Do you believe zombies are supposed to be brainless, sluggish maniacs? You cannot blame yourself because most zombie fiction we encounter portrays zombies in this way. In movies, TV shows, and comic books, zombies are not recognized for their intelligence or agility! Today, however, we will look at a comic series written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by David Lapham that will revolutionize the way you think about zombies.
These stories, published by Avatar Press, include some of the most ferocious and horrific zombie-like creatures known as Crossed. Once a human is transformed into one of these terrifying creatures, they retain their intelligence, and you will encounter Crossed who can utilize sophisticated tools, drive a car, and set up traps for fresh victims. Do you think it is scary enough? Yes, since this comic series is widely recognized as one of the most violent zombie stories ever written, and if you do not have a very strong heart, now is the time to turn away!
What the Crossed comic series looks like!
The narrative was known for its sheer suddenness of it. Before you knew it, the story took you to the middle of an uncontrollable zombie outbreak, where all hell breaks loose before it can be contained. We see helpless survivors struggling to deal with the pandemic because the virus spreads so rapidly. The carriers of the virus are known as the Crossed, and they are characterized by a large, cross-like mark on their faces. The original volume written by Garth Ennis shows just how dark he can make things.
The story is premised in Midwestern North America, and we see a small group of survivors trying to escape to Alaska. At every step, they must outsmart the infected ones or the Crossed. Those who are familiar with Ennis’s works are aware of his brand of dark humor, but this one hardly has traces of such light moments. This makes it rather harsh and unpleasant, and Crossed is not everyone’s cup of tea!
Avatar Press was hesitant about going ahead with such a brutal storyline, but they took the plunge and reaped the rewards. The original series was a massive success, and the publishers decided to turn this into an extensive franchise. There are plenty of moments in the comic series that you simply cannot unsee and the element of gore is so extreme that it leaves a lasting scar on your mind.
The second series was written by David Lapham and this one also follows another group of survivors led by their religious patriarch. It is needless to say that things don’t go well for them either, and there is no let-up in the graphic violence and brutality all throughout the narrative.
Later, a third series called Psychopath was also written by David Lapham, and the popular opinion is that it surpassed the grotesque nature of the previous two volumes. There has also been the fourth series, and every single time you start to think that you have seen it all, the Crossed franchise comes up with something darker!
Exploring the nature of the infection and how it spread
We have already spoken about the rapid rate of infection of the Crossed virus, and how people turn into vicious zombie-like beasts. The infection is mainly spread by bodily fluids, and the transformed Crossed zombies are smart enough to treat their weapons with their fluids so that the victims are easily infected. The Crossed become violent psychopaths who derive pleasure from random acts of extreme violence.
They kill and mutate bodies for fun, and are notorious for forcing themselves on their victims for some carnal pleasure! The infection spread rapidly all over the world, and soon, the Crossed took over all major cities and turned them into slaughterhouses. The governments and militaries across the world failed to take control of this menace, and slowly all the military bases were overrun by the Crossed.
In the original storyline, the US is the first to be infected, and Canada failed to control the infection even though they tried to fortify their borders immediately. The infection is deadlier because it is so rapid, and it doesn’t give them time to plan and control the spread. The comic series brings you a situation, where the entire human race is threatened and only a handful of survivors try to escape from the Crossed who would do unspeakable things to them if caught!
Crossed – the worst zombie form you can imagine!
Whatever evil we have seen zombies capable of we haven’t really associated them with sadism! The Crossed are, however, a different breed altogether. These infected humans turn into homicidal psychos who thrive in the madness they bring in. They are not exactly all the same, but they all have a level of awareness that makes their actions even more sickening. Some of them are so insanely driven by the urge to commit brutality that they even mutilate their own bodies. They would even amputate their own arms and limbs, and understandably they aren’t the longest surviving Crossed species around us.
The Crossed have shown a tendency to prefer attacking uninfected people and creatures, but they can be driven to the point where they start attacking their own kind as well. Their need for some kind of sadistic gratification is so great that they cannot even choose their victims. But it must be more satisfying for them to attack a non-infected victim who would feel pain and be scared. Why then do we say that they have a basic level of intelligence? Well, for this you have to look into their actions and their forms of attacks.
Most of these attacks are well-planned, and they execute them to such perfection that wouldn’t be possible for a brainless monster. They have mastered the use of whatever weapons they can find, and from clubs to sharp objects, the Crossed will wield just about anything. There have even been instances, where the Crossed were found using firearms to a good effect!
One of the most disturbing things about the comic book is when the Crossed come across their victims. They would go to any lengths to torture and kill or infect the person, and these moments are not for the faint-hearted. They treat mutilating bodies like an art form, and they meticulously do unthinkable stuff to human bodies. A true reflection of their demented means lies in their basic diet.
The Crossed are cannibalistic in nature even though they can survive on any kind of food. Their lust for human flesh is simply to satiate their violent urges. As days roll by following the first signs of infection, the usual food sources slowly start to decrease, and the Crossed become more and more cannibalistic.
Another terrifying trait about the Crossed that you wouldn’t usually find in zombies seen in fiction is their urge to force themselves on their victims. Simply killing them or infecting them and mutilating their bodies are not enough for these vicious creatures. They would always try to forcibly mate with their victims, and this, in turn, infects the victims because the infection spreads through bodily fluids. However, at times the attackers kill the victims before they can transform and this saves them the agonizing afterlife of an animalistic zombie.
There are moments when the Crossed sodomize and force themselves on entire families. This helps the infection spread rapidly, and the Crossed hordes increase exponentially. Even the female Crossed is no exception to this behavior and they will do the same to their victims. When a pregnant woman is violated by a Crossed and survives long enough to give birth, the newborn baby is already infected and turns out to be a Crossed! In fact, the Crossed women who give birth cherish the act of slaughtering their own offspring.
So what is the driving force that makes these mutated creatures so disgustingly evil? In plain sight, it might seem like they are driven by their urge for violence, but that is not exactly the case. It seems like these creatures feel the need to perform the vilest acts imaginable. These actions seem to trigger a part of their brain that deals with their darkest desires and the Crossed are basically a reflection of the horrible things that lie in the subconscious. This can be further proven by their desire to deface sacrosanct places, such as when they cover government buildings or religious buildings with the remains of corpses.
How to escape the Crossed?
Well, to be very honest there is no escaping from these infected monsters, at least not permanently. As a temporary relief, survivors have often drawn red cross-marks on their faces to make themselves look like they are infected. Although the Crossed attack their own kind, it is not their first preference, and it can buy some time for the survivors to escape temporarily. However, this doesn’t work most of the time because the Crossed can tell that the marks are fake even when they are done perfectly. This is just another testimony of the intelligence that they retain even after being infected.
Should you read this comic series?
At the risk of repeating ourselves, we have to say again that this is not for every random comic book lover. The storylines are darker than some of the darkest things that you have come across, and at times the pages are simply painted red with all the blood and guts in the images. The scenes of violence are like nothing you have seen before, and even the gorehounds might find some of it disturbing.
This being said, the narrative is thrilling and suspenseful, and you will not stop until you complete the whole thing. The writers are versatile and that shows in the storytelling. If you have the stomach for some extreme stuff, this might be a genuinely entertaining read for you. The gory landmines cannot be dodged and you must proceed accordingly!