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Crossed, Volume 1 (2010)

by Garth Ennis(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1592910912 (ISBN13: 9781592910915)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Avatar Press

series

Crossed

review 1: The Atrocity Exhibition: Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows Reimagine the Zombie ApocalypseWay back in the mid-late 90's, when I rediscovered comics after abandoning them for an adolescent existential-crisis a couple years earlier -- forsaking the X-men and science-fiction novels for Nietzsche, Bataille, Sartre, Camus, Celine, H. Miller and the Beats -- Vertigo was one of the major reasons the medium pulled me back in. Among the titles that justified Vertigo's existence was Preacher, written by one of the many Irish, Scottish, and English talents Vertigo was importing by the boatload: Garth Ennis. 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... more on Hellblazer to new levels of outrageous and brutal depravity. 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. Under indie-publisher Avatar's 'No Rules' 'anarchist-editorial-regime', which has attracted other big-name writers like Warren Ellis, Kieron Gillen and Jonathan Hickman, Ennis created 'Crossed'. 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. Just as many of us Ennis fans were certain, Ennis is perfect for the kind of story he delivers in Crossed, which is unquestionably the most gut-wrenching, horrifying series ever produced. His ability to create convincing and memorable characters, natural, witty dialogue, and a seemingly endless array of terrifying dilemmas remains unrivalled. Crossed is nearly 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. Although they don't possess the freakishly unnatural appearance of an animated corpse that is halfway to becoming a skeleton, the infected 'zombies' of Crossed are in many ways worse.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 when it relates to tracking and hunting down prey. 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 worse than mediocre artists. Jacen Burrows, on the other hand, is a rapidly improving artist with real talent, blending North American and European influences. 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. One of the factors that continues 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 even I was 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 it's 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. 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, 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.
review 2: 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. less

Download links for: Crossed, Volume 1

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