Ryan and Elle each have crucial confrontations as Deena and Walker make a terrible discovery in Crossover #9, by writer Donny Cates, artist Geoff Shaw, colorist Dee Cuniffe, and letter John J. Hill. This issue is entertaining from the first page to the last and yet another fabulous issue.

Ryan and Pendleton make a deal for him and Elle to help the government find the killer. Elle meets with Deena and Walker, and she gives them something to think about that they haven't before about who the killer might be. Ryan meets with his father, who reveals that he knows who the killer is, but Pendleton quickly gets tired of the whole thing and calls Walker and Deena. They've found an underground comic convention, another creator dead, and a very familiar weapon.

One of the most entertaining moments in this book so far takes place in this issue, and that's saying something. Cates has been doing a remarkable job in every issue, but he tops himself in this one. During the sequence with Elle, Walker, and Deena, Elle says she's not going to do it and what she means is Bendis-speak. Of course, Walker and Deena don't know what that is, but Elle and the audience do. Cates then delivers to the audience Bendis-speak and. It. Is. Hilarious. Crossover has long been the comic reader's comic, and this scene is proof of that. Bendis-speak is one of those things that every comic fan knows about, and seeing it lampooned is amazing. That said, the issue does show that it's not entirely without merit either as a storytelling device, as it basically gets as much talking out of the way in the least amount of pages… or at least it does when Cates does it. It actually feels kind of efficient in this issue, especially since this is one of the most important sequences of this story arc, as it gives Deena and Walker a new angle on the case. It's also fun that Pendleton lampoons the whole "people in rooms talking" thing that so many comic writers, including Cates, do.

Beyond the sheer entertainment of the Bendis-speak sections, this issue is yet another banger in general. It moves the plot forward in multiple ways, both with Ryan's father's revelation that he knows the murderer and the next dead comic creator. How it all feeds into Elle's theory is intriguing, and the best part about it is how intriguing the whole thing is. Cates is constructing a wonderful mystery here with this story arc and what makes it so great is that it's very different from the opening story arc. The opening story arc set out the world and how everything worked; it was a quest story- take the little girl to the dome and get back out again. With the Zdarsky issue, the narrative shifted, and Cates is running with it in the best possible way.

Much like Cates, Shaw takes the Bendis-speak sections and subtly homages the way those scenes have been set up while also making sure to do it his way. There's no talking heads panels, but there are two gorgeous double splash pages, one of Elle, Deena, and Walker and the other of Ryan and his father. His character acting is one point in each scene. Shaw is really hitting the next level in Crossover, and every panel on every page proves that.

Crossover #9 is the best issue of Crossover… until the next one. The way that Cates, Shaw, Cuniffe, and Hill keep turning in issues that are better than the last is frankly stupefying and should put everyone else on notice. The storytelling is on point, the art is brilliant, and fans are getting an amazing story. Those Bendis-speak panels and Elle's protestation are the icing on a delicious comics cake.

Grade: A+