Crossover Division 1 and 2

Written by: Will Allred
Art by: Pablo Martinena
Lettering by: Brant Fowler

buy it HERE.

An interesting concept.

This book is like Quantum Leap meets Inception meets Men in Black. In Crossover Division, certain people who read books can let their imaginations -without them knowing it- take form in the real world. Martians from War of the Worlds invade a neighborhood. The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz with her winged monkey minions does battle. With whom? The Crossover Division, who is set up to protect our world from such incursions.

In part 1 we begin in a High School English Composition class being taught by a teacher who looks like one of the students. There's no introduction narration box. The teacher's name is Hank Wallace. He holds a Doctorate degree. He doesn't own a car, and rides Boston's 'T' home to his soon-to-be ex wife boxing up the last of his possessions. As he spends his first night in his hotel room the Martians attack.

Hank is greeted by a team of interlopers who are attempting to stop the attack: Hector and Dan. Apparently, the trick is to recite the last line of the book in question to the person dreaming it. That severs the crossover. It's an interesting concept that gives the protagonists a weapon, similar to Quantum Leap where Sam had to align everything back in time to where it belonged so that Al could 'leap' him out of that time continuum and into another.

 

Things don't quite connect.

It could be that their artist, Pablo Martinena, hasn't done much sequential work before. It takes a while to get an understanding of it. Believe me, I've been at it for 30 years and still have lots to learn. My early work is truly groan-worthy! With Pablo's work there's too much empty space, too much attention to unnecessary detail, wonky posing (are they disco dancing on the cover?), and little real emotional engagement in their facial expressions.

On the postitive note...

There's a high degree of quality and craft to the execution of the comic. It's just in the look of it that seems a bit out of sync. That goes away here and there, like where the Martian machine is blowing up the building, or where they are attacking the Wicked Witch. Those pages really sing and show the potential of what this comic can achieve.

 

Will Allred's concepts are solid. Who wouldn't want to see a bit of what they're reading intrude in their lives and start problems? I'm re-reading The Godfather right now. I could see walking to my car after work and a '44 Cadillac suddenly cuts me off, door swinging open and Peter Clemenza tells me to 'get in. The Don's expecting you.'

I wonder if it works the other way? Like can you go into Lolita and tell Humbert Humbert to get some therapy to deal with his paedophilia, or Casino Royale to warn Bond that Vesper isn't really being kidnapped by Le Chiffre, she's leading him into a trap?

Next Tuesday:

Time Trader
by Michael Dolce

10454 Lomita Ave #B, Felton
United States

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