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Crossed (Collected Editions) #1
Crossed, Vol. 1
The world's been overrun by sadistic homicidal maniacs. A small band of survivors crosses what's left of America, in constant danger and trying to hold onto what little humanity they can.
In the blink of an eye, humanity is lost, and the Crossed are upon us. Men, women, and children alike fall victim to the mystery infection that makes killers out of parents and rapists out of lovers. Ruthless, berserk, and evil beyond measure, these cackling demons spread their plague across the Earth, brining humanity to near-extinction. Now, a small band of survivors make their cautious way across a deserted America, existing in a state of constant terror. The only thing they have in common is their determination to survive... but in this frightening new world, survival has a cost all its own. How far will they go to stay alive, and can they do so without become monsters themselves?
In the blink of an eye, humanity is lost, and the Crossed are upon us. Men, women, and children alike fall victim to the mystery infection that makes killers out of parents and rapists out of lovers. Ruthless, berserk, and evil beyond measure, these cackling demons spread their plague across the Earth, brining humanity to near-extinction. Now, a small band of survivors make their cautious way across a deserted America, existing in a state of constant terror. The only thing they have in common is their determination to survive... but in this frightening new world, survival has a cost all its own. How far will they go to stay alive, and can they do so without become monsters themselves?
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2006
55 people are currently reading
2828 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,601 books3,145 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 461 reviews
June 5, 2015
So my friend : Jeff owes me a case of mind bleach after this one.
I like horror. I don't mind some gore. This damn book though.
It's like Garth Ennis took the Walking Dead idea and put it in a room and fed it Meth for 6 years and then released it.
This is not a zombie book. It's a damn I don't know what the fuck book. There is something spreading throughout people. It turns them into demons, evil demons. They rape, eat people, kill, maim and one of them carries around a frigging HORSECOCK! Yes, a horsecock. Why? Who the hell knows.
It's spread through any bodily fluids and makes your face have this "crossed" thing on it. No one is safe. You can't just hide from these creatures. They are smart enough to hunt you.
I learned things reading this book that I don't think I ever needed to know. BISCUIT GAME!!!!!!! Jeff/Hulk Boy I owe you.
Why then am I giving it 4 stars. Because I couldn't frigging look away from this train wreck. And for Garth Ennis throwing in that
Don't read before eating.
Yes, I'll be reading the next one too.
I like horror. I don't mind some gore. This damn book though.
It's like Garth Ennis took the Walking Dead idea and put it in a room and fed it Meth for 6 years and then released it.
This is not a zombie book. It's a damn I don't know what the fuck book. There is something spreading throughout people. It turns them into demons, evil demons. They rape, eat people, kill, maim and one of them carries around a frigging HORSECOCK! Yes, a horsecock. Why? Who the hell knows.
It's spread through any bodily fluids and makes your face have this "crossed" thing on it. No one is safe. You can't just hide from these creatures. They are smart enough to hunt you.
I learned things reading this book that I don't think I ever needed to know. BISCUIT GAME!!!!!!! Jeff/Hulk Boy I owe you.
Why then am I giving it 4 stars. Because I couldn't frigging look away from this train wreck. And for Garth Ennis throwing in that
Don't read before eating.
Yes, I'll be reading the next one too.
October 9, 2017
This isn't something I'd ever normally read but it was in a goodie basket that a friend had gifted me for Halloween, so I thought I should give it a try. After flipping through the pages for a few minutes, I decided I'd need to be slightly drunk to get through this one.
Why?
Well, I would say because it's gory, but that just doesn't adequately describe the sort of graphic, stomach-turning violence that happens in this thing.
So, I got boozed up.
It helped. I made it through the whole book, stopping only to refill my giant glass of wine.
Yay. Ish.
But then, last night I had nothing but nightmares.
There's this one scene. I just can't get it out of my head!
DO NOT CLICK ON THIS SPOILER IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE NEAR AS SQUEAMISH AS I AM!
Ohmyfuckinggod.
There isn't enough wine for that.
You know how many nightmares I had last night?!
Me either. I lost count!
My entire night consisted of me waking up from some horrific dream, getting up to pee (<- that's normal), going back to sleep, and then having more nightmares.
I don't normally get up at 5:30 on a Sunday morning, but I am not closing my eyes anytime soon! *refuses to blink*
The short version of the story (and BELIEVE me, you want the short version) is that something virus/bio-warfare/nuclear meltdown/whatever happens, the majority of the population turns full-on evil, and the survivors huddle together till they get horrifically tortured, raped, eaten, and murdered. Ha! <--my autocorrect tried to chance eaten to beaten...but no, sorry. Once again, you misunderstand what I'm saying, autocorrect.
Ugh. I'm not sure that I truly understand the point to this. It was so far beyond gross (for me) that there is no way in hell I'm even slightly tempted to ever look at this again, much less read more of this title.
To me, this is basically boring, unlikable characters meandering around together, getting killed in gag-worthy scenarios, and doing horrible things to survive in the meantime.
But even if it were more interesting, I don't think this would have been remotely enjoyable to me.
Now. I get that there are a lot of you who enjoy authors who push the limit of the Ick Factor in books and graphic novels. That's fine, and I certainly don't think you guys are awful people. To each his own and all that.
However, I just didn't think the story was all that good.
Maybe if there had been something about the writing or the characters that made me feel anything other than total revulsion, I might have liked it more? <--LIE. Total lie. There's no way I could stomach that shit under any circumstances.
BUT.
If you are the sort of reader who enjoys this sort of thing? Go for it! I have several friends who thought this was great.
As for me? I've gotta wash the taste of this out of my mouth...
Why?
Well, I would say because it's gory, but that just doesn't adequately describe the sort of graphic, stomach-turning violence that happens in this thing.
So, I got boozed up.
It helped. I made it through the whole book, stopping only to refill my giant glass of wine.
Yay. Ish.
But then, last night I had nothing but nightmares.
There's this one scene. I just can't get it out of my head!
DO NOT CLICK ON THIS SPOILER IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE NEAR AS SQUEAMISH AS I AM!
Ohmyfuckinggod.
There isn't enough wine for that.
You know how many nightmares I had last night?!
Me either. I lost count!
My entire night consisted of me waking up from some horrific dream, getting up to pee (<- that's normal), going back to sleep, and then having more nightmares.
I don't normally get up at 5:30 on a Sunday morning, but I am not closing my eyes anytime soon! *refuses to blink*
The short version of the story (and BELIEVE me, you want the short version) is that something virus/bio-warfare/nuclear meltdown/whatever happens, the majority of the population turns full-on evil, and the survivors huddle together till they get horrifically tortured, raped, eaten, and murdered. Ha! <--my autocorrect tried to chance eaten to beaten...but no, sorry. Once again, you misunderstand what I'm saying, autocorrect.
Ugh. I'm not sure that I truly understand the point to this. It was so far beyond gross (for me) that there is no way in hell I'm even slightly tempted to ever look at this again, much less read more of this title.
To me, this is basically boring, unlikable characters meandering around together, getting killed in gag-worthy scenarios, and doing horrible things to survive in the meantime.
But even if it were more interesting, I don't think this would have been remotely enjoyable to me.
Now. I get that there are a lot of you who enjoy authors who push the limit of the Ick Factor in books and graphic novels. That's fine, and I certainly don't think you guys are awful people. To each his own and all that.
However, I just didn't think the story was all that good.
Maybe if there had been something about the writing or the characters that made me feel anything other than total revulsion, I might have liked it more? <--LIE. Total lie. There's no way I could stomach that shit under any circumstances.
BUT.
If you are the sort of reader who enjoys this sort of thing? Go for it! I have several friends who thought this was great.
As for me? I've gotta wash the taste of this out of my mouth...
October 12, 2011
Take heed O ye of squeamish sensibilities:...seek thy entertainment elsewhere.
Rarely am I be tempted to use the word VILE to describe a book to which I’m giving 4 stars, but Garth Ennis, master of “nasty with purpose” that he is, has a way with dark satire that can be both brilliantly insightful and pornographically depraved at the same time….at least when he’s on the top of his game. There are parts of Crossed are, if not vile, severely disturbing, and make this a difficult, difficult read (see below). Ennis pushes the boundaries of the comic medium (not to mention my gag reflex) to the point of snapping and I would categorize this squarely in the realm of “extreme horror” for its graphic depictions of violence and sexual depredation.
A feel gooder, this is not.
Despite the gruesome brutality and unrelentingly bleak and hopeless story line, I still thought this was excellent. This is Garth Ennis at his most...whatever. He’s managed to take all (and I mean all) of the violence, sadism, torture, rape and inhumanity that people have inflicted on one another throughout our colorful history and created the ultimate mirror reflecting our worst natures in the form of ….the “crossed.”
It’s disturbing, diabolical and powerful comment on the nature of humanity and the ease with which society and decency can evaporate.
Of course, if you’ve never read Ennis before, I would strongly urge you to start somewhere a tad less extreme. Maybe his work on The Punisher or even Preacher. As graphic as those series are, they are not as shocking as this series and would be a good way to test your Ennis threshold before attempting to dip your psyche in the murky world of Ennis at his most unhinged.
Just my two cents for what it’s worth.
PLOT SUMMARY
The set up is extremely simple…it’s an over theline top, sadistically violent version of The Walking Dead with two main differences:
1. Instead of zombies, you have a virus that turns people into sadistic, homicidal, sexual predators. The title is derived from the fact that the infection manifests itself as a kind of “cross” on the face of the turned. Here’s a looksie:
2. Rather than being mindless, the “crossed” retain all of their intelligence, skills and memories (making them far more lethal) but become walking embodiments of perversion and E…V…I…L… Thus, they actually will go out of their way to maximize the amount of terror and pain that they inflict because…they enjoy it.
The story begins with our narrator asking us…“Remember Youtube…think back far enough, you will.” Then we are privy to an opening scene of the virus’ first appearance and the initial “crossed” begin their reign of terror. This first chapter gives you a taste of how this book is going to play out.
Crossed is….without a shadow of a doubt…the most extreme work I have ever read by Ennis (or anyone else for that matter). There were parts (one of which I will describe below in a spoiler) that made me seriously uncomfortable and where I thought he actually went too far. The problem is, his story-telling is so compelling that I find myself working through the uncomfortable scenes so I can keep turning the pages.
There no way to truly appreciate the degree of violence without an example, so here is a summary of one of the handful of truly sickening scenes in the book. This should help you decide whether you can stomach this kind of story though I will hide it behind a spoiler so that you can skip it if you want. BE WARNED: this is very graphic:
Sick…disgusting and, in my own opinion, TOO MUCH. That image has stuck in my head for days after reading this. Now did Ennis do this solely to be as shocking as he possibly could?…Well, it doesn’t get more shocking, but I would say no, or at least not entirely. I think Ennis was subverting the whole “macho protector”, “white knight” attitude and letting the reader know that in this story, such thinking will get you (and your loved ones) worse than killed. This is not a Hollywood movie, but a place of pure evil where survival is the key and humanity is a luxury. Doing “right” may just mean making really hard choices (in this case ). In fact, I think Ennis’ whole point in this story is to watch the human survivors battle against losing their humanity as they are constantly forced to make the toughest of decisions to survive.
Despite the above and several other “over thetop line” scenes that really did affect me in a negative way, the story itself was strong enough to keep me reading. The writing and the characters were amazingly well drawn which is hard to do with the limited verbiage allowed in the graphic novel. I ended up thinking it was excellent. Garth Ennis shocks…it’s what he does. He also writes the most compelling comics that I have ever read and makes some brutally piercing comments on the human condition.
Overall, I give this 4.0 stars and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it, with the caveats above regarding brutality contained within. For poops and giggles, here are some of the covers from the first 10 issues so you get a better visual sense of the tone of the story and see what it is you are in for if you decide to take the plunge (again, I will hide it behind spoilers for those who don’t want to be bothered):
Rarely am I be tempted to use the word VILE to describe a book to which I’m giving 4 stars, but Garth Ennis, master of “nasty with purpose” that he is, has a way with dark satire that can be both brilliantly insightful and pornographically depraved at the same time….at least when he’s on the top of his game. There are parts of Crossed are, if not vile, severely disturbing, and make this a difficult, difficult read (see below). Ennis pushes the boundaries of the comic medium (not to mention my gag reflex) to the point of snapping and I would categorize this squarely in the realm of “extreme horror” for its graphic depictions of violence and sexual depredation.
A feel gooder, this is not.
Despite the gruesome brutality and unrelentingly bleak and hopeless story line, I still thought this was excellent. This is Garth Ennis at his most...whatever. He’s managed to take all (and I mean all) of the violence, sadism, torture, rape and inhumanity that people have inflicted on one another throughout our colorful history and created the ultimate mirror reflecting our worst natures in the form of ….the “crossed.”
It’s disturbing, diabolical and powerful comment on the nature of humanity and the ease with which society and decency can evaporate.
Of course, if you’ve never read Ennis before, I would strongly urge you to start somewhere a tad less extreme. Maybe his work on The Punisher or even Preacher. As graphic as those series are, they are not as shocking as this series and would be a good way to test your Ennis threshold before attempting to dip your psyche in the murky world of Ennis at his most unhinged.
Just my two cents for what it’s worth.
PLOT SUMMARY
The set up is extremely simple…it’s an over the
1. Instead of zombies, you have a virus that turns people into sadistic, homicidal, sexual predators. The title is derived from the fact that the infection manifests itself as a kind of “cross” on the face of the turned. Here’s a looksie:
2. Rather than being mindless, the “crossed” retain all of their intelligence, skills and memories (making them far more lethal) but become walking embodiments of perversion and E…V…I…L… Thus, they actually will go out of their way to maximize the amount of terror and pain that they inflict because…they enjoy it.
The story begins with our narrator asking us…“Remember Youtube…think back far enough, you will.” Then we are privy to an opening scene of the virus’ first appearance and the initial “crossed” begin their reign of terror. This first chapter gives you a taste of how this book is going to play out.
Crossed is….without a shadow of a doubt…the most extreme work I have ever read by Ennis (or anyone else for that matter). There were parts (one of which I will describe below in a spoiler) that made me seriously uncomfortable and where I thought he actually went too far. The problem is, his story-telling is so compelling that I find myself working through the uncomfortable scenes so I can keep turning the pages.
There no way to truly appreciate the degree of violence without an example, so here is a summary of one of the handful of truly sickening scenes in the book. This should help you decide whether you can stomach this kind of story though I will hide it behind a spoiler so that you can skip it if you want. BE WARNED: this is very graphic:
Sick…disgusting and, in my own opinion, TOO MUCH. That image has stuck in my head for days after reading this. Now did Ennis do this solely to be as shocking as he possibly could?…Well, it doesn’t get more shocking, but I would say no, or at least not entirely. I think Ennis was subverting the whole “macho protector”, “white knight” attitude and letting the reader know that in this story, such thinking will get you (and your loved ones) worse than killed. This is not a Hollywood movie, but a place of pure evil where survival is the key and humanity is a luxury. Doing “right” may just mean making really hard choices (in this case ). In fact, I think Ennis’ whole point in this story is to watch the human survivors battle against losing their humanity as they are constantly forced to make the toughest of decisions to survive.
Despite the above and several other “over the
Overall, I give this 4.0 stars and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it, with the caveats above regarding brutality contained within. For poops and giggles, here are some of the covers from the first 10 issues so you get a better visual sense of the tone of the story and see what it is you are in for if you decide to take the plunge (again, I will hide it behind spoilers for those who don’t want to be bothered):
August 18, 2020
A virus sweeps across the world in this 2006 series begun by Garth Ennis. Apparently, this virus turns people into killers; zombies? This is a worst-case scenario view of pandemics written to a world that Ennis claims can no longer be shocked, but he and Jacen Burrows do their best to do just that. Not recommended for most readers, honestly. But to what purpose might we be usefully shocked if we (think we) see the world heading to chaos, madness, and self-destruction? Is their any way we can preserve our humanity in the face of the worst possibilities?
I had tried to read this two or three times as an act of understanding the zombie genre, a kind of act of professional responsibility, to in part say, "I am not a snob and can, like any good critic, read anything and be 'objective' about just about anything!" and I gave up each time previously. Just too upsetting to see and read. The idea for Ennis and Burrows is this: If we are really in a sort of "zombie apocalypse," y'all who think and write about it are being too nice in your depictions of it. Lord of the Flies? Kid stuff! Cormac McCarthy's The Road? Leaves out all the really terrible stuff and focuses on a father-son story! These authors, Ennis and Burrows say, are being naive about the possibilities for evil in the human heart. And Ennis and Burrows are not just limiting their view of the evil in men's hearts to serial killers or Nazis. They think that the potential for darkness might be more widespread in the Human Soul than others have previously imagined. If push comes to shove, they seem to suggest, people will get nasty.
Ennis and Burrow take as their premise in this series (though not in other work they do) that There Is No Hope. And if you are going to say that, they say, tell it like you mean it. One justifiable view of this work is that we need to be reminded of every evil thing we have ever seen, to show how terrible humanity can be--hey, we know about the Holocaust, the Inquisition, Hiroshima and so on. This is what will happen, in spades, if the apocalypse happens, they say! If the environment gets worse, if we in fact do have worldwide untreatable disease, what do you expect? A Love-in? Prepare yourself to scramble desperately for survival and try to imagine how you can preserve a shred of goodness and charity and humanity.
Or there might be another justification for this, less justifiable in my mind: Maybe this series just provides the opportunity for a couple of nihilists to justify torture porn, depicting every terrible thing you can imagine just for kicks. Walking Dead Part II, where it gets REEEAL bad. Or maybe it's the blackest of black comedy? I'm here to tell you, though, the one bare suggestion of cannibalism in The Road was enough for me, I had nightmares, I'm such a wimp, so in this story, the only way I could get through it was to finally just hold my nose and bull through it. I am not sure how to rate it, really. I didn't "like" it, but if I am going to be fair, the Apocalypse will be no picnic so I get their point. I can imagine someone giving this five stars for honesty, for the sheer boldness of its nihilism, or its cry against nihilism, however it is finally intended.
The only reasons I finally read it are 1) because of serious reviews by Goodreads reviewers I respect, like Jan and Eisnein and many others, and 2) Because I also picked up Alan Moore's addition to Ennis's enterprise, Crossed + 100, which takes place, uh, 100 years later.
I had tried to read this two or three times as an act of understanding the zombie genre, a kind of act of professional responsibility, to in part say, "I am not a snob and can, like any good critic, read anything and be 'objective' about just about anything!" and I gave up each time previously. Just too upsetting to see and read. The idea for Ennis and Burrows is this: If we are really in a sort of "zombie apocalypse," y'all who think and write about it are being too nice in your depictions of it. Lord of the Flies? Kid stuff! Cormac McCarthy's The Road? Leaves out all the really terrible stuff and focuses on a father-son story! These authors, Ennis and Burrows say, are being naive about the possibilities for evil in the human heart. And Ennis and Burrows are not just limiting their view of the evil in men's hearts to serial killers or Nazis. They think that the potential for darkness might be more widespread in the Human Soul than others have previously imagined. If push comes to shove, they seem to suggest, people will get nasty.
Ennis and Burrow take as their premise in this series (though not in other work they do) that There Is No Hope. And if you are going to say that, they say, tell it like you mean it. One justifiable view of this work is that we need to be reminded of every evil thing we have ever seen, to show how terrible humanity can be--hey, we know about the Holocaust, the Inquisition, Hiroshima and so on. This is what will happen, in spades, if the apocalypse happens, they say! If the environment gets worse, if we in fact do have worldwide untreatable disease, what do you expect? A Love-in? Prepare yourself to scramble desperately for survival and try to imagine how you can preserve a shred of goodness and charity and humanity.
Or there might be another justification for this, less justifiable in my mind: Maybe this series just provides the opportunity for a couple of nihilists to justify torture porn, depicting every terrible thing you can imagine just for kicks. Walking Dead Part II, where it gets REEEAL bad. Or maybe it's the blackest of black comedy? I'm here to tell you, though, the one bare suggestion of cannibalism in The Road was enough for me, I had nightmares, I'm such a wimp, so in this story, the only way I could get through it was to finally just hold my nose and bull through it. I am not sure how to rate it, really. I didn't "like" it, but if I am going to be fair, the Apocalypse will be no picnic so I get their point. I can imagine someone giving this five stars for honesty, for the sheer boldness of its nihilism, or its cry against nihilism, however it is finally intended.
The only reasons I finally read it are 1) because of serious reviews by Goodreads reviewers I respect, like Jan and Eisnein and many others, and 2) Because I also picked up Alan Moore's addition to Ennis's enterprise, Crossed + 100, which takes place, uh, 100 years later.
September 19, 2018
The Atrocity Exhibition: Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows Reimagine the Zombie Apocalypse
WARNING: This Review Contains Explicit and Disturbing Imagery
'Preacher', by writer Garth Ennis, was one of the titles from the 1990's that helped justify the existence of DC's 'mature readers' imprint, Vertigo. In Preacher, Ennis and fellow Brit Steve Dillon created one of the most crazy, violent and shocking comics to be released by a mainstream publisher, taking their popular collaboration on Hellblazer to new levels of outrageous and brutal depravity. Preacher incorporated all the basic elements that editors Karen Berger and Shelly Bond were looking for: contemporary urban fantasy, supernatural entities, a long, 70-or-so-issue story-arc penned by a witty Brit... a faux Neil Gaiman, basically, delivering another 'Sandman', since Gaiman was the only thing related to comics they knew or cared about. But then Ennis turned it all backwards and upside-down and inside-out. There were vampires, but the main vampire and sidekick -- Cassidy -- was very 'Near Dark', and nowhere near Anne Rice. There was a Seraphim fucking a demoness in a romantic corner of the metaphysical DMZ. There was an immortal assassin that heaven called in for acts of trans-nuclear smiting, called 'The Saint of Killers'... similar to a High Plains Drifter/Unforgiven-era Eastwood, he stepped into this bizarre role after a frontier-era killing spree was followed by post-mortem killing-spree in hell, and then a POST-post-mortem killing spree back on earth. There was a super-secret religious order that was immensely powerful, exerting it's irresistible influence over governments around the globe, and dead-set on triggering Armageddon to trot out a new Jesus... or at least the true descendant of Jesus, his bloodline kept 'pure' by way of a 2000-year-old brother-sister incest policy... yielding a smelly, illiterate, microcephalic Jesus so dumb he flings shit like a monkey and drools. In short, Ennis opened a lot of eyes about what comics could and could not do. Writers could embrace the crazy. He showed comic fans that big risks could produce amazing stories, even at 'the big two'. His major area of expertise has always been military history, with a minor in the mythology of the American Frontier. This historical acumen is reinforced by the blackest of black humor, demonstrated both in his classic War Stories: Volume 1 - 2, for Vertigo, and Battlefields, for Dynamite Entertainment.
His influence on the current generation of comic writers is profound, and one of the most obvious examples is Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. Reading the first couple story arc's, I couldn't help but wonder what Garth Ennis would do with the Zombie Apocalypse premise; as it happened, I didn't have to wait long to find out. Warren Ellis is responsible for first using indie-publisher Avatar's laissez-faire editorial approach to publish the stories that DC had rejected. That worked well enough for all concerned, and attracted an impressive group of foul-mouthed big-name writers, like Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Hickman, and of course, Garth Ennis. There were a few titles of varying quality before Ennis created 'Crossed', but it's clearly the best of his Avatar series... and perhaps his best work in comics. It ignores the Romero-type Zombies of The Walking Dead for a slightly readjusted take on the 'Rabid Dog' Zombie epidemic of 28 Days Later.
The diner-scene (Top) - the crazy gets crazier, and the infection takes hold before anyone knows what’s happening. The survivors are forced to hide and scavenge, making plans without any reliable information (Middle). Some effective promotional art by Jacen Burrows (Bottom):
Just as many Ennis fans predicted, he is perfectly suited for the kind of story he delivers in 'Crossed', unquestionably the most gut-wrenching, horrifying series ever produced. I've seen over-top-violence and depravity from artists like Johnny Ryan (Prison Pit), ero-guro horror by Shintaro Kago (Anamorphosis) and Suehiro Maruo (Ultra-Gash Inferno), and underground shock-meister S. Clay Wilson. 'Crossed' was more disturbing. Ennis' ability to create convincing and memorable characters, natural, witty dialogue, and a seemingly endless array of terrifying dilemmas remains unrivalled. Crossed is impossible to quit reading, making it a must-have book for horror fans. Although it doesn't have the long-term, epic scope of The Walking Dead, Crossed outdoes Kirkman in every other way. The Crossed themselves are something more credible and terrifying than zombies; there is nothing supernatural about them -- they don't possess the freakish appearance of an animated corpse that is halfway to becoming a skeleton -- but the Crossed are much worse: humans without conscience or mercy, indulging the most sick and brutal whims without fear of consequence.
After being infected through exposure to diseased blood or fluids, the newly infected victim has seconds before becoming symptomatic. A raw, bleeding rash running under the eyes and down the nose from just above the brow gives the Crossed their name; once they've turned, new 'vectors' transform into cackling, grinning obscenities driven to rape, torture and kill every uninfected being they come across. Regardless of age, gender or race, each of the Crossed displays the same singular determination to do harm -- mothers murder their infants, children butcher their siblings, and so on. They show no fear and care about themselves only insofar as staying uninjured allows them to kill and/or infect others. Perhaps worst of all, their homicidal insanity does not keep some of them from retaining their ability to operate vehicles and firearms, and they display a demonic intelligence and imagination when it relates to tracking and hunting down prey.
This sequence from the first chapter declared war on reader expectations, and the allegorical implications of monsters performing evil under the sign of the cross... in god's name, the sickest of violent crimes become just. It also used the superstitious insanity behind Joel's decision to expose the ridiculous and desperate nature of all spiritual 'faith' (otherwise known as ignorance celebrated as virtue):
It's pretty fucked up...
Jacen Burrows, one of Avatar's most popular artists, plays a large role in the book's success. The only consistent weakness in Garth Ennis' projects are the people he chooses to work with, usually friends of his like Steve Dillon, John McCrea, and Carlos Ezquerra, all of whom are mediocre hacks. Jacen Burrows, on the other hand, is a rapidly improving artist, blending North American and European influences in a weird, somehow awkward way that still manages to be appealing... I think he'd be better served with someone other than the garish colorists behind most of the Avatar titles, but it's hard to say. He's not a great artist, by any means, but he does research when he needs to and doesn't rely on the shortcuts and repetition of the deadline-kings. His clean-line style depicts the most heinous atrocities in revolting detail, and his vision of the Crossed and their savage, pitiless expressions of mirth match Ennis' intentions exactly. He understands that human beings are far more terrifying than any monster.
One of the factors that continue to differentiate Crossed from the rest of the crowd is the writer's determination to present the reality of such an unbelievably awful catastrophe; there are no sudden heroics, no miraculous escapes, no acts of redemption. And when the worst happens, when the charismatic would-be savior and the innocent children he's trying to protect are cornered, and the most monstrous acts are about to be committed, Ennis refuses to shut the camera down, so to speak, he does not 'cut away'... the would-be savior panics, and attempts to save himself, but fails. The children are tortured and killed.
I've been a horror fan for a long time, and I've been fascinated by violence and the ugliest aspects of human nature for as long as I can remember, as if I might inoculate myself with the atrocity exhibition that is our past. But I was still shocked by parts of Crossed, and avoided the sequels that weren't written by Ennis for a while, before hearing positive reviews of the better 'Badlands' story-arcs from respected bastions of criticism like 'The Comics Journal'. This is hardcore survival horror at its most brutal, and I recommend it highly to those who have a strong stomach for this type of story; anyone else should probably skip it.
P.S.: I've often asked myself, after reading works like this, what is preferable (in an ethical sense): comics that skillfully create stories and characters in which violence is sickening and shocking, leaving an indelible stain on the reader's mind; or comics in which the reader senses the target on each character's back immediately, using formulaic plots and clichés to an extent that the violence is anticipated, and when the bodies drop there is no shock or lasting memory? In my opinion, Ennis is being ethical even at his most gratuitous, by refusing to let us get comfortable with killing. Violence should never be taken lightly. Stories that do so lie to the reader. Selling bullshit notions of heroism on the battlefield, bloodless deaths, and poignant last words, led to an army of naïve boys who couldn't reconcile the nightmare of the trenches in WWI with the dreams of glorious combat the books of the time inspired.
WARNING: This Review Contains Explicit and Disturbing Imagery
'Preacher', by writer Garth Ennis, was one of the titles from the 1990's that helped justify the existence of DC's 'mature readers' imprint, Vertigo. In Preacher, Ennis and fellow Brit Steve Dillon created one of the most crazy, violent and shocking comics to be released by a mainstream publisher, taking their popular collaboration on Hellblazer to new levels of outrageous and brutal depravity. Preacher incorporated all the basic elements that editors Karen Berger and Shelly Bond were looking for: contemporary urban fantasy, supernatural entities, a long, 70-or-so-issue story-arc penned by a witty Brit... a faux Neil Gaiman, basically, delivering another 'Sandman', since Gaiman was the only thing related to comics they knew or cared about. But then Ennis turned it all backwards and upside-down and inside-out. There were vampires, but the main vampire and sidekick -- Cassidy -- was very 'Near Dark', and nowhere near Anne Rice. There was a Seraphim fucking a demoness in a romantic corner of the metaphysical DMZ. There was an immortal assassin that heaven called in for acts of trans-nuclear smiting, called 'The Saint of Killers'... similar to a High Plains Drifter/Unforgiven-era Eastwood, he stepped into this bizarre role after a frontier-era killing spree was followed by post-mortem killing-spree in hell, and then a POST-post-mortem killing spree back on earth. There was a super-secret religious order that was immensely powerful, exerting it's irresistible influence over governments around the globe, and dead-set on triggering Armageddon to trot out a new Jesus... or at least the true descendant of Jesus, his bloodline kept 'pure' by way of a 2000-year-old brother-sister incest policy... yielding a smelly, illiterate, microcephalic Jesus so dumb he flings shit like a monkey and drools. In short, Ennis opened a lot of eyes about what comics could and could not do. Writers could embrace the crazy. He showed comic fans that big risks could produce amazing stories, even at 'the big two'. His major area of expertise has always been military history, with a minor in the mythology of the American Frontier. This historical acumen is reinforced by the blackest of black humor, demonstrated both in his classic War Stories: Volume 1 - 2, for Vertigo, and Battlefields, for Dynamite Entertainment.
His influence on the current generation of comic writers is profound, and one of the most obvious examples is Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. Reading the first couple story arc's, I couldn't help but wonder what Garth Ennis would do with the Zombie Apocalypse premise; as it happened, I didn't have to wait long to find out. Warren Ellis is responsible for first using indie-publisher Avatar's laissez-faire editorial approach to publish the stories that DC had rejected. That worked well enough for all concerned, and attracted an impressive group of foul-mouthed big-name writers, like Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Hickman, and of course, Garth Ennis. There were a few titles of varying quality before Ennis created 'Crossed', but it's clearly the best of his Avatar series... and perhaps his best work in comics. It ignores the Romero-type Zombies of The Walking Dead for a slightly readjusted take on the 'Rabid Dog' Zombie epidemic of 28 Days Later.
The diner-scene (Top) - the crazy gets crazier, and the infection takes hold before anyone knows what’s happening. The survivors are forced to hide and scavenge, making plans without any reliable information (Middle). Some effective promotional art by Jacen Burrows (Bottom):
Just as many Ennis fans predicted, he is perfectly suited for the kind of story he delivers in 'Crossed', unquestionably the most gut-wrenching, horrifying series ever produced. I've seen over-top-violence and depravity from artists like Johnny Ryan (Prison Pit), ero-guro horror by Shintaro Kago (Anamorphosis) and Suehiro Maruo (Ultra-Gash Inferno), and underground shock-meister S. Clay Wilson. 'Crossed' was more disturbing. Ennis' ability to create convincing and memorable characters, natural, witty dialogue, and a seemingly endless array of terrifying dilemmas remains unrivalled. Crossed is impossible to quit reading, making it a must-have book for horror fans. Although it doesn't have the long-term, epic scope of The Walking Dead, Crossed outdoes Kirkman in every other way. The Crossed themselves are something more credible and terrifying than zombies; there is nothing supernatural about them -- they don't possess the freakish appearance of an animated corpse that is halfway to becoming a skeleton -- but the Crossed are much worse: humans without conscience or mercy, indulging the most sick and brutal whims without fear of consequence.
After being infected through exposure to diseased blood or fluids, the newly infected victim has seconds before becoming symptomatic. A raw, bleeding rash running under the eyes and down the nose from just above the brow gives the Crossed their name; once they've turned, new 'vectors' transform into cackling, grinning obscenities driven to rape, torture and kill every uninfected being they come across. Regardless of age, gender or race, each of the Crossed displays the same singular determination to do harm -- mothers murder their infants, children butcher their siblings, and so on. They show no fear and care about themselves only insofar as staying uninjured allows them to kill and/or infect others. Perhaps worst of all, their homicidal insanity does not keep some of them from retaining their ability to operate vehicles and firearms, and they display a demonic intelligence and imagination when it relates to tracking and hunting down prey.
This sequence from the first chapter declared war on reader expectations, and the allegorical implications of monsters performing evil under the sign of the cross... in god's name, the sickest of violent crimes become just. It also used the superstitious insanity behind Joel's decision to expose the ridiculous and desperate nature of all spiritual 'faith' (otherwise known as ignorance celebrated as virtue):
It's pretty fucked up...
Jacen Burrows, one of Avatar's most popular artists, plays a large role in the book's success. The only consistent weakness in Garth Ennis' projects are the people he chooses to work with, usually friends of his like Steve Dillon, John McCrea, and Carlos Ezquerra, all of whom are mediocre hacks. Jacen Burrows, on the other hand, is a rapidly improving artist, blending North American and European influences in a weird, somehow awkward way that still manages to be appealing... I think he'd be better served with someone other than the garish colorists behind most of the Avatar titles, but it's hard to say. He's not a great artist, by any means, but he does research when he needs to and doesn't rely on the shortcuts and repetition of the deadline-kings. His clean-line style depicts the most heinous atrocities in revolting detail, and his vision of the Crossed and their savage, pitiless expressions of mirth match Ennis' intentions exactly. He understands that human beings are far more terrifying than any monster.
One of the factors that continue to differentiate Crossed from the rest of the crowd is the writer's determination to present the reality of such an unbelievably awful catastrophe; there are no sudden heroics, no miraculous escapes, no acts of redemption. And when the worst happens, when the charismatic would-be savior and the innocent children he's trying to protect are cornered, and the most monstrous acts are about to be committed, Ennis refuses to shut the camera down, so to speak, he does not 'cut away'... the would-be savior panics, and attempts to save himself, but fails. The children are tortured and killed.
I've been a horror fan for a long time, and I've been fascinated by violence and the ugliest aspects of human nature for as long as I can remember, as if I might inoculate myself with the atrocity exhibition that is our past. But I was still shocked by parts of Crossed, and avoided the sequels that weren't written by Ennis for a while, before hearing positive reviews of the better 'Badlands' story-arcs from respected bastions of criticism like 'The Comics Journal'. This is hardcore survival horror at its most brutal, and I recommend it highly to those who have a strong stomach for this type of story; anyone else should probably skip it.
P.S.: I've often asked myself, after reading works like this, what is preferable (in an ethical sense): comics that skillfully create stories and characters in which violence is sickening and shocking, leaving an indelible stain on the reader's mind; or comics in which the reader senses the target on each character's back immediately, using formulaic plots and clichés to an extent that the violence is anticipated, and when the bodies drop there is no shock or lasting memory? In my opinion, Ennis is being ethical even at his most gratuitous, by refusing to let us get comfortable with killing. Violence should never be taken lightly. Stories that do so lie to the reader. Selling bullshit notions of heroism on the battlefield, bloodless deaths, and poignant last words, led to an army of naïve boys who couldn't reconcile the nightmare of the trenches in WWI with the dreams of glorious combat the books of the time inspired.
August 21, 2015
Crossed takes all of those familiar zombie tropes and... well, what does Crossed do with them? what is Ennis' intent here? I'm not sure I can answer that successfully. but I can make an educated guess from a bit that comes early on: humanity is jaded; nothing's shocking, Jane; horror is nothing to us... and so Crossed attempts to provide an antibiotic to this sad state of affairs... and so Crossed will show you things your jaded mind will never have imagined; Crossed will genuinely shock you with how bad things can be. I don't think this is Ennis' specific purpose in creating Crossed - there is a lot of vague and sorta shallow moralism slash hey check out the relativity of morality that I'll get to later - but it is clear to me that brutalizing the reader out their perceived complacency is this series' underlying and perhaps unconscious objective. Crossed yearns to fuck you and your complacency up, dear reader.
brief synopsis: some kind of event causes a lot of people to turn into subhuman - but living! these are not actual zombies - monsters who want to mutilate, torture, rape, debase, and kill you. all of you! they become marked with a red discoloration on their faces in the shape of a cross. our small band of protagonists deal with life on the run, have various sickening and disturbing adventures, and mainly just try to survive, somehow. or not. suicide is always present as an option.
Crossed takes that premise and loads it with some of the most repulsive and disturbing imagery and plot twists imaginable. its most infamous splash page, of sorts: a horrifyingly mutilated husband and wife being raped while their young daughter is literally pulled apart. that image comes early on and its intent is clear: FUCK YOU IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE EASY. a message to the characters; a message to the reader. I'm not sure if I appreciate that message so much but the point is certainly made crystal clear. viscerally clear. a visceral message plus actual viscera.
Ennis attempts to pose some serious moral questions through a couple unusual decisions made by its two leads. SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH! at one point our two leads execute a bunch of children who have turned to cannibalism. mind you, not Evil Crossed Children but 'normal' kids who are surviving by capturing, killing, eating their fellow travelers - under the tutelage of their protective former schoolteacher. at another point, an annoying character kicks a loveable dog. our annoyed protagonist shoots that annoying character dead. both of these murderous actions create many opportunities for rather eye-rolling contemplation by our hero. did he do the right thing in the first situation? yes, he thinks, and the author appears to agree, but gosh that was a tough situation, right? did he do the right thing in the second situation? no, he thinks, so he better watch out so he doesn't turn into the kinda guy who does that regularly. why, he'd be no better than one of those infernal Crossed! sorry Ennis, but FAIL. as far as posing moral questions go, those are two really tortured examples of A Moral Situation Deserving of Serious Contemplation. he should probably leave such things to deeper thinkers.
ok if any of the above sounds like I did not enjoy this one, then my apologies. Crossed is good. overall Ennis is a very interesting writer, his dialogue expertly skirts cheesiness while still being fairly pulpy, his characters are well-done, and the narrative is really compelling. this one was read with tightly clutched hands and much pleasurable anxiety. a smart book overall. and the art is rather fantastic - Jacen Burrows is a young master at the form and for all the horrid imagery, it was also quite striking and even beautiful at times. particularly disturbing: the Crossed are often drawn as repellent grotesques, but just as often they are drawn as roughly attractive, even sexy. an interesting choice and it made the experience all the more unnerving.
plus a happy ending! well not really. sorta.
brief synopsis: some kind of event causes a lot of people to turn into subhuman - but living! these are not actual zombies - monsters who want to mutilate, torture, rape, debase, and kill you. all of you! they become marked with a red discoloration on their faces in the shape of a cross. our small band of protagonists deal with life on the run, have various sickening and disturbing adventures, and mainly just try to survive, somehow. or not. suicide is always present as an option.
Crossed takes that premise and loads it with some of the most repulsive and disturbing imagery and plot twists imaginable. its most infamous splash page, of sorts: a horrifyingly mutilated husband and wife being raped while their young daughter is literally pulled apart. that image comes early on and its intent is clear: FUCK YOU IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE EASY. a message to the characters; a message to the reader. I'm not sure if I appreciate that message so much but the point is certainly made crystal clear. viscerally clear. a visceral message plus actual viscera.
Ennis attempts to pose some serious moral questions through a couple unusual decisions made by its two leads. SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH! at one point our two leads execute a bunch of children who have turned to cannibalism. mind you, not Evil Crossed Children but 'normal' kids who are surviving by capturing, killing, eating their fellow travelers - under the tutelage of their protective former schoolteacher. at another point, an annoying character kicks a loveable dog. our annoyed protagonist shoots that annoying character dead. both of these murderous actions create many opportunities for rather eye-rolling contemplation by our hero. did he do the right thing in the first situation? yes, he thinks, and the author appears to agree, but gosh that was a tough situation, right? did he do the right thing in the second situation? no, he thinks, so he better watch out so he doesn't turn into the kinda guy who does that regularly. why, he'd be no better than one of those infernal Crossed! sorry Ennis, but FAIL. as far as posing moral questions go, those are two really tortured examples of A Moral Situation Deserving of Serious Contemplation. he should probably leave such things to deeper thinkers.
ok if any of the above sounds like I did not enjoy this one, then my apologies. Crossed is good. overall Ennis is a very interesting writer, his dialogue expertly skirts cheesiness while still being fairly pulpy, his characters are well-done, and the narrative is really compelling. this one was read with tightly clutched hands and much pleasurable anxiety. a smart book overall. and the art is rather fantastic - Jacen Burrows is a young master at the form and for all the horrid imagery, it was also quite striking and even beautiful at times. particularly disturbing: the Crossed are often drawn as repellent grotesques, but just as often they are drawn as roughly attractive, even sexy. an interesting choice and it made the experience all the more unnerving.
plus a happy ending! well not really. sorta.
November 16, 2015
Apocalypse: Max
Ennis on a zombie book – what do you expect? Well, and that’s exactly what you get. Which is a good thing, in a way - we all know how entertaining that good old Ennis naughtiness can be. Unfortunately, though, this kind of predictability also makes the whole gory enterprise a little redundant... I mean, how slimy can an apocalypse get?
As you would expect from Ennis, his zombies don’t just shuffle around aimlessly with their arms held up in front of them, biting the occasional person they happen to bump into: no, they are strong-willed, goal-oriented, fast, nasty, horny little fuckers who say things like “I smell cunt” or “I’ll put it up your ass” or “Fuckin split tail bite your tits off” (if I read that correctly), and who are generally into rape and torture and the like. It’s what Marvel would call Apocalypse: Max, I guess - a grizzlier and naughtier version of your run-of-the-mill apocalypse, one that pumps up the volume to eleven, with people falling from the sky and stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, if anything deserves an x-rated version it's the apocalypse, and Crossed Vol.1 has some wonderfully chaotic and depraved Ennis goodness to offer – much appreciated! It’s just that the whole mess does not really add up to much as far as I can tell… unless you want to let Garth get away with his I’m-fighting-the-complacent-numbness-of-mass-audiences-by-shocking-them-with-even-grizzlier-materials routine, that is. Which always feels a whee bit phony to me. Still, I love Garth, I’ll keep reading.
Ennis on a zombie book – what do you expect? Well, and that’s exactly what you get. Which is a good thing, in a way - we all know how entertaining that good old Ennis naughtiness can be. Unfortunately, though, this kind of predictability also makes the whole gory enterprise a little redundant... I mean, how slimy can an apocalypse get?
As you would expect from Ennis, his zombies don’t just shuffle around aimlessly with their arms held up in front of them, biting the occasional person they happen to bump into: no, they are strong-willed, goal-oriented, fast, nasty, horny little fuckers who say things like “I smell cunt” or “I’ll put it up your ass” or “Fuckin split tail bite your tits off” (if I read that correctly), and who are generally into rape and torture and the like. It’s what Marvel would call Apocalypse: Max, I guess - a grizzlier and naughtier version of your run-of-the-mill apocalypse, one that pumps up the volume to eleven, with people falling from the sky and stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, if anything deserves an x-rated version it's the apocalypse, and Crossed Vol.1 has some wonderfully chaotic and depraved Ennis goodness to offer – much appreciated! It’s just that the whole mess does not really add up to much as far as I can tell… unless you want to let Garth get away with his I’m-fighting-the-complacent-numbness-of-mass-audiences-by-shocking-them-with-even-grizzlier-materials routine, that is. Which always feels a whee bit phony to me. Still, I love Garth, I’ll keep reading.
May 20, 2015
Three and a half stars.
“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”
Not from where I’m sitting, Timbuk3, you one hit wonders.
Ask Robert Kirkman, ask the people who came up with Resident Evil and The Crazies, ask Garth Ennis.
“Mr. Ennis, is the future going to be bright, shiny and rosy?”
“Jeff, we’re all screwed”
It’s another unexplained phenomenon that comes along and infects most of the population, this time, turning them into “foul-mouthed, cannibal rapists”.
So the survivors want to hustle their non-infected rear-ends to Alaska because the prevailing theory is that because that state is not as densely populated, there won’t be a lot of foul-mouthed, cannibal rapists to avoid. On the way, people fall into the clutches of the infected, secrets are revealed, a pecking order is established, hands are wrung, hard decisions are made and much is brooded over.
I’m not big on horror; the only reason I picked this up is because my library doesn’t order a lot of Garth Ennis. I guess this one slipped through the cracks. I’d say Ennis did a commendable job trying to make the circumstances here as unique as possible, but at the end of the day, if you aren’t invested in the people populating the story then it’s not worth your time.
If horror’s in your wheel house of interest, check it out; otherwise, caveat emptor.
The art: It’s incredibly graphic. Don’t leave it around for those with impressionable minds to pick up. I’m talking double-page spreads of stomach-churning mayhem.
“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.”
Not from where I’m sitting, Timbuk3, you one hit wonders.
Ask Robert Kirkman, ask the people who came up with Resident Evil and The Crazies, ask Garth Ennis.
“Mr. Ennis, is the future going to be bright, shiny and rosy?”
“Jeff, we’re all screwed”
It’s another unexplained phenomenon that comes along and infects most of the population, this time, turning them into “foul-mouthed, cannibal rapists”.
So the survivors want to hustle their non-infected rear-ends to Alaska because the prevailing theory is that because that state is not as densely populated, there won’t be a lot of foul-mouthed, cannibal rapists to avoid. On the way, people fall into the clutches of the infected, secrets are revealed, a pecking order is established, hands are wrung, hard decisions are made and much is brooded over.
I’m not big on horror; the only reason I picked this up is because my library doesn’t order a lot of Garth Ennis. I guess this one slipped through the cracks. I’d say Ennis did a commendable job trying to make the circumstances here as unique as possible, but at the end of the day, if you aren’t invested in the people populating the story then it’s not worth your time.
If horror’s in your wheel house of interest, check it out; otherwise, caveat emptor.
The art: It’s incredibly graphic. Don’t leave it around for those with impressionable minds to pick up. I’m talking double-page spreads of stomach-churning mayhem.
December 30, 2020
Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows have created a seriously warped, evil runs amok world, where a plague causes people to have a weeping bloody cross appear on their faces and sees them being utterly consumed by their base desires.
A shocking and outrageous (triggers abound) portrayal of human debasement is tempered by an impressive analysis of the human condition of the people that manage to survive. Easily, in my opinion, Ennis' most controversial work that I've read so far! A top notch must-read horror book, but be warned explicit sex, violence, gore, killing etc both text and also visually, not for anyone remotely sensitive! 9.5 out of 12.
A shocking and outrageous (triggers abound) portrayal of human debasement is tempered by an impressive analysis of the human condition of the people that manage to survive. Easily, in my opinion, Ennis' most controversial work that I've read so far! A top notch must-read horror book, but be warned explicit sex, violence, gore, killing etc both text and also visually, not for anyone remotely sensitive! 9.5 out of 12.
October 5, 2015
Crossed was a bit of a mixed bag for me, I was a bit bored with things early doors and it was only when a horsescock, not attached to a horse but in the hands of the crossed apocalypse showed up that interest developed. Don't really know the origins of the crossed virus but the infected end up with a cross on their face and nefarious intent to kill, rape and other general fuckedupidness.
So the interesting thing is most certainly the infected crossed, they are not slow shuffling head chopping off targets, nor are they supercharged fast moving World War Z type zombies. No these are much worse in the grand scheme of things, malevolent and evil, vicious and possessed of thought and the ability to plan, they can drive, shoot weapons and they kill with no remorse.
Our small band of heroes head toward Alaska (if memory serves) in search of safety, chased by horsescock and a limbless monkey with a bunch of psychos. Horsescock is a rather big, evil looking crossed bloke who carries a big horses cock in his hand and likes to beat people to death with it. As weapons go, this is a pretty unique one, good for close quarters combat but not really suitable for long range follies.
I never really felt anything for the characters, wasn't bothered in the slightest whether they survived or got fucked by the nut jobs. When I think of The Walking Dead and how brilliant the cast are, this doesn't compare but then the violence and disturbing artwork in places had me thinking, yeah that's pretty wicked. So some good, some snoring but not bad, all told.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
So the interesting thing is most certainly the infected crossed, they are not slow shuffling head chopping off targets, nor are they supercharged fast moving World War Z type zombies. No these are much worse in the grand scheme of things, malevolent and evil, vicious and possessed of thought and the ability to plan, they can drive, shoot weapons and they kill with no remorse.
Our small band of heroes head toward Alaska (if memory serves) in search of safety, chased by horsescock and a limbless monkey with a bunch of psychos. Horsescock is a rather big, evil looking crossed bloke who carries a big horses cock in his hand and likes to beat people to death with it. As weapons go, this is a pretty unique one, good for close quarters combat but not really suitable for long range follies.
I never really felt anything for the characters, wasn't bothered in the slightest whether they survived or got fucked by the nut jobs. When I think of The Walking Dead and how brilliant the cast are, this doesn't compare but then the violence and disturbing artwork in places had me thinking, yeah that's pretty wicked. So some good, some snoring but not bad, all told.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
September 18, 2011
I love Garth Ennis, he's one of the few writers I would buy if I saw his name on the cover simply because I know he can deliver. His series "The Boys" is superb and his past successes speak for themselves - Preacher, Chronicles of Wormwood, the Kev series, all gold. But Crossed? Uh... not so good.
The story is that an event happens - we don't know what it is, we're never told, but the deepest darkest places in humanity's capabilities are suddenly unleashed and those who become infected or "crossed" become psychopathic rapist murderers. The few who survive, those whose story we follow, do their best to survive, wandering from place to place looking for food, shelter, basic things. And that's it.
It's a very threadbare plot to hang a nearly 200 page book on. Why is this happening? The tantalising reason is never expressed. An experiment gone wrong, alien forces, chemical weapons, Ennis doesn't care and the reader is just thrown into it. The characters? We barely know them, in fact the bare minimum again is told to us so that when they inevitably die in horrific ways, we don't care because we never knew them to start with.
The book seems to have been an excuse for Ennis and Burrows (who does an excellent job by the way drawing this book) to put together some of the most f-ed up scenes you've ever seen and then shrug as if to say "hey, that's humanity when you get right down to it".
Now I'm no prude so despite the excessive gore and violence throughout I won't say I was put off the book because of that, but what put me off the book ultimately was that it was boring. Surprisingly, yes it's a boring comic book from Garth Ennis. The characters wander about in a desolate landscape that we've seen countless times in films, and then occasionally something horrific happens like a murder and then they continue wandering about. Dull dialogue, characters in the barest sense, and no glimpse of a plot or a goal the characters were moving toward besides surviving the next attack of "crossed" people. So you just had a bunch of different landscapes filled with boring people saying nothing and continuing in this vein for 180+ pages.
Of course this hasn't put me off of Ennis or Burrows' work in the future but "Crossed" was certainly a disappointment. The lack of ideas besides highlighting the depravity of humans wasn't enough to make this book a worthwhile read, but worst of all for such a talented writer as Ennis was how boring it was, and that was more shocking than the violence within.
The story is that an event happens - we don't know what it is, we're never told, but the deepest darkest places in humanity's capabilities are suddenly unleashed and those who become infected or "crossed" become psychopathic rapist murderers. The few who survive, those whose story we follow, do their best to survive, wandering from place to place looking for food, shelter, basic things. And that's it.
It's a very threadbare plot to hang a nearly 200 page book on. Why is this happening? The tantalising reason is never expressed. An experiment gone wrong, alien forces, chemical weapons, Ennis doesn't care and the reader is just thrown into it. The characters? We barely know them, in fact the bare minimum again is told to us so that when they inevitably die in horrific ways, we don't care because we never knew them to start with.
The book seems to have been an excuse for Ennis and Burrows (who does an excellent job by the way drawing this book) to put together some of the most f-ed up scenes you've ever seen and then shrug as if to say "hey, that's humanity when you get right down to it".
Now I'm no prude so despite the excessive gore and violence throughout I won't say I was put off the book because of that, but what put me off the book ultimately was that it was boring. Surprisingly, yes it's a boring comic book from Garth Ennis. The characters wander about in a desolate landscape that we've seen countless times in films, and then occasionally something horrific happens like a murder and then they continue wandering about. Dull dialogue, characters in the barest sense, and no glimpse of a plot or a goal the characters were moving toward besides surviving the next attack of "crossed" people. So you just had a bunch of different landscapes filled with boring people saying nothing and continuing in this vein for 180+ pages.
Of course this hasn't put me off of Ennis or Burrows' work in the future but "Crossed" was certainly a disappointment. The lack of ideas besides highlighting the depravity of humans wasn't enough to make this book a worthwhile read, but worst of all for such a talented writer as Ennis was how boring it was, and that was more shocking than the violence within.
July 29, 2017
With Preacher's Garth Ennis and Neonomicon/Providence's Jacen Burrows. Crossed is definitely a good read, right?
Wrong.
This is from a reader who gets a certain guilty pleasure with gore and death. Volume one of Crossed crosses that moral line many times but didn't get to the satisfaction I wanted from reading such material. If gore and violence upsets you then Crossed is definitely a no-no in your read list. It displays a certain imagery that will definitely twist your mind and soul (so thanks, Jacen Burrows?).
Going back, the thing that I do not want about Crossed is the story. The first volume is really an "in the moment" type of story. If done correctly, sacrificing character development and plot in favor of emphasizing the events currently drawn in the panels will effectively convey to the readers the feeling of actually experiencing those events themselves, be it the hopelessness and despair, or the glimmer of hope that sparks out of small talks. But Crossed vol. 1 doesn't really go know it's own direction; Is it a dumb gorefest or band of people on a mission? This perhaps is the reason why I'm not satisfied with the book.
This is not the Garth Ennis I have expected. His Preacher was phenomenal. Crossed is just meh. Perhaps the other volumes will shed some more light about this world.
Wrong.
This is from a reader who gets a certain guilty pleasure with gore and death. Volume one of Crossed crosses that moral line many times but didn't get to the satisfaction I wanted from reading such material. If gore and violence upsets you then Crossed is definitely a no-no in your read list. It displays a certain imagery that will definitely twist your mind and soul (so thanks, Jacen Burrows?).
Going back, the thing that I do not want about Crossed is the story. The first volume is really an "in the moment" type of story. If done correctly, sacrificing character development and plot in favor of emphasizing the events currently drawn in the panels will effectively convey to the readers the feeling of actually experiencing those events themselves, be it the hopelessness and despair, or the glimmer of hope that sparks out of small talks. But Crossed vol. 1 doesn't really go know it's own direction; Is it a dumb gorefest or band of people on a mission? This perhaps is the reason why I'm not satisfied with the book.
This is not the Garth Ennis I have expected. His Preacher was phenomenal. Crossed is just meh. Perhaps the other volumes will shed some more light about this world.
June 12, 2016
Garth Ennis' turn at the Walking Dead. Like he read it and said "That's good but it could do with more horse penis." Definitely a few 'Holy shit, G.E.' moments. Somewhat predictable though. 3.5 stars.
April 12, 2011
Essentially this book was Ennis' attempt to write a zombie book but at the same time show how edgy and cool he was by making the zombies swear continuously and rape everything in sight. The humor is adolescent and the villains are ridiculous.Basically its about a virus that, instead of just making everyone mindlessly violent, makes them evil; once they turn they immediately start saying the c-word and raping everyone around them. It doesn't really make sense to me that this virus would give everyone new personalities. Ennis also tries to do the classic hard moral choices in a dark world and it sometimes works and it sometimes comes across as silly, adolescent, and unintelligent. I wasn't scared, I wasn't horrified, I was mostly just annoyed and every time I started to get into the story something idiotic would pull me out of it. That being said I did enjoy the last one or two chapters but its not worth plodding through to get to it.
June 24, 2015
Ok, buckle up kids.
First off there is a massive trigger warning for just about everything in this book. Seriously, Ennis, you need to talk to someone because I don't want to open up a newspaper and have to read about you.
Look, I understand that this is a horror comic. It's set in a world where everyone's morality is removed and they act on base impulses. They kill. They rape. They torture. And they do it in the most grossest possible ways (yes, even the way you are thinking of now). But there still has to be a story. Characters still need to be developed. Maybe if Ennis spent a little bit more time fleshing out the basics to the story instead of illustrating some disturbing fantasies, the story would be better.
I mean, yes, the characters have to make some tough decisions. The story was kind of interesting. I get that the "Crossed" are supposed to be "just like regular humans!" But it's like someone took a typical zombie movie and tried to make it more edgy.
It has some fucked up shit in it. I was fully aware of that going in. But the supposed shock value is only there to distract you from the other failings of the story.
But seriously, talk to someone Ennis.
First off there is a massive trigger warning for just about everything in this book. Seriously, Ennis, you need to talk to someone because I don't want to open up a newspaper and have to read about you.
Look, I understand that this is a horror comic. It's set in a world where everyone's morality is removed and they act on base impulses. They kill. They rape. They torture. And they do it in the most grossest possible ways (yes, even the way you are thinking of now). But there still has to be a story. Characters still need to be developed. Maybe if Ennis spent a little bit more time fleshing out the basics to the story instead of illustrating some disturbing fantasies, the story would be better.
I mean, yes, the characters have to make some tough decisions. The story was kind of interesting. I get that the "Crossed" are supposed to be "just like regular humans!" But it's like someone took a typical zombie movie and tried to make it more edgy.
It has some fucked up shit in it. I was fully aware of that going in. But the supposed shock value is only there to distract you from the other failings of the story.
But seriously, talk to someone Ennis.
May 9, 2019
I... whew. I don't even know what to make of what I just read. I don't think I've ever seen a graphic novel with so much gore, violence, rape, and dismemberment in my life, and Garth Ennis really doesn't hold back on those character deaths and shocking moments. If you enjoy extreme horror and gore, definitely pick up a copy of Crossed, but if you're squeamish at all, give it a pass.
Content warnings for murder, gratuitous violence, torture, rape, ableist and homophobic slurs, child death
Content warnings for murder, gratuitous violence, torture, rape, ableist and homophobic slurs, child death
June 1, 2016
Trigger warning for the book:
Rape, murder, gore, infanticide, nudity, disembowelment, etc.
Okay, this was one of the most twisted things I have ever read, and I actually like reading horrifying things. This is not a zombie book whatsoever. This is post-apocalyptic, and the origins of the "virus" are unclear. To describe to you what happens to these people when they are "infected," I will include a phenomenal passage from the book:
Now, I love that quote. It made me like the book more. Because the rape scenes and infanticide were extremely off-putting. And in the beginning, this fell into the trope that the Walking Dead did with sacrificing a lot of character development in favor of having a lot of violence and a ton of characters. But it's easier to keep up as they die off.
Overall, if I could pick up volume 2 for free somewhere, I would probably read it. Otherwise, I'm not exactly salivating over the next volume. I think I need time to forget how this book scarred me for life.
Artwork: A
Plot: A
Dialogue: B-
Characters: B-
Rape, murder, gore, infanticide, nudity, disembowelment, etc.
Okay, this was one of the most twisted things I have ever read, and I actually like reading horrifying things. This is not a zombie book whatsoever. This is post-apocalyptic, and the origins of the "virus" are unclear. To describe to you what happens to these people when they are "infected," I will include a phenomenal passage from the book:
"They were all the awful aspects of humanity magnified a hundred-thousandfold, but they were nothing more. Where did they come from? Us. They were every brute. Every sadist. Every rapist, pedophile, renderer and torturer. Every ethnic cleanser, serial murderer, zealot, tyrant, holy killer. Every terrorist and bomber. Every smirking criminal in office. Every shitty, cruel parent who should never have had kids. And every bad, debasing thing that men and women have to do to deal with evil, the marks left slashed across our souls."
Now, I love that quote. It made me like the book more. Because the rape scenes and infanticide were extremely off-putting. And in the beginning, this fell into the trope that the Walking Dead did with sacrificing a lot of character development in favor of having a lot of violence and a ton of characters. But it's easier to keep up as they die off.
Overall, if I could pick up volume 2 for free somewhere, I would probably read it. Otherwise, I'm not exactly salivating over the next volume. I think I need time to forget how this book scarred me for life.
Artwork: A
Plot: A
Dialogue: B-
Characters: B-
February 19, 2011
The most intensely amazing thing about this story is how deep it peers into the darkness that is a few brain chemicals imbalances away for each and every one of us. What if your ability and interest in stifling your id - the pure, sociopathic, uninhibited impulses - were utterly removed/prevented from kicking in? The ability of Ennis & Burrows to stare directly into the maw of this near-reality is awe-inspiring and scary - scary not because they must be so f'd up to think of this, but scary because it makes it easy to imagine how little it would take to push a mass of humanity to this brink.
[later I wrote the following in a Goodreads discussion and wanted to share it here as well.]
Read it from my library and then *ran* to buy a hardcover copy from my local bookstore (Powells). Yes it's pretty vile and depraved - but it struck me that the offense was in service of a very strong message or theme.
Man is a violent animal kept barely in check by a few brain cells near the forehead that overrule our immediate-gratification impulses. Few of us ever imagine, let alone experience, what the beast within would do when freed from the shackles.
Ennis is just the sort of sick imaginative soul to be able to show us exactly what that altereality looks like - vividly. Not an opportunity I would ever want to have missed.
Many other highly-regarded authors would write in a lot of philosophical padding around the harsh action/gore being illustrated. It's not that Crossed is devoid of any reflection, but I found the moralizing was left up to the reader - which is challenging with such "raw" material. (I very much enjoy that mental space to reflect on my own, but I understand when others find that hard - when the material doesn't lend any safe places to work from.)
[later I wrote the following in a Goodreads discussion and wanted to share it here as well.]
Read it from my library and then *ran* to buy a hardcover copy from my local bookstore (Powells). Yes it's pretty vile and depraved - but it struck me that the offense was in service of a very strong message or theme.
Man is a violent animal kept barely in check by a few brain cells near the forehead that overrule our immediate-gratification impulses. Few of us ever imagine, let alone experience, what the beast within would do when freed from the shackles.
Ennis is just the sort of sick imaginative soul to be able to show us exactly what that altereality looks like - vividly. Not an opportunity I would ever want to have missed.
Many other highly-regarded authors would write in a lot of philosophical padding around the harsh action/gore being illustrated. It's not that Crossed is devoid of any reflection, but I found the moralizing was left up to the reader - which is challenging with such "raw" material. (I very much enjoy that mental space to reflect on my own, but I understand when others find that hard - when the material doesn't lend any safe places to work from.)
February 8, 2011
this book was utter shit until the last few issues. and i'm kind of irritated i payed 30 bucks for it.
reading Crossed is like reading through the journal of an adolescent trying his best to show how weird and fucked up he is, through a bunch of bad drawings. i kept hearing about how disturbing the book is and, honestly, i just don't see it. looking at pictures of goofy dudes humping severed limbs and circle-jerking around corpses, with big-ass comical grins on their faces is not disturbing; it's juvenile. basically r-rated, dick-and-fart joke mentality. maybe it was just the art that came across this way, but up until around issue 8 of 10, the art was all i had to keep me company. there was literally no story. the characters weren't engaging. i didn't give a shit if any of them lived or died. just a bunch of throw-away avatars wandering from "shocking scene" to "shocking scene".
i would only give a 1-star rating to something so bad, i couldn't finish. i was planning on giving this book 2 stars for being garbage that i managed to get through; however, it does pick up. and it picks up enough to knock its rating up to 3-stars. unfortunately, it only does so as the series is coming to a close.
save your money. read Preacher :)
reading Crossed is like reading through the journal of an adolescent trying his best to show how weird and fucked up he is, through a bunch of bad drawings. i kept hearing about how disturbing the book is and, honestly, i just don't see it. looking at pictures of goofy dudes humping severed limbs and circle-jerking around corpses, with big-ass comical grins on their faces is not disturbing; it's juvenile. basically r-rated, dick-and-fart joke mentality. maybe it was just the art that came across this way, but up until around issue 8 of 10, the art was all i had to keep me company. there was literally no story. the characters weren't engaging. i didn't give a shit if any of them lived or died. just a bunch of throw-away avatars wandering from "shocking scene" to "shocking scene".
i would only give a 1-star rating to something so bad, i couldn't finish. i was planning on giving this book 2 stars for being garbage that i managed to get through; however, it does pick up. and it picks up enough to knock its rating up to 3-stars. unfortunately, it only does so as the series is coming to a close.
save your money. read Preacher :)
May 28, 2017
Id been wanting to read this series for a while, so I'm finally getting around to it.
The series deals with an apocalypse that develops after a virus outbreak. The virus seems to leave a bloody cross on the victims faces, so the infected come to be known as the "crossed." Now, there are a lot of similarities to this book and The Walking Dead (as well as other zombie outbreak stories.) However, this is much more than that, and this situation is so much worse. This virus brings out the absolute worst in people. Rape, murder, cannibalism, all of this is suddenly commonplace. The problem being, even though the virus drives people insane, they still retain most of their intellect. Think of The Walking Dead if the zombies could use guns, drive, plan. The uninfected humans aren't dealing with shambling monsters trying to eat their brains and rotting to pieces, they are dealing with humans almost as smart as they are who want to do much worse to them than just eat them. Zombies don't torture, but the Crossed LOVE to torture. Whatever the Crossed could do before they are infected, they seem to retain. So a sniper becomes an evil sniper, a soldier becomes an evil soldier, etc. It's a really scary concept when you think about it, and this is a very disturbing comic, but entertaining as hell.
We follow an eclectic band of humans who are attempting to stay ahead of the Crossed, without much of a solid plan in place. There are many twists and turns.
I will warn readers, this is a VERY dark and graphic book. No one is safe, and there's not a happy ending in sight. I'm a huge Garth Ennis fan, and this is him at his best. The art from Jacen Burrows is top notch as well. This one isn't for everyone, but if you like graphic horror in the style of the Walking Dead, you should at least try out this first volume.
The series deals with an apocalypse that develops after a virus outbreak. The virus seems to leave a bloody cross on the victims faces, so the infected come to be known as the "crossed." Now, there are a lot of similarities to this book and The Walking Dead (as well as other zombie outbreak stories.) However, this is much more than that, and this situation is so much worse. This virus brings out the absolute worst in people. Rape, murder, cannibalism, all of this is suddenly commonplace. The problem being, even though the virus drives people insane, they still retain most of their intellect. Think of The Walking Dead if the zombies could use guns, drive, plan. The uninfected humans aren't dealing with shambling monsters trying to eat their brains and rotting to pieces, they are dealing with humans almost as smart as they are who want to do much worse to them than just eat them. Zombies don't torture, but the Crossed LOVE to torture. Whatever the Crossed could do before they are infected, they seem to retain. So a sniper becomes an evil sniper, a soldier becomes an evil soldier, etc. It's a really scary concept when you think about it, and this is a very disturbing comic, but entertaining as hell.
We follow an eclectic band of humans who are attempting to stay ahead of the Crossed, without much of a solid plan in place. There are many twists and turns.
I will warn readers, this is a VERY dark and graphic book. No one is safe, and there's not a happy ending in sight. I'm a huge Garth Ennis fan, and this is him at his best. The art from Jacen Burrows is top notch as well. This one isn't for everyone, but if you like graphic horror in the style of the Walking Dead, you should at least try out this first volume.
September 22, 2017
Well, I can say I have actually read this and I gotta say, it's better than I thought it would be.
What's it about?
A mysterious virus that comes out of nowhere infects a bunch of people. Sounds normal, right? Well, this virus turns those who get infected into insane sadists. Of course most of the world is infected now and this story focuses on a group of survivors trying to survive and not get infected.
Pros:
The story is very interesting and well written. From the way some people talk about it, I was half-expecting it to just be shock-valuey dumb stuff and nothing else but I was wrong. This is very similar to The Walking Dead but it's more... Ennis-y (?) and I like that.
The characters are interesting and it definitely makes the reader care what happens to them.
The art is extremely well done, great job, Burrows!
This book is very intense and the action scenes are pretty fantastic and gripping.
This is not a predictable story.
There's a bit of humor surprisingly. I would not call it a funny book and it's far from being a comedy but there are a few humorous moments that help lighten the mood a teensy bit.
This is a really scary comic. I didn't expect to be scared reading it but holy crap, I was. Sitting there hearing a few noises, looking around me, even made sure the door was locked a few times. It's because unlike the typical zombie scenario the Crossed can think and are capable of doing all kinds of messed up things and readers tend to think about what the situation would be like, especially in these kinds of books and this would be terrifying. Trying to survive would be a crazy experience and what's even worse is the thought of being infected. I couldn't imagine doing all these terrible things to anybody, especially people I care about but that's what this virus makes people do. It's f***in' scary and good job, Ennis, you managed to scare me with fiction and that very rarely happens with me.
There's some interesting commentary about humanity and how twisted people are.
There's a dog and fortunately, he doesn't die or get infected. This is good!
Cons:
The characters may be interesting but there are too many to try keeping track of. This is a common problem I have with survival stories. I'll admit I don't have the greatest attention span in the world but I'm able to figure things out though. This is one of those cases where I'm just enjoying a story and then "Wait, who's that guy? Wasn't this person just killed? What the hell happened to him? Who's (insert name here), again?" so that kinda f***s up my enjoyment of the story and ability to understand what's going on.
While most of the book isn't just shock valuey dumb stuff, certain parts of it are. There's a few filler bits of the infected just doing kinda gross weird things and let's not forget a villain who is actually quite important to the story who beats people to death with a horse c**k (which I'm not gonna lie, it was MILDLY amusing the first time as immature dark humor but gets old pretty quickly).
There are a few plot holes. For example, "where does this virus come from?" and "why do the infected have a cross shape on their faces other than it being a good way to tell who's infected?"
Regarding the infamous violent content:
This really doesn't change my opinion on the quality of the book, it's still something I wanted to briefly mention since it's a bit of a controversial thing about this series. Though I don't know about other volumes, this first one honestly in my opinion depicts it graphically enough but not too graphically when it's given context. A lot of folks on the internet will tell you it's super gory (gore is depicted at a level that makes sense when characters are injured and/or die which is frequently but it makes sense for the stuff that's happening), full of nudity (there were a few panels, no worse than plenty of other horror comics though) and (the thing I was concerned about) includes frequent rape (I guess if one panel and it being mentioned/implied a fair bit is frequent) but unless I missed a bunch of stuff somehow, those people are really exaggerating (people greatly exaggerate s*** online, imagine that) so I personally don't think it... Crossed... the line though it is still pretty disturbing and possibly the most violent comic I've read (though not the most violent book I've read).
Overall:
I personally really like this comic. If you're a fan of survival horror stories and don't mind seeing messed up things happen to fictional people, I would recommend it. It has a few problems but for the most part it's a great horror story that is almost guaranteed to scare it's readers. The next volume is by a different writer which does make me a little bit concerned but I'm certainly going to be reading more of these twisted yet fascinating tales.
4/5
What's it about?
A mysterious virus that comes out of nowhere infects a bunch of people. Sounds normal, right? Well, this virus turns those who get infected into insane sadists. Of course most of the world is infected now and this story focuses on a group of survivors trying to survive and not get infected.
Pros:
The story is very interesting and well written. From the way some people talk about it, I was half-expecting it to just be shock-valuey dumb stuff and nothing else but I was wrong. This is very similar to The Walking Dead but it's more... Ennis-y (?) and I like that.
The characters are interesting and it definitely makes the reader care what happens to them.
The art is extremely well done, great job, Burrows!
This book is very intense and the action scenes are pretty fantastic and gripping.
This is not a predictable story.
There's a bit of humor surprisingly. I would not call it a funny book and it's far from being a comedy but there are a few humorous moments that help lighten the mood a teensy bit.
This is a really scary comic. I didn't expect to be scared reading it but holy crap, I was. Sitting there hearing a few noises, looking around me, even made sure the door was locked a few times. It's because unlike the typical zombie scenario the Crossed can think and are capable of doing all kinds of messed up things and readers tend to think about what the situation would be like, especially in these kinds of books and this would be terrifying. Trying to survive would be a crazy experience and what's even worse is the thought of being infected. I couldn't imagine doing all these terrible things to anybody, especially people I care about but that's what this virus makes people do. It's f***in' scary and good job, Ennis, you managed to scare me with fiction and that very rarely happens with me.
There's some interesting commentary about humanity and how twisted people are.
There's a dog and fortunately, he doesn't die or get infected. This is good!
Cons:
The characters may be interesting but there are too many to try keeping track of. This is a common problem I have with survival stories. I'll admit I don't have the greatest attention span in the world but I'm able to figure things out though. This is one of those cases where I'm just enjoying a story and then "Wait, who's that guy? Wasn't this person just killed? What the hell happened to him? Who's (insert name here), again?" so that kinda f***s up my enjoyment of the story and ability to understand what's going on.
While most of the book isn't just shock valuey dumb stuff, certain parts of it are. There's a few filler bits of the infected just doing kinda gross weird things and let's not forget a villain who is actually quite important to the story who beats people to death with a horse c**k (which I'm not gonna lie, it was MILDLY amusing the first time as immature dark humor but gets old pretty quickly).
There are a few plot holes. For example, "where does this virus come from?" and "why do the infected have a cross shape on their faces other than it being a good way to tell who's infected?"
Regarding the infamous violent content:
This really doesn't change my opinion on the quality of the book, it's still something I wanted to briefly mention since it's a bit of a controversial thing about this series. Though I don't know about other volumes, this first one honestly in my opinion depicts it graphically enough but not too graphically when it's given context. A lot of folks on the internet will tell you it's super gory (gore is depicted at a level that makes sense when characters are injured and/or die which is frequently but it makes sense for the stuff that's happening), full of nudity (there were a few panels, no worse than plenty of other horror comics though) and (the thing I was concerned about) includes frequent rape (I guess if one panel and it being mentioned/implied a fair bit is frequent) but unless I missed a bunch of stuff somehow, those people are really exaggerating (people greatly exaggerate s*** online, imagine that) so I personally don't think it... Crossed... the line though it is still pretty disturbing and possibly the most violent comic I've read (though not the most violent book I've read).
Overall:
I personally really like this comic. If you're a fan of survival horror stories and don't mind seeing messed up things happen to fictional people, I would recommend it. It has a few problems but for the most part it's a great horror story that is almost guaranteed to scare it's readers. The next volume is by a different writer which does make me a little bit concerned but I'm certainly going to be reading more of these twisted yet fascinating tales.
4/5
December 12, 2023
The Walking Dead on speed.
I'm starting to wonder what Ennis would be like in person. So many of his characters are hideous people. He seems to have a very pessimistic view of human behaviour - I wonder if it's just an interesting plot device, or if he really does think most humans suck. There are a few good human characters in his books, however, they are just rare.
I found this book very interesting. Some parts are very silly and gore-filled, but it's balanced by interesting characters.
I'm starting to wonder what Ennis would be like in person. So many of his characters are hideous people. He seems to have a very pessimistic view of human behaviour - I wonder if it's just an interesting plot device, or if he really does think most humans suck. There are a few good human characters in his books, however, they are just rare.
I found this book very interesting. Some parts are very silly and gore-filled, but it's balanced by interesting characters.
October 25, 2011
Este es un cómic que deja sin palabras.
Pareciera ser el Garth Ennis gamberro de siempre, ese que le gusta pasarse de la raya sólo por joder. Y lo es; sin embargo, a poco andar y justo cuando pareciera que su "sentido del humor" ya no causa gracia, se devela como lo que realmente es: un cuento de horror humanista.
Garth Ennis se pone serio, muy serio.
Recordando que el gran aporte del imaginario zombie que nos heredó Romero es la crítica social, Ennis revisita el fenómeno dándole un giro de tuerca informado. No hay que olvidar que los muertos vivientes no son más que un Macguffin que siempre apunta a lo mismo: mostrar lo peor de la humanidad contemporánea. Sin ánimo de entrar en spoilers, baste decir que Ennis es un genio poniendo en splash pages lo irrelevante del mero ornamento (la carniceria, el gore, el sadismo y la crueldad grosera) para que, tras el impacto, surja la verdadera realidad.
¿Quiénes son los monstruos? La misma incomprendida reflexión de esa obra maestra del género post apocalíptico que es "Soy Leyenda" de Matheson esta dolorosamente imbuída en esta obra de un Ennis maduro, que se renueva de la mejor manera sin defraudar al género-en-si-mismo que es su opus literario.
Jacen Burrows, por su parte, da claramente lo mejor de si. Hay que tener tripas para dibujar lo que pide el guión y ser coherente con la propia cordura, y aún así ser capaz de no perderse en esa maraña de groserías visuales para transmitir, de manera perfecta, el duro proceso de los protagonistas. Burrows es limitado en sus recursos, pero en esta ha sacado lo mejor de lo inesperado y ha sido sobresaliente.
Probablemente, el más sobrecogedor cómic desde el mismo Preacher. Horrendo, grotesco y brutal, pero no por las razones que insinúa el arte de portada. Todo lo contrario.
Superlativo.
Pareciera ser el Garth Ennis gamberro de siempre, ese que le gusta pasarse de la raya sólo por joder. Y lo es; sin embargo, a poco andar y justo cuando pareciera que su "sentido del humor" ya no causa gracia, se devela como lo que realmente es: un cuento de horror humanista.
Garth Ennis se pone serio, muy serio.
Recordando que el gran aporte del imaginario zombie que nos heredó Romero es la crítica social, Ennis revisita el fenómeno dándole un giro de tuerca informado. No hay que olvidar que los muertos vivientes no son más que un Macguffin que siempre apunta a lo mismo: mostrar lo peor de la humanidad contemporánea. Sin ánimo de entrar en spoilers, baste decir que Ennis es un genio poniendo en splash pages lo irrelevante del mero ornamento (la carniceria, el gore, el sadismo y la crueldad grosera) para que, tras el impacto, surja la verdadera realidad.
¿Quiénes son los monstruos? La misma incomprendida reflexión de esa obra maestra del género post apocalíptico que es "Soy Leyenda" de Matheson esta dolorosamente imbuída en esta obra de un Ennis maduro, que se renueva de la mejor manera sin defraudar al género-en-si-mismo que es su opus literario.
Jacen Burrows, por su parte, da claramente lo mejor de si. Hay que tener tripas para dibujar lo que pide el guión y ser coherente con la propia cordura, y aún así ser capaz de no perderse en esa maraña de groserías visuales para transmitir, de manera perfecta, el duro proceso de los protagonistas. Burrows es limitado en sus recursos, pero en esta ha sacado lo mejor de lo inesperado y ha sido sobresaliente.
Probablemente, el más sobrecogedor cómic desde el mismo Preacher. Horrendo, grotesco y brutal, pero no por las razones que insinúa el arte de portada. Todo lo contrario.
Superlativo.
August 22, 2012
I read this at the suggestion of a friend and am honestly still a bit nauseous. There are some truly disgusting images in this book, and despite knowing what some were it still turns my stomach. To put things in perspective they throw a baby out of a car in the first couple panels, so at least they're up front about what you're getting yourself into. The concept is an interesting spin on the whole zombie outbreak idea, but Garth decides to got for shock value over substance repeatedly. The repeated targeting of children for violence, rape, etc aren't a sign of gritty reality to me as much as a cheap effort at shocking readers. I'm not shocked but disgusted. This is more of the same crap that was put into "The Boys" (another comic book series that had potential until it became about rape, grisly murders, and swearing over plot and character development).
After this last shot I think I'm done with just about everything this author creates. I'd rather see Kirkman's gory take on the zombie apocalypse than Ennis' next comic book which are more catalogs in depravity than actual stories.
After this last shot I think I'm done with just about everything this author creates. I'd rather see Kirkman's gory take on the zombie apocalypse than Ennis' next comic book which are more catalogs in depravity than actual stories.
April 18, 2022
Fantastic introduction to one of the greatest graphic novel series of all time. If you're a fan of The Walking Dead and don't mind tons of gore this is a must read for all horror fans out there.
Talking to a friend of mine made me want to re-read the series and I can't wait to read all 177 issues all over again.
Talking to a friend of mine made me want to re-read the series and I can't wait to read all 177 issues all over again.
July 11, 2016
Absolute chaos and abandon. Disgusting. Love it!
August 27, 2014
For me this is Garth Ennis’s most impressive book. Thematically similar to Robert Kirkman’s 'The Walking Dead', 'Crossed' is the story of a dwindling group of survivors traversing an America ravaged by a virus which turns its victims into homicidal maniacs: dubbed the Crossed for the cruciform facial scarring that accompanies infection. Unlike the shambling Romero inspired roamers of Kirkman’s dead-world, the Crossed are a pitiless embodiment of human cruelty, often cunning as well as ferocious, given to raping their victims before dismemberment. Illustrated in gruesome detail by Jacen Burrows, Crossed will be something of a joy to gore fans, a grand-guignol take on the post-apocalypse tale which makes even the bleak, chilly nightmare of Cormac Mccarthy’s 'The Road' look tame in comparison.
However, as with all the best horror stories, the gore has a point. Told through the eyes of Stan, a twenty-something member of a group under the leadership of fiercely protective single-mother and one-time waitress Cindy, 'Crossed' is a portrait of characters in extremity. In a world where the whole concept of society has no meaning and the only imperative is survival, the actions of Stan and his companions gradually come to resemble those of their psychopathic pursuers. This willingness to engage with the human capacity to overcome moral scruple finds its grimmest expression when Stan and Cindy gun down a group of children who have been educated in murder and cannibalism by their kindergarten teacher. Whilst this act clearly leaves an emotional scar, Stan and Cindy are not destroyed by their shared guilt and there is no wailing or gnashing of teeth.
It is the relentless pursuit of the group by an unusually cunning pack of Crossed that gives the latter half of the book its dramatic drive and one of its few moments of humour in Burrow’s depiction of the pack traipsing through the Nevada desert singing ”We coulda’ been anything we wanted to be…” The tension as the reader nears the climax is palpable and there’s a sweaty-fingered reluctance to turn the page. Ennis has made us care about his flawed and morally damaged cast of characters, we want them to survive as much as they do. I won’t reveal whether we are presented with a happy or tragic ending in the final page of Crossed, but suffice to say it’s dramatically satisfying, which is all you could want from any story.
However, as with all the best horror stories, the gore has a point. Told through the eyes of Stan, a twenty-something member of a group under the leadership of fiercely protective single-mother and one-time waitress Cindy, 'Crossed' is a portrait of characters in extremity. In a world where the whole concept of society has no meaning and the only imperative is survival, the actions of Stan and his companions gradually come to resemble those of their psychopathic pursuers. This willingness to engage with the human capacity to overcome moral scruple finds its grimmest expression when Stan and Cindy gun down a group of children who have been educated in murder and cannibalism by their kindergarten teacher. Whilst this act clearly leaves an emotional scar, Stan and Cindy are not destroyed by their shared guilt and there is no wailing or gnashing of teeth.
It is the relentless pursuit of the group by an unusually cunning pack of Crossed that gives the latter half of the book its dramatic drive and one of its few moments of humour in Burrow’s depiction of the pack traipsing through the Nevada desert singing ”We coulda’ been anything we wanted to be…” The tension as the reader nears the climax is palpable and there’s a sweaty-fingered reluctance to turn the page. Ennis has made us care about his flawed and morally damaged cast of characters, we want them to survive as much as they do. I won’t reveal whether we are presented with a happy or tragic ending in the final page of Crossed, but suffice to say it’s dramatically satisfying, which is all you could want from any story.
November 29, 2012
...........Sweet holy moses. This is the most depraved, demented thing I've ever seen in print and you almost certainly shouldn't read it. It's a zombie apocalypse variant in which the infected retain their intelligence but become psychotic ultrahedonistic rapetorturekillers. They're recognizable not just by all the rapetorturekilling that they're doing but also by a weird cross shaped kind of eczema that scars their faces.
The whole point of Crossed seems to be that when the world DOES go tits up: A) there will be no safe haven anywhere, B) there will be no silver bullet or cold virus enabling you to turn the tide, C) you cannot--and ought not try to--hang onto your humanity, or you and yours will be rapetorturekilled in a manner most creative and graphic. Ennis sets up these apocalypse-survival tropes one by one and then knocks them down, creatively and graphically. It's really good in a lot of ways, but...Ennis scares me.
The whole point of Crossed seems to be that when the world DOES go tits up: A) there will be no safe haven anywhere, B) there will be no silver bullet or cold virus enabling you to turn the tide, C) you cannot--and ought not try to--hang onto your humanity, or you and yours will be rapetorturekilled in a manner most creative and graphic. Ennis sets up these apocalypse-survival tropes one by one and then knocks them down, creatively and graphically. It's really good in a lot of ways, but...Ennis scares me.
November 18, 2017
Here goes my sleep and appetite and peace of mind.
For Garth Ennis, story's apocalyptic premise, evocative of King's Captain Trips, was just an edgy excuse to craft a nauseating gore fest for its feral savages. There was even a character named Randall in the first few issues. Anyway, it was above my personal threshold for grossness and violence.
Panels were filled with repeated instances of rape, child murders, cannibalism, and other perverted horrors I couldn't process. Other than working on a palpable plot or stong characters, creators were interested in overdoing cheap shock value elements. And once I was inured by this style, the graphic imagery became a constant source of annoyance to follow the plot through if not any less disgusting.
Unlike Preacher that had me hooked for a variety of reasons, even with comparable imageries, Crossed failed to provide any redeeming factor for enduring the sadistic torture.
So, I opted out.
For Garth Ennis, story's apocalyptic premise, evocative of King's Captain Trips, was just an edgy excuse to craft a nauseating gore fest for its feral savages. There was even a character named Randall in the first few issues. Anyway, it was above my personal threshold for grossness and violence.
Panels were filled with repeated instances of rape, child murders, cannibalism, and other perverted horrors I couldn't process. Other than working on a palpable plot or stong characters, creators were interested in overdoing cheap shock value elements. And once I was inured by this style, the graphic imagery became a constant source of annoyance to follow the plot through if not any less disgusting.
Unlike Preacher that had me hooked for a variety of reasons, even with comparable imageries, Crossed failed to provide any redeeming factor for enduring the sadistic torture.
So, I opted out.
July 29, 2021
Walking dead pero con gore, violencia, sexo y todo lo políticamente incorrecto que te puedas imaginar. Engancha mucho.
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