people of earth, and where the cancelled bunch ends up trying to save the world. Where Donny Cates presents us with his own past characters saving the world.
The art is very decent, there are some good spreads. That's just it, good. Not stellar or amazing or breathtaking. You know, all the things you'd imagine you'd see in a BIG CROSSOVER EVENT COMIC like this. I enjoyed myself and by now Cates has left an enticing trail of breadcrumbs for me to follow to the next volume....I do want to see some questions answered. I have a gut feeling however, that the answers be as underwhelming as the HERO REVEALS we've seen in this volume.
January 17, 2021
I had really high hopes for this one - comic book characters come to life and of course there's a government conspiracy.
Unfortunately the the writing is very jumbled, the world never really gets set before a bunch of storyline begin, and the artwork is kinda all over the place. Cool concept - poor execution.
Unfortunately the the writing is very jumbled, the world never really gets set before a bunch of storyline begin, and the artwork is kinda all over the place. Cool concept - poor execution.
December 14, 2022
Sevgili Emre Yavuz'un önerisiyle aldığım bir kitaptı, gerçekten severek okudum. God Country'i de az merak etmiyorum. Değişik bir bakış açısı, heyecanlı bir yolculuk. Ağza bir parmak bal çaldı gitti. Devamını bekliyorum.
April 25, 2022
A delightfully fun mashup of comics adventure and found-family drama. Crossover brings us into a world where comic books have come crashing into reality. Superheroes and villains battling their way across the sky has understandably thrown the world into a bit of chaos. In the midst of this new landscape, a misfit band of humans and stranded comics characters are left to solve the mysteries that surround them while also fighting to protect those they care about from a hostile and unstable world.
Created by a team clearly passionate about the subject matter, and brought to life with vibrant color, Crossover is a sometimes gritty story delivered with an entertaining meta-narrative and populated with a host of familiar characters (or just familiar enough to avoid copyright issues). It's a superhero story, an epic adventure, and a glorious celebration of the comics and stories we love. Cates, Shaw, and the rest of this team have created a story that is enjoyable in its own right and on account of the shoulders it stands on. It's a bold start to an ongoing series and well worth the attention of any comics fans out there.
Created by a team clearly passionate about the subject matter, and brought to life with vibrant color, Crossover is a sometimes gritty story delivered with an entertaining meta-narrative and populated with a host of familiar characters (or just familiar enough to avoid copyright issues). It's a superhero story, an epic adventure, and a glorious celebration of the comics and stories we love. Cates, Shaw, and the rest of this team have created a story that is enjoyable in its own right and on account of the shoulders it stands on. It's a bold start to an ongoing series and well worth the attention of any comics fans out there.
June 23, 2021
Že je Cates totální fanboy komiksů víme už dlouho, ale až teď jim posílá milostný dopis stejně jako to dělá Lumík v Black Hammeru.
Crossover lze sledovat ze dvou stran, casual čtenář se bude ztrácet a bude si jen říkal, že to je šílená, obrovsky nafouklá bublina. Člověk co se aspoň základně orientuje se bude bavit protože referencí je tu požehnaně na moc věcí.
Primární základ pro pochopení Crossoveru na načíst si Catese, sám na sebe se dost odkazuje a místy se ta znalost hodí.
Za sebe musím říct, že jsem se bavil. První dvě issue a závěrečné jsem četl jedním dechem, ale má to neuvěřitelně slabý prostřední část která je prostě o ničem. Postavy mě nijak nevzrušovali ale pár cameí mě potěšilo velmi.
Art je vyloženě nádherný, ten to tahá strašně nahoru.
Bohužel, jen 3,5☆ protože v polovině je to fakt prázdný.
Crossover lze sledovat ze dvou stran, casual čtenář se bude ztrácet a bude si jen říkal, že to je šílená, obrovsky nafouklá bublina. Člověk co se aspoň základně orientuje se bude bavit protože referencí je tu požehnaně na moc věcí.
Primární základ pro pochopení Crossoveru na načíst si Catese, sám na sebe se dost odkazuje a místy se ta znalost hodí.
Za sebe musím říct, že jsem se bavil. První dvě issue a závěrečné jsem četl jedním dechem, ale má to neuvěřitelně slabý prostřední část která je prostě o ničem. Postavy mě nijak nevzrušovali ale pár cameí mě potěšilo velmi.
Art je vyloženě nádherný, ten to tahá strašně nahoru.
Bohužel, jen 3,5☆ protože v polovině je to fakt prázdný.
May 25, 2025
Using a mix of Image properties and some classic comic designs and a new group of heroes. A story about the love of comic books and the power it gives the reader.
Comics cross over (get it?) into the real world and the destruction is unbelievable. A broken wall smashes into an old lady walking by- imagining the epic fights you see and how it would work in any real city street is terrifying. Now the ragtag group of comic nerds and Image comic properties need to get this little girl (with no powers) back to the comic world.
So far it’s been fun, this one is for the comic nerds of the world.
Comics cross over (get it?) into the real world and the destruction is unbelievable. A broken wall smashes into an old lady walking by- imagining the epic fights you see and how it would work in any real city street is terrifying. Now the ragtag group of comic nerds and Image comic properties need to get this little girl (with no powers) back to the comic world.
So far it’s been fun, this one is for the comic nerds of the world.
July 9, 2021
I'm sure I didn't "get" even a quarter of the comics nerd in-jokes in this book, but I still had a ton of fun reading this one. The story is off-the-wall and full of twists, and the wildly colorful and frenetic illustrations leap off the pages. CROSSOVER is a success in that it entertains both hardcore superhero fans and those who aren't as involved in the genre--the title fits perfectly!
October 30, 2025
bu hikayeyi anlamak ve sevmek için iflah olmaz bi Image fanı olmanız gerekiyor. Ve sebebini anlamadığım Dark Horse göndermeleri de var.
February 18, 2022
Crossover is probably the superhero comic Image was created for.
Let’s recap a little. Image was created by a host of disgruntled Marvel artists who promptly created a host of new superheroes, most of whom were very close facsimiles to the ones those artists had last worked on. The results had the further distinction of almost uniformly being considered worth something for the art and nothing at all for the storytelling. And anyway, other than the ones that were then transplanted over to DC and revamped considerably, and excepting Spawn and Savage Dragon (both of which have remained in continuous publication), they have somewhat rightly been…forgotten completely by pop culture.
Because, as it turns out, Image wasn’t very good at superhero comics, and besides, eventually moved on almost completely from them.
Then comes along Crossover. Donny Cates has come up with the ultimate postmodern superhero comic. It’s one that’s about superheroes in an even more deliberate sense than Watchmen (a sacred cow I often and shamelessly poke, because, hey, in an era in which all sacred cows are poked, somehow Watchmen remains immune from…everyone but me, it seems).
It’s a comic where the superheroes are real. And the story is about them but doesn’t star them. Far too few superhero stories like this, if you ask me. And Cates has just figured out how to tell the mother of them all.
So an “event” has occurred, spilling the superhero world into “the real world.” Some of this is an allegory for the immigration crisis. Absolutely read it on that level, too. Some a response to 9/11. And some just a way to explore, as Cates suggests in a foreword, the simple love of superhero comics, from a lateral direction.
These days, we’ve “seen it all,” especially thanks to all those popular MCU movies. Mainstream audiences have never had a better grasp of this stuff. And one of the latest ones went even deeper into comic book logic, bringing together three different Spider-Men, and it was a huge, huge success.
Crossover is exactly that kind of story. It’s personal and meta at the same time. It’s something that could only have happened with a thick baseline, and Image was the only place where it could be told. It’s not really an Image event. It’s got characters in it who were never published by Image, and doesn’t depend on any Image characters who have appeared. I mean, Madman, people. The patron saint of trickster superheroes, or very close to it.
Cates gets to play with his creations from other endeavors. That sword works in this context. I haven’t read it in another. That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t happen in other superhero comics, by the way.
And the story continues. A big ellipsis, if you will. I hope he’s wise enough not to drag it out indefinitely. Events eventually end, after all. I think he’s smart enough to realize that. (Although, after all, there’s always another one around the corner…)
Let’s recap a little. Image was created by a host of disgruntled Marvel artists who promptly created a host of new superheroes, most of whom were very close facsimiles to the ones those artists had last worked on. The results had the further distinction of almost uniformly being considered worth something for the art and nothing at all for the storytelling. And anyway, other than the ones that were then transplanted over to DC and revamped considerably, and excepting Spawn and Savage Dragon (both of which have remained in continuous publication), they have somewhat rightly been…forgotten completely by pop culture.
Because, as it turns out, Image wasn’t very good at superhero comics, and besides, eventually moved on almost completely from them.
Then comes along Crossover. Donny Cates has come up with the ultimate postmodern superhero comic. It’s one that’s about superheroes in an even more deliberate sense than Watchmen (a sacred cow I often and shamelessly poke, because, hey, in an era in which all sacred cows are poked, somehow Watchmen remains immune from…everyone but me, it seems).
It’s a comic where the superheroes are real. And the story is about them but doesn’t star them. Far too few superhero stories like this, if you ask me. And Cates has just figured out how to tell the mother of them all.
So an “event” has occurred, spilling the superhero world into “the real world.” Some of this is an allegory for the immigration crisis. Absolutely read it on that level, too. Some a response to 9/11. And some just a way to explore, as Cates suggests in a foreword, the simple love of superhero comics, from a lateral direction.
These days, we’ve “seen it all,” especially thanks to all those popular MCU movies. Mainstream audiences have never had a better grasp of this stuff. And one of the latest ones went even deeper into comic book logic, bringing together three different Spider-Men, and it was a huge, huge success.
Crossover is exactly that kind of story. It’s personal and meta at the same time. It’s something that could only have happened with a thick baseline, and Image was the only place where it could be told. It’s not really an Image event. It’s got characters in it who were never published by Image, and doesn’t depend on any Image characters who have appeared. I mean, Madman, people. The patron saint of trickster superheroes, or very close to it.
Cates gets to play with his creations from other endeavors. That sword works in this context. I haven’t read it in another. That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t happen in other superhero comics, by the way.
And the story continues. A big ellipsis, if you will. I hope he’s wise enough not to drag it out indefinitely. Events eventually end, after all. I think he’s smart enough to realize that. (Although, after all, there’s always another one around the corner…)
Read
May 8, 2021Denver, Colorado, is obliterated by the sudden crash-landing of what appears to be a superhero summer event. The twist being that this happens in a world much like ours, which knows these characters only from stories: "Almost every "fictional" comic book character you have ever heard of has been sighted amidst the chaos. You name it, from green men with fins on their head, to men dressed as bats, or spiders, or gods with giant hammers...people claimed to have seen them in the footage. No one knows how. No one knows why. If it was a comic, it would be the greatest selling comic book of all time. But it wasn't a comic book. It was real. And here in the real world, a super hero-mega-summer-event has consequences..." Cates' foreword talks about how this is a comic inspired by his love of comics, but you wouldn't know it to read this, where the main impact of the broken fourth wall is to make our world even worse than it already was; one of the many spiels from the unseen narrator notes, fairly, that for all Watchmen is considered grim'n'gritty, its conclusion is ridiculously optimistic about how a world at daggers drawn would be likely to respond to a sudden and apocalyptic intrusion from outside its ken. So all that's been worst in recent years – division, prison camps, governments operating as they see fit and damn the checks and balances – is in full effect. Which could be the basis for a contrast to recall Christopher Reeve's Superman, the primary coloured hero as salvation of the murky, realistic world. Sadly, it isn't, although the way the comic characters are distinguished from natives of the real world by being coloured in a different style is one of the neater tricks here – and indeed, Shaw and especially Cunniffe's work on the art is consistently impressive in a way which can't be said of Cates' script.
It's not that there's not good stuff here. The narrator's musing on how Superman is more real than you or me - he was here first, he'll outlast us, he has more impact on the world than all but a very few non-fictional people – is not entirely original, but nor is it anywhere near the 'we are all made of stars' level of cliche yet, so I don't mind it getting another outing. Similarly, this is certainly not the first comic to get meta and point out the purgatorial aspect of ongoing series in which the characters never reach a final resolution, but as a succinct summary of that, it's hard to beat "Stuck. Forever locked in the endless loop of their own second act." There are plenty of other good lines, but now I look at these particular examples, what makes them especially telling is that they both remind me of Grant Morrison when Grant Morrison was good. See also that whole notion of a comic about comics in which superheroes erupt from fiction into our own benighted world – a recurring Morrison theme, but for me one which found its finest expression in probably my favourite comic ever, Morrison and Frank Quitely's Flex Mentallo.
Now, which other comics writer used to be regarded as 'we've got Grant Morrison at home?'
I forget who it was that I first saw compare Cates to Mark Millar, but dear heavens, I've never felt the terrible justice of that observation so keenly as I did reading Crossover. Now, I don't hate Mark Millar as much as a lot of people now do; I remember the first time I went to progressive and now deceased comics con Nine Worlds, making a not entirely damning comment about some recent Millar comic, and getting a proper Punch cartoon reaction. Even so, his tendency to go for the eyecatching moment, the way characters' power levels will fluctuate for the sake of what works in a given scene, and more than anything the sense of a comic powered above anything else by audacity... they're all conducive to popularity, for sure, but it can easily lapse into a junk-food sort of popularity, especially when the audacity sags into mere nastiness. All those traits are here, but especially the audacity, made manifest in that central concept, which enables Crossover to draw in characters from other books. Big Marvel and DC characters would present legal issues, so we only ever see just enough of a glimpse in silhouette, or a costume tweaked ever so slightly, keeping things the right side of actionable while enabling a nod and a wink to the reader that yes, Batman and Iron Man and the rest are definitely here. At least once this does set up quite a neat joke where we think we've seen a particular character, and in fact it's a pre-existing analogue of them. But soon it seems to settle down into a bit of an excuse for Cates to give us the Donny Cates Comic Universe for which I'm not sure anyone except Donny Cates was particularly crying out, and an initially endearing cheekiness starts to lapse into taking the piss. Yes, there are guest stars from other people's books too, and that's the audacity again – likewise the news report about the various real, named comics writers who've been killed, the ones who are still on the run. But ultimately, I've got a Comic Relief comic from 30-odd years ago which already had Blue Beetle, RoboCop and Lenny Henry all showing up, so I'm not going to be wowed just because you've got characters from a couple of different publishers plus a few real names in the same story. Not to mention, bringing us back around to Millar, the plot is really not far at all from Millar's old Marvel book 1985, which likewise had the 'real' world suddenly visited by comic characters, and to be honest pulled this off better.
Part of the problem is that if the bells and whistles are only moderately arresting, that throws us back on the main characters. Who thus far, seem more like cyphers than anyone in whom I can particularly invest. Ellie is the most obviously sympathetic protagonist, a die-hard comic fan in a world that's turned against comics for obvious reasons. But even when you manage to forget that her name is short for Ellipses (yes, seriously), she's very much a type. The across-the-barricades romance with an escapee from some very thinly veiled Westboro Baptist types is thus far relying almost entirely on the narrator's mutterings about fate; the older and younger members who make up their party are even more thinly drawn. The obvious summary would be to call Crossover style over substance, but if it's stylish enough, that can work. This is more a grab-bag of gestures and gimmicks disguising an underwhelming core. Yeah, it has balls, but it feels like some biological curiosity that doesn't have much of anything else, its underpowered chassis only there to drag around a monstrous scrotum and hope that somehow impresses us.
(Edelweiss ARC)
It's not that there's not good stuff here. The narrator's musing on how Superman is more real than you or me - he was here first, he'll outlast us, he has more impact on the world than all but a very few non-fictional people – is not entirely original, but nor is it anywhere near the 'we are all made of stars' level of cliche yet, so I don't mind it getting another outing. Similarly, this is certainly not the first comic to get meta and point out the purgatorial aspect of ongoing series in which the characters never reach a final resolution, but as a succinct summary of that, it's hard to beat "Stuck. Forever locked in the endless loop of their own second act." There are plenty of other good lines, but now I look at these particular examples, what makes them especially telling is that they both remind me of Grant Morrison when Grant Morrison was good. See also that whole notion of a comic about comics in which superheroes erupt from fiction into our own benighted world – a recurring Morrison theme, but for me one which found its finest expression in probably my favourite comic ever, Morrison and Frank Quitely's Flex Mentallo.
Now, which other comics writer used to be regarded as 'we've got Grant Morrison at home?'
I forget who it was that I first saw compare Cates to Mark Millar, but dear heavens, I've never felt the terrible justice of that observation so keenly as I did reading Crossover. Now, I don't hate Mark Millar as much as a lot of people now do; I remember the first time I went to progressive and now deceased comics con Nine Worlds, making a not entirely damning comment about some recent Millar comic, and getting a proper Punch cartoon reaction. Even so, his tendency to go for the eyecatching moment, the way characters' power levels will fluctuate for the sake of what works in a given scene, and more than anything the sense of a comic powered above anything else by audacity... they're all conducive to popularity, for sure, but it can easily lapse into a junk-food sort of popularity, especially when the audacity sags into mere nastiness. All those traits are here, but especially the audacity, made manifest in that central concept, which enables Crossover to draw in characters from other books. Big Marvel and DC characters would present legal issues, so we only ever see just enough of a glimpse in silhouette, or a costume tweaked ever so slightly, keeping things the right side of actionable while enabling a nod and a wink to the reader that yes, Batman and Iron Man and the rest are definitely here. At least once this does set up quite a neat joke where we think we've seen a particular character, and in fact it's a pre-existing analogue of them. But soon it seems to settle down into a bit of an excuse for Cates to give us the Donny Cates Comic Universe for which I'm not sure anyone except Donny Cates was particularly crying out, and an initially endearing cheekiness starts to lapse into taking the piss. Yes, there are guest stars from other people's books too, and that's the audacity again – likewise the news report about the various real, named comics writers who've been killed, the ones who are still on the run. But ultimately, I've got a Comic Relief comic from 30-odd years ago which already had Blue Beetle, RoboCop and Lenny Henry all showing up, so I'm not going to be wowed just because you've got characters from a couple of different publishers plus a few real names in the same story. Not to mention, bringing us back around to Millar, the plot is really not far at all from Millar's old Marvel book 1985, which likewise had the 'real' world suddenly visited by comic characters, and to be honest pulled this off better.
Part of the problem is that if the bells and whistles are only moderately arresting, that throws us back on the main characters. Who thus far, seem more like cyphers than anyone in whom I can particularly invest. Ellie is the most obviously sympathetic protagonist, a die-hard comic fan in a world that's turned against comics for obvious reasons. But even when you manage to forget that her name is short for Ellipses (yes, seriously), she's very much a type. The across-the-barricades romance with an escapee from some very thinly veiled Westboro Baptist types is thus far relying almost entirely on the narrator's mutterings about fate; the older and younger members who make up their party are even more thinly drawn. The obvious summary would be to call Crossover style over substance, but if it's stylish enough, that can work. This is more a grab-bag of gestures and gimmicks disguising an underwhelming core. Yeah, it has balls, but it feels like some biological curiosity that doesn't have much of anything else, its underpowered chassis only there to drag around a monstrous scrotum and hope that somehow impresses us.
(Edelweiss ARC)
June 5, 2022
An sich fand ich den Comic sehr cool und vor allem die Idee dahinter recht spannend, allerdings muss ich gestehen, dass ich hier ein wenig andere Erwartungen hatte. Ich habe mir mehr Helden gewünscht, mehr tatsächliche Konfrontationen von größeren Charakteren aus den real gewordenen Comics und der echten Welt. Das nahm zwar gegen Ende ein wenig zu, aber fehlte mir insgesamt doch ein wenig. Da ist meine Hoffnung bei Band 2 aber groß, dass das zentraler wird!
Was mir auch ein wenig gefehlt hat, war die Tiefe der Charaktere. Normalerweise hätte ich das mit einem "Es ist halt ein Comic, der hat viel weniger Raum für Charaktertiefe" abgetan, aber dafür habe ich davor und danach einfach zu viele Comics gelesen, die genau das auf kaum mehr oder sogar weniger Seiten geschafft haben. Daher gab es doch einen Stern Abzug von mir, auch wenn ich mich alles in allem unterhalten gefühlt habe und mich auf die Fortsetzung freue.
Was mir auch ein wenig gefehlt hat, war die Tiefe der Charaktere. Normalerweise hätte ich das mit einem "Es ist halt ein Comic, der hat viel weniger Raum für Charaktertiefe" abgetan, aber dafür habe ich davor und danach einfach zu viele Comics gelesen, die genau das auf kaum mehr oder sogar weniger Seiten geschafft haben. Daher gab es doch einen Stern Abzug von mir, auch wenn ich mich alles in allem unterhalten gefühlt habe und mich auf die Fortsetzung freue.
March 26, 2022
I applaud the ambition here and for awhile, I thought this just might be the next amazing Cates creation. But it falls far short of that. Just imagine if he'd managed to get one or two Marvel or DC heroes included here? (actually, I don't think that would have helped) I'm glad he's survived a near-death experience twice now (huh?), but this isn't on par with his cosmic Marvel work or even a creator-owned series like Redneck at Image. Having gone back to find as many Cates' works as possible after having enjoyed those previous works, I actually recognized The Paybacks and the sword from God Country (I wonder about the reactions of those readers who aren't as steeped in Cates' past work?). But this story needs a lot more magic than is on display here. And the artwork this time is basically perfunctory, when it should be transcendent. Big disappointment.
June 15, 2021
Probably not the best place to start reading Donny Cates' Image material. Was cool to see Madman, though.
January 12, 2022
গ্রাফিক নভেল রিভিউ
ক্রশওভার (ইস্যু # ১)
প্রকাশক : ইমেজ কমিক্স
লেখক : ডনি কেটস
আর্টিস্ট : ডি কানিফে, জেওফ শ
প্রকাশনার তারিখ : নভেম্বর ৪, ২০২০
রিভিউয়ার : ওয়াসিম হাসান মাহমুদ
"আপনাকে একটি প্রশ্ন করছি, ভেবে উত্তর দিবেন। কে বেশী বাস্তব? আমরা না সুপারম্যান? আপনি বলতে চাইবেন আমরা, তাই না? আমি বুঝতে পারছি। আপনার অস্তিত্ব আছে। আপনি হেঁটে বেড়ান, আপনার বন্ধু আছে। বিশ্বকে আপনি পরিবর্তন করেন। তবে ভালোমতো ভেবে দেখুন। আপনি, আমি, আমরা সবাই, আপনি সবই করবেন, আপনি বাঁচবেন, ভালোবাসবেন, বেড়ে উঠবেন এবং তারপর, বাস্তবতা মেনে নিয়ে একসময় আপনি মারা যাবেন। সুপারম্যানের মতো একটি কাল্পনিক চরিত্র যেভাবে পৃথিবীর উপর যেরকম প্রভাব বিস্তার করে, আপনাদের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে সফলরা কখনো পারেন না। আবার বলছি, তাহলে সে আপনার চেয়ে কম বাস্তব কিভাবে হয়? তাঁর বন্ধুবান্ধব আছে, তাঁর জীবন আছে। তার জীবনযাপন এবং মৃত্যু আপনার জন্মের অনেক আগেই ঘটেছে। আপনার চিরবিদায়ের পরও সে থাকবে। তাঁর অস্তিত্ব পরিবর্তন ঘটাচ্ছে। আমি, আপনি চলে যাওয়ার বহুকাল পরে একদিন, যখন মানবজাতি পৃথিবী ছেড়ে চলে যাবে তখন সুপারম্যানকেও সাথে করে নিয়ে যাবে। বুঝতে পারছেন? সে স্থায়ী, আমরা নই। গল্প, মিথ, লেজেন্ড এসব কাল্পনিক নয়।"
গল্পের প্রথমদিকের কিছু প্যানেল খুব মিনিংফুল লাগায় অনুবাদ করলাম। রিভিউতে ফিরছি এখন।
২০১৭ এর জানুয়ারীর ১১ তারিখ কোলারাডো, ডেনভারের আকাশ ভরে উঠে সুপার হিরোদের নিয়ে। কমিক্সের প্রায় সকল সুপার হিরোরা এই বাস্তবে এসে এই নৈরাজ্য সৃষ্টি করেন। কেউ জানেনা কিভাবে বা কেন এসব ঘটছে। কত নিরপরাধ মানুষ হতাহত হয়েছেন তা কেউ বলতে পারছেন না।
এই গল্প একটি মেয়েকে নিয়ে যার নাম এলিপ্সিস, তাকে এলি নামে ডাকে সবাই। এমন একটা সময় যখন কসপ্লে করা বা কমিক শপে কাজ করাকে উগ্রপন্থীরা শয়তানের পুজো বলছেন। এলি কমিক্সের একজন ট্রু লাস্ট বিলিভার হিসেবে এই উগ্রপন্থীদের আক্রমনের স্বীকার হন। এমন একটা সময় যখন কল্পনা এবং বাস্তব দুটোই এলির কাছে মৃত। ঐ কমিক শপ সমমনাদের মিলিত হওয়ার শেষ একটি জায়গা। সেখানে কমিক্স থেকে বের হয়ে যাওয়া ছোট একটি মেয়েকে নিয়ে ব্যাপক হাঙ্গামা হয়। সেই ছোট মেয়েটি এঁকে দেখায় কে এই বাস্তব এবং কমিক্সের জগতের মধ্যে আসা যাওয়াটা করাচ্ছেন। এই গল্প আরো একজন অল্প বয়সী ছেলেকে নিয়ে যে উগ্রপন্থীদের সাথে মিলে ঐ কমিক শপে আক্রমন করতে যান। তাঁর নাম রায়ান লো। এই ইস্যুতে অনেক পরিচিত সুপার হিরোদের দেখতে পাবেন, আলো আধারিতে। এই গল্প ভালোবাসার, সুপার হিরো, ভালো খারাপ বা পৃথিবীতে কি ভুলের কারণে এসব ঘটছে তার চেয়েও হয়তো বেশী এই গল্প সিম্বল অফ হোপ কে নিয়ে।
লেখক ডনি কেটস ৬ বছর আগে মৃত্যুর সাথে একরকম যুদ্ধ করে ফিরেছেন। তিনি নিজেই বলেছেন যে এমন কিছু তিনি লিখে যেতে চান তা তাকে আবার তাঁর ১১ বছরের বয়সে ফিরিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে। তিনি প্রকৃতপক্ষে ক্রশওভারই লিখতে চেয়েছেন। ইস্যুটির ���র্ট ভালো লেগেছে। একদম ভিন্ন ধরনের এই স্টোরিলাইন অনেক কমিক্স ফলোয়ারদের আগ্রহী করবে বলে আমার বিশ্বাস।
(চলবে)
ক্রশওভার (ইস্যু # ১)
প্রকাশক : ইমেজ কমিক্স
লেখক : ডনি কেটস
আর্টিস্ট : ডি কানিফে, জেওফ শ
প্রকাশনার তারিখ : নভেম্বর ৪, ২০২০
রিভিউয়ার : ওয়াসিম হাসান মাহমুদ
"আপনাকে একটি প্রশ্ন করছি, ভেবে উত্তর দিবেন। কে বেশী বাস্তব? আমরা না সুপারম্যান? আপনি বলতে চাইবেন আমরা, তাই না? আমি বুঝতে পারছি। আপনার অস্তিত্ব আছে। আপনি হেঁটে বেড়ান, আপনার বন্ধু আছে। বিশ্বকে আপনি পরিবর্তন করেন। তবে ভালোমতো ভেবে দেখুন। আপনি, আমি, আমরা সবাই, আপনি সবই করবেন, আপনি বাঁচবেন, ভালোবাসবেন, বেড়ে উঠবেন এবং তারপর, বাস্তবতা মেনে নিয়ে একসময় আপনি মারা যাবেন। সুপারম্যানের মতো একটি কাল্পনিক চরিত্র যেভাবে পৃথিবীর উপর যেরকম প্রভাব বিস্তার করে, আপনাদের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে সফলরা কখনো পারেন না। আবার বলছি, তাহলে সে আপনার চেয়ে কম বাস্তব কিভাবে হয়? তাঁর বন্ধুবান্ধব আছে, তাঁর জীবন আছে। তার জীবনযাপন এবং মৃত্যু আপনার জন্মের অনেক আগেই ঘটেছে। আপনার চিরবিদায়ের পরও সে থাকবে। তাঁর অস্তিত্ব পরিবর্তন ঘটাচ্ছে। আমি, আপনি চলে যাওয়ার বহুকাল পরে একদিন, যখন মানবজাতি পৃথিবী ছেড়ে চলে যাবে তখন সুপারম্যানকেও সাথে করে নিয়ে যাবে। বুঝতে পারছেন? সে স্থায়ী, আমরা নই। গল্প, মিথ, লেজেন্ড এসব কাল্পনিক নয়।"
গল্পের প্রথমদিকের কিছু প্যানেল খুব মিনিংফুল লাগায় অনুবাদ করলাম। রিভিউতে ফিরছি এখন।
২০১৭ এর জানুয়ারীর ১১ তারিখ কোলারাডো, ডেনভারের আকাশ ভরে উঠে সুপার হিরোদের নিয়ে। কমিক্সের প্রায় সকল সুপার হিরোরা এই বাস্তবে এসে এই নৈরাজ্য সৃষ্টি করেন। কেউ জানেনা কিভাবে বা কেন এসব ঘটছে। কত নিরপরাধ মানুষ হতাহত হয়েছেন তা কেউ বলতে পারছেন না।
এই গল্প একটি মেয়েকে নিয়ে যার নাম এলিপ্সিস, তাকে এলি নামে ডাকে সবাই। এমন একটা সময় যখন কসপ্লে করা বা কমিক শপে কাজ করাকে উগ্রপন্থীরা শয়তানের পুজো বলছেন। এলি কমিক্সের একজন ট্রু লাস্ট বিলিভার হিসেবে এই উগ্রপন্থীদের আক্রমনের স্বীকার হন। এমন একটা সময় যখন কল্পনা এবং বাস্তব দুটোই এলির কাছে মৃত। ঐ কমিক শপ সমমনাদের মিলিত হওয়ার শেষ একটি জায়গা। সেখানে কমিক্স থেকে বের হয়ে যাওয়া ছোট একটি মেয়েকে নিয়ে ব্যাপক হাঙ্গামা হয়। সেই ছোট মেয়েটি এঁকে দেখায় কে এই বাস্তব এবং কমিক্সের জগতের মধ্যে আসা যাওয়াটা করাচ্ছেন। এই গল্প আরো একজন অল্প বয়সী ছেলেকে নিয়ে যে উগ্রপন্থীদের সাথে মিলে ঐ কমিক শপে আক্রমন করতে যান। তাঁর নাম রায়ান লো। এই ইস্যুতে অনেক পরিচিত সুপার হিরোদের দেখতে পাবেন, আলো আধারিতে। এই গল্প ভালোবাসার, সুপার হিরো, ভালো খারাপ বা পৃথিবীতে কি ভুলের কারণে এসব ঘটছে তার চেয়েও হয়তো বেশী এই গল্প সিম্বল অফ হোপ কে নিয়ে।
লেখক ডনি কেটস ৬ বছর আগে মৃত্যুর সাথে একরকম যুদ্ধ করে ফিরেছেন। তিনি নিজেই বলেছেন যে এমন কিছু তিনি লিখে যেতে চান তা তাকে আবার তাঁর ১১ বছরের বয়সে ফিরিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে। তিনি প্রকৃতপক্ষে ক্রশওভারই লিখতে চেয়েছেন। ইস্যুটির ���র্ট ভালো লেগেছে। একদম ভিন্ন ধরনের এই স্টোরিলাইন অনেক কমিক্স ফলোয়ারদের আগ্রহী করবে বলে আমার বিশ্বাস।
(চলবে)
August 7, 2024
Fiction becoming reality is not new.
You've got stuff like Mangaman, Miracleman (Miracleman, Book One: A Dream of Flying), Flex Mentallo (Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery), Superboy Prime (Crisis on Infinite Earths), and even a Sonic the Hedgehog special (Sonic Live! during the Archie days) just for print examples that have run this kinda story and all its accompanying tropes so deep into the ground it can probably be unearthed by archeologists in the 24 1/2 century.
This one is fascinating in two respects:
1. A pretty compelling story involving some normal people having to return a child to Toontown, and we find out these comic characters running afoul of the government and radical religions claiming they're doomsday.
2. ACTUALLY LICENSED CHARACTERS ARE HERE! Sure some of them are pretty obscure and some people will recognize them more from the adapted TV shows or movies, but it doesn't change the fact that if somebody read their books, they'll get a little hit of dopamine recognizing them in this crowded crowded party.
You've got stuff like Mangaman, Miracleman (Miracleman, Book One: A Dream of Flying), Flex Mentallo (Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery), Superboy Prime (Crisis on Infinite Earths), and even a Sonic the Hedgehog special (Sonic Live! during the Archie days) just for print examples that have run this kinda story and all its accompanying tropes so deep into the ground it can probably be unearthed by archeologists in the 24 1/2 century.
This one is fascinating in two respects:
1. A pretty compelling story involving some normal people having to return a child to Toontown, and we find out these comic characters running afoul of the government and radical religions claiming they're doomsday.
2. ACTUALLY LICENSED CHARACTERS ARE HERE! Sure some of them are pretty obscure and some people will recognize them more from the adapted TV shows or movies, but it doesn't change the fact that if somebody read their books, they'll get a little hit of dopamine recognizing them in this crowded crowded party.
February 4, 2023
What it's about: Ellie is a young adult living in a world where comic books are reviled. Years ago, there was a dimensional rift in downtown Denver, Colorado, and the heroes and villains from some of the most popular comic books came spilling out. Unlike in the comics, they brought death and destruction with them. Ellie was separated from her family as they fled; she managed to get out of the city just as an impenetrable force field engulfed Denver, containing the chaos pouring through the rift - and preventing Ellie from ever seeing her family again.
Years later, Ellie is working at one of the last comic book stores in the US. She's there when a young refugee from the comic book world shows up, eliciting a panic that leads to the store being destroyed. Ellie takes the girl on the run, hoping that by helping the girl, Ellie will be able to reunite with her own family.
Things take some unexpected turns along the way, and Ellie and some friends find themselves pursued by powers they hadn't expected as they try to find a way into the domed Denver.
What I thought: This is a neat idea for a story, and Cates has done some very fun things here. Some of the characters he's using are actually other creators' work; I'm REALLY curious to know how he pulled that off. There are also lots of characters from Cates' other work, which was kind of a fun Easter egg for folks who've read his other stories. And he's worked a LOT of super-famous superheroes into the backgrounds of the story with JUST enough indistinctness to avoid accusations of copyright infringement, while still being pretty damned obvious about who he's referencing.
There's also an interesting bit about the "omniscient" narrator that I'm really curious to learn more about - it SEEMS like there's a backstory to what's happening there, but it's not illuminated in this part of the collected story.
Why my chosen shelves: adult, dark, death-dying, violence: This may be a story about comic books and superheroes, but it goes to some pretty dark places, including adults mentally abusing their children; multiple perspectives, third person: There is a narrator who is (sort of) outside the story, and although most of the story follows Ellie, there are some places where we follow other characters; female: Much of the story is about Ellie and her young ward; male: Some of the story follows a young man who may or may not be an enemy; science fiction, magic: There are some science-fiction-y elements to the story, as well as magic; weird: The whole story is kind of a mind-bender
Why I rated it like I did: 3.5 This is an interesting premise,and I am shocked that Cates was able to get the creators of so many characters to allow him to use their likenesses. I'm curious about where the story goes after this volume.
Years later, Ellie is working at one of the last comic book stores in the US. She's there when a young refugee from the comic book world shows up, eliciting a panic that leads to the store being destroyed. Ellie takes the girl on the run, hoping that by helping the girl, Ellie will be able to reunite with her own family.
Things take some unexpected turns along the way, and Ellie and some friends find themselves pursued by powers they hadn't expected as they try to find a way into the domed Denver.
What I thought: This is a neat idea for a story, and Cates has done some very fun things here. Some of the characters he's using are actually other creators' work; I'm REALLY curious to know how he pulled that off. There are also lots of characters from Cates' other work, which was kind of a fun Easter egg for folks who've read his other stories. And he's worked a LOT of super-famous superheroes into the backgrounds of the story with JUST enough indistinctness to avoid accusations of copyright infringement, while still being pretty damned obvious about who he's referencing.
There's also an interesting bit about the "omniscient" narrator that I'm really curious to learn more about - it SEEMS like there's a backstory to what's happening there, but it's not illuminated in this part of the collected story.
Why my chosen shelves: adult, dark, death-dying, violence: This may be a story about comic books and superheroes, but it goes to some pretty dark places, including adults mentally abusing their children; multiple perspectives, third person: There is a narrator who is (sort of) outside the story, and although most of the story follows Ellie, there are some places where we follow other characters; female: Much of the story is about Ellie and her young ward; male: Some of the story follows a young man who may or may not be an enemy; science fiction, magic: There are some science-fiction-y elements to the story, as well as magic; weird: The whole story is kind of a mind-bender
Why I rated it like I did: 3.5 This is an interesting premise,and I am shocked that Cates was able to get the creators of so many characters to allow him to use their likenesses. I'm curious about where the story goes after this volume.
May 9, 2021
Forget the MCU, and the DCU, and the Valiant U, and the Vertigo U, and even forget the Pepe-le-p U, in this book every hero and villain of everywhere in comics has descended for the biggest rumble in history. It's so big it's taken over all of Colorado, which has been separated from the rest of existence by a large force-field dome thing. Out here, comics are becoming unwanted, with humanity let down by the characters within the dome – they sure must have loved Colorado to let this turn them against so many comics. Our lead character is a young woman whose parents are inside the fight zone, with no way in – until she sees just how regularly things and people get out...
Billed as a love letter to comics, it's definitely peppered with references, in-jokes, whatever you wish to call them, from elsewhere. It's also clearly a book about the power of family and what the love therein can conquer. But it is also a muddle. The cockamamie set-up has provided for quite a few people with very heightened character intentions and ambitions, and putting them all together, dragging them messily to a point where he can do this because he's been told to, that one can try that, the other can respond to this needless deus ex machina, and so on, does not quite work. The narration jumps about, promising this, teasing that, and generally getting us in a temporal muddle, which doesn't help either. It promises, in fact, things clearly not within these covers – yet, while this isn't utterly terrible, I for one will not be back to double-check.
Billed as a love letter to comics, it's definitely peppered with references, in-jokes, whatever you wish to call them, from elsewhere. It's also clearly a book about the power of family and what the love therein can conquer. But it is also a muddle. The cockamamie set-up has provided for quite a few people with very heightened character intentions and ambitions, and putting them all together, dragging them messily to a point where he can do this because he's been told to, that one can try that, the other can respond to this needless deus ex machina, and so on, does not quite work. The narration jumps about, promising this, teasing that, and generally getting us in a temporal muddle, which doesn't help either. It promises, in fact, things clearly not within these covers – yet, while this isn't utterly terrible, I for one will not be back to double-check.
January 13, 2022
The title, matched with the synopsis and author note at the beginning, had me incredibly excited to see comic book characters from other universes pulled together. This does happen, but many of the cameos would have been completely missed by me were there not a list at the end. There were a couple I recognized but mostly they were characters I have never even heard of, and therefore I was some what let down. I would get excited with references to the big names (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Doctor Strange) and then be utterly puzzled by who actually joined the story. . At one point there is this "epic" spread of characters...I knew none of them so it was completely lost on me.
All that being said, this was still an incredibly enjoyable story. I felt it was a little too cliché at the start with the religious fanatics (this is so played out) but there are some really interesting things happening with the narration and the main character.
April 5, 2022
My first Donny Cates read and I gotta say... It was alright haha. This is another book where I had been hearing nothing but hype as soon as issue 1 was solicited. I was interested but then forgot about it. Found it at Barnes & Noble for $10 and decided what the hell. This story is supposed to be like the title insists, a giant Crossover bringing all your favorite comic characters together and somehow making a story of it. It kinda was like that but it's more of easter eggs with some actual crossover with 'Image' and 'Darkhorse' characters haha. Now I don't say that to connect it to being a bad story, on the contrary I feel like Cates makes you believe the story is going to be one thing, but he does something completely different. I expected this story to be more of a 'Ready Player One' sort of gimmick but like I mentioned he does things a bit different. The story was just not able to get me too enthralled. The plot although different from what I thought, was just something I didn't care for. Same feelings towards Geoff Shaw's artwork. It's not bad, I think it actually fits the story well, but just wasn't my jam all around. This is only the first arc and Vol. so I'll still give it a shot, but I won't be rushing into it.
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