CROSSED #0

Publisher: Avatar Comics | Writer: Garth Ennis | Artist: Jacen Burrows | Colorist: Juanmar

Garth Ennis has pulled out all the stops to write the most twisted book of his career, Crossed! Through ten heart-stopping chapters, Crossed is his horrifically visceral exploration of the pure evil that humans are truly capable of indulging. This gut-wrenching vision is brought to vivid - and more than a little disturbing - life by his partner-incrime, Jacen Burrows. Imagine, for a moment, the worst crimes against humanity. Picture the cruelest affronts to decency. Conjure your darkest nightmares - and then realize it could all be so much worse.

When civilization crumbles in one terrifying moment, when people are gleefully breaking into unthinkable acts of violence all around you, when everyone you love has died screaming in agony - What do you do? There is no help. There is no hope. There is no escape. There are only the Crossed.

Crossed was a fun series written by Garth Ennis for the first ten issues before turning the reins over to David Lapham for Crossed: Family Values, the second series. Apocalyptic in nature, featuring something akin to zombies but not quite, Crossed is fast paced, intriguing and entertaining. Crossed flew under the radar for a lot of fans and, despite that, spawned sequels, several tie-in series and webtoons. The Crossed aren’t your typical zombie lot, they are infected that seem to embody the absolute worst traits in humans. They murder, engage in cannibalism, mutilate themselves, can wield weapons and are capable of speech. I love zombie fiction, I’m fascinated by the concept of survival in a world turned upside down, and Crossed delivers but I’ve always found Garth Ennis’ level of violence to be absurd to the point where it’s no longer scary and borders on comical. I do applaud Ennis for not delving too deep into the origins of the outbreak, as if any explanation would be plausible or memorable. What stands out in this story is the speed in which the world breaks into pieces. Ennis does a remarkable job thrusting us into a chaotic and catastrophic world starting in a diner and quickly expanding to the world beyond. Garth Ennis is a polarizing writer for whom I find great difficulty in relating to and enjoying. I can however see the appeal of a book like Crossed; especially as a fan of the 28 Days Later films and comics. If you enjoyed Preacher, you’re absolutely going to love this.

7.5/10 VERDICT