Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw explain the ambitious story behind Crossover

As part of the online edition of Comic-Con International: San Diego, writer Donny Cates has opened up about the actual plot and story of his previously announced Image Comics creator-owned ongoing series Crossover with artists Geoff Shaw and Dee Cunniffe, and John J. Hill. The book takes the concept of a comic book crossover and puts a meta-textual spin on the idea, mashing up new and even previously existing characters in a version of the "real" world.

Described as a "non-event event," Cates explains that Crossover tells the story of what happens when a multiverse comic book crossover breaks into the "real" world – and the devastating effects that arise.

"Crossover is an event book like an atom bomb," he says.

Cates brings up numerous examples of how comic books entering the real world changes the fictional version of our actual society, saying it complicates not just the world's relationship to fictional characters, but to heroes in general.

"Is it still cool to walk down the street in a Superman shirt in a world like that?" Cates asks.

"The book's called Crossover for a reason," says Cates, revealing that the main character is a Direct Market comic book retailer – and that issue #6 will hold what he calls a "historic" comic book sequence related to that idea.

Beyond its one-of-a-kind concept, Crossover apparently necessitated the creation of some brand new visual ideas – things Cates says he hasn't seen in a comic book before – to show the interaction of multiple realities in a striking way.

As for who the pre-existing characters that will appear, Cates can't say – but hints coyly that some recognizable Image Comics characters may appear.

Crossover #1 is due out in November.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)