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Crossed (Collected Editions) #8
Crossed, Vol. 8: Badlands
Two of the hottest names in horror deliver three tales of terror in this volume of vile repulsions! Simon Spurrier spins the mad tale of the insane survivalist from Crossed: Wish You Were Here - Jackson! What goes through the mind of a madman in an insane world? Find out as Jackson revisits his twisted past and ushers out his brand of righteous violence against the maniacal Crossed. And from the Badlands vault comes Spurrier's Crossed tale of hippies meet grindhouse terror like you've never experienced in "American Quitters." Two bikers who couldn't be more different find common ground as they attempt to deal with the ghosts of the past while facing the harsh realities of a Crossed world. Finally, experience the first hours of the Crossed outbreak in Japan as David Hine releases the "Gore Angels." What happens when an abused manga artist in a traditional Japanese home must not only face grinning Crossed devils, but also the men that sexually attacked her? The result is a tale of misery and vengeance made reality! Collects issues #37-43 of the Crossed: Badlands series and the Crossed 2013 Annual.
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 21, 2021
This time a three story volume. The first story is a Simon Spurrier tale of a biker, a beatnik and am pregnant Latino girl at the end of the world (Crossed event) and how they want to end their lives! Interesting lettering and story that could have been a bit more challenging. There's also a Spurrier 'special' 34 page story looking at what is essential a sex for safety 'entrepreneur' at the end of the world, in Australia. A pretty interesting and dark tale!
The David Hine story has it all, and is well told; set in a Japanese village and managing to cover spirituality, consumerism, family and out of the blue a revenge thriller! Very nice work by Hine, 8 out of 12 for this story, but 7 for the volume overall
The David Hine story has it all, and is well told; set in a Japanese village and managing to cover spirituality, consumerism, family and out of the blue a revenge thriller! Very nice work by Hine, 8 out of 12 for this story, but 7 for the volume overall
July 18, 2017
Nothing new, nothing special. More torture porn.
July 30, 2020
This is the shit I live for. This volume would trigger 95% the human population. Putrid, vulgar, just... fucking hell...
5/5 Splatterpunk Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
5/5 Splatterpunk Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
November 22, 2022
Probably two of the best ones so far...
37 through 39 is one of the best stories on the crossed- simon is one of my favorite writer - i love his 40K stuff; so two unlikable allies (a hippie & racist motorbike) are on a quest for death. Along the way the meet a spanish girl and they have great adventures (i am joking here) andby the end nothing is learn and they all die. I can't even consider this a spoiler since is quite normal :) Simon Spurier & Rafael ORtiz (drawing)
the second one is from 40 through 43. David Hine created & Erramoupe drawn. This is the first I believe of the cross series set outside USA. It's a tale about a group of people trying to live through the innitial cross infestation. We've got everything here, from ninja-monk-crossed beings to manga-artist-former-raped-grild-now-turn-into-samurai kind of hero. IT ended so well.
5 out 5 stars, 9 out of 10. My only complain is that the last story felt a bit rush by the end.
37 through 39 is one of the best stories on the crossed- simon is one of my favorite writer - i love his 40K stuff; so two unlikable allies (a hippie & racist motorbike) are on a quest for death. Along the way the meet a spanish girl and they have great adventures (i am joking here) andby the end nothing is learn and they all die. I can't even consider this a spoiler since is quite normal :) Simon Spurier & Rafael ORtiz (drawing)
the second one is from 40 through 43. David Hine created & Erramoupe drawn. This is the first I believe of the cross series set outside USA. It's a tale about a group of people trying to live through the innitial cross infestation. We've got everything here, from ninja-monk-crossed beings to manga-artist-former-raped-grild-now-turn-into-samurai kind of hero. IT ended so well.
5 out 5 stars, 9 out of 10. My only complain is that the last story felt a bit rush by the end.
February 5, 2018
It was all right, I guess. This title has pretty much run its course, I'd say. Unless you've really got a story to tell, it seems like most of these things just revel in ultraviolence and leave it at that. The best part of this volume was the tie-in to Spurrier's Wish You Were Here story, still the best standalone Crossed tale.
February 18, 2017
Most pages in the first arc have funny captions that narrate some of the events. I loved the way the comic ends. Nothing was learned, but it sure was a fun ride for me. The had some goals that were kinda completed, but certainly not the way they intended.
Two unlikey characters, Errol the biker and Frank the beatnik, meet on the road and team up to get to San Diego.
The Japanese didn't escape the infection just because they live on an island. We get to see some bloody swordplay in the second arc.
Three Americans are visiting a Buddhist monastery when the first crossed surfaces and infects people. A drama unfolds in the meantime. One of the three Americans visits a young woman who lived in the US for while. She was the victim of a rape that was recorded on video and posted on the internet.
Jackson from the Wish You Were Here stories is one crazy scotsman. He recounts his years in the British military doing special missions. Most of his memories are filled with hallucinations.
Two unlikey characters, Errol the biker and Frank the beatnik, meet on the road and team up to get to San Diego.
The Japanese didn't escape the infection just because they live on an island. We get to see some bloody swordplay in the second arc.
Three Americans are visiting a Buddhist monastery when the first crossed surfaces and infects people. A drama unfolds in the meantime. One of the three Americans visits a young woman who lived in the US for while. She was the victim of a rape that was recorded on video and posted on the internet.
Jackson from the Wish You Were Here stories is one crazy scotsman. He recounts his years in the British military doing special missions. Most of his memories are filled with hallucinations.
January 15, 2018
The way that first story was told, it felt like an '90s movie... Almost read the big text in the voice of that cool narrator from that time (forgot his name)...
And then that ending.. sweet :)
Damn, loved it! The second storyline was right up my alley ;)
Probably because I'm a big manga/Japan fan..
Too bad it ended the way it did... But still very strong..
And then that ending.. sweet :)
Damn, loved it! The second storyline was right up my alley ;)
Probably because I'm a big manga/Japan fan..
Too bad it ended the way it did... But still very strong..
June 28, 2022
(Zero spoiler review)
I think I will make template that I can simply cut and paste each time I read the next volume of Crossed (Assuming I can summon the will to keep force feeding myself this terrible storytelling). It could simply say things like, childish and puerile. Completely lacking any narrative thrust or sense of literary competence. Little more than directionless gore-porn, tied together with increasingly ludicrous premises. Or simply, don't waste your god damn time, unless you like a continual downward spiral of intellect and enjoyment, and are willing to sacrifice these things for tawdry and tacky violence. Well hey, there you go. I just did.
In all seriousness though, this series just continues to piss me off. The general standard accepted here has been in freefall since volume two, unless Ennis shows up for a story here and there. But then again, his name is attached as creator, so I can only assume he has oversight as to everything being published under this banner. If that's the case, he bears total culpability for this ongoing shit show. Your average fourteen year old edge lord teenager could do better. The art is usually reliably good though. Thank god for small mercies. If you haven't started reading this series yet, don't! 2/5
OmniBen.
I think I will make template that I can simply cut and paste each time I read the next volume of Crossed (Assuming I can summon the will to keep force feeding myself this terrible storytelling). It could simply say things like, childish and puerile. Completely lacking any narrative thrust or sense of literary competence. Little more than directionless gore-porn, tied together with increasingly ludicrous premises. Or simply, don't waste your god damn time, unless you like a continual downward spiral of intellect and enjoyment, and are willing to sacrifice these things for tawdry and tacky violence. Well hey, there you go. I just did.
In all seriousness though, this series just continues to piss me off. The general standard accepted here has been in freefall since volume two, unless Ennis shows up for a story here and there. But then again, his name is attached as creator, so I can only assume he has oversight as to everything being published under this banner. If that's the case, he bears total culpability for this ongoing shit show. Your average fourteen year old edge lord teenager could do better. The art is usually reliably good though. Thank god for small mercies. If you haven't started reading this series yet, don't! 2/5
OmniBen.
January 12, 2022
Two mostly forgettable stories. The second one was especially stupid. I get it… there’s a lot of rape in Crossed, but for some reason, the way it was handled in the second arc felt the most insulting.
December 27, 2020
The storyline set in japan was the best out of these stories. Classic Crossed gruesomeness.
June 1, 2017
This volume had three stories.
The first story dealt with the odd pairing of a biker and a hippie. This one was neat because it read like a grindhouse type movie. I could see it almost as a Tarantino film as I was reading.
The second story was my favorite as it took place in Japan. A group of monks become Crossed and the plot mainly involves a female manga artist. There's a fairly complex and timely story mixed in with the usual nutty Crossed violence.
The last story I didn't care as it dealt with a character from Crossed: Wish You Were Here that I'm unfamiliar with since I havent read yet. Also the story was written with a heavy Scottish (I think Scottish) accent that made it almost unreadable, at least to me. The story itself was okay but there was a lot to decipher to get to it.
As usual the art has always been up to part, and this volume was no exception. Still enjoying this series and will continue!
The first story dealt with the odd pairing of a biker and a hippie. This one was neat because it read like a grindhouse type movie. I could see it almost as a Tarantino film as I was reading.
The second story was my favorite as it took place in Japan. A group of monks become Crossed and the plot mainly involves a female manga artist. There's a fairly complex and timely story mixed in with the usual nutty Crossed violence.
The last story I didn't care as it dealt with a character from Crossed: Wish You Were Here that I'm unfamiliar with since I havent read yet. Also the story was written with a heavy Scottish (I think Scottish) accent that made it almost unreadable, at least to me. The story itself was okay but there was a lot to decipher to get to it.
As usual the art has always been up to part, and this volume was no exception. Still enjoying this series and will continue!
May 20, 2024
Perhaps my favourite volume of the Badlands anthology. The biker/stoner story was brilliantly told. At this time, the reader understands that Crossed is/was never about the crossed infection, but was always about the stragglers, and their tragic tales. Still well written. Art style, dark, and beautiful. Looking forward to reading more.
June 6, 2015
Same basic review as before. This is much too graphic and profane for almost everybody, so don't read it. The stories in this shared universe are compelling, however, and worth the read if you can handle it.
July 19, 2014
Ok, even Spurrier hits home run when he writes enough.
But the two stories here.... just solid gore horror.
But the two stories here.... just solid gore horror.
November 1, 2023
The beauty of the Crossed “universe” is that they can jump back and forth at various points in time, leading up to and after the event. Unlike The Walking Dead, which deals with an ongoing cast of characters in a linear continuity, Crossed jumps from scenario to scenario with each new arc.
This book has three arcs: American Quitters (#37-39), a tale of Erroll and Frank, a stoner hippie and a biker who run into each other on the highway and decide to pair up and go out in a blaze of glory. I guess that when the world goes to Hell you should be happy to have something to keep you going.
The second arc is Gore Angels (#40-43), which takes place at the zero hour of the Crossed outbreak in Japan. Three college-aged friends are taking in a Buddhist temple when it hits the fan. Without giving too much away, this arc is a riff on It's A Small World After All, with rape, revenge, and underground Manga (of all things) factoring in to make this the most offbeat Crossed tale yet.
The final story is from the 2013 Annual. Th' Big Yin was almost a colossal disappointment. I thought that they were spelling out the entire thing, how the Crossed came to be, so on and so forth. I hope that we never find out. The best stories leave the readers with questions and not answers. Look at Y: The Last Man. We never did find out exactly why things happened, and it made the ending all the more powerful. Luckily this story banked hard at the end and was fabulous.
I am now numb to the blood, gore, and carnage of Crossed. I am not sure what that says about me, but I hardly wince at it any more and instead wind up cackling like Bart and Lisa Simpson at the end of an episode of The Itchy And Scratchy Show. I find myself enjoying all of the violent mayhem in this series, and that saddens me. I once was a human being with a heart...now there is no hope, no escape, nowhere for me to run or hide. There is only the Crossed.
This book has three arcs: American Quitters (#37-39), a tale of Erroll and Frank, a stoner hippie and a biker who run into each other on the highway and decide to pair up and go out in a blaze of glory. I guess that when the world goes to Hell you should be happy to have something to keep you going.
The second arc is Gore Angels (#40-43), which takes place at the zero hour of the Crossed outbreak in Japan. Three college-aged friends are taking in a Buddhist temple when it hits the fan. Without giving too much away, this arc is a riff on It's A Small World After All, with rape, revenge, and underground Manga (of all things) factoring in to make this the most offbeat Crossed tale yet.
The final story is from the 2013 Annual. Th' Big Yin was almost a colossal disappointment. I thought that they were spelling out the entire thing, how the Crossed came to be, so on and so forth. I hope that we never find out. The best stories leave the readers with questions and not answers. Look at Y: The Last Man. We never did find out exactly why things happened, and it made the ending all the more powerful. Luckily this story banked hard at the end and was fabulous.
I am now numb to the blood, gore, and carnage of Crossed. I am not sure what that says about me, but I hardly wince at it any more and instead wind up cackling like Bart and Lisa Simpson at the end of an episode of The Itchy And Scratchy Show. I find myself enjoying all of the violent mayhem in this series, and that saddens me. I once was a human being with a heart...now there is no hope, no escape, nowhere for me to run or hide. There is only the Crossed.
March 17, 2024
The ongoing Crossed: Badlands series continues here with three stories: "American Quitters" (Badlands #37-39) by Si Spurrier and Rafael Ortiz, "Gore Angels" (Badlands #40-43) by David Hine and German Erramouspe, and the single issue story from the 2013 Crossed Annual by Spurrier and Gabriel Andrade.
"American Quitters" is a fun tale of two bikers meeting on the road and deciding to ride into a blaze of glory together. Errol, an old, grizzled and fairly bigoted man, seeks vengeance against an old friend of his who led their gang into ruin, while Frank, a junkie who harbors his insecurities about his past cowardice, make for an odd couple. The pair cut their way through the highways laden with the Crossed, until they come across a pregnant Mexican woman who is being hunted by her psychotic partner. Frank and Errol decide to help her, but things go awry quickly for the trio. Spurrier's story comes together like something of a shaggy dog tale, which works fairly well for a Crossed adventure. The black humor lands pretty well, making this a more memorable feature. That can't be said about Spurrier's story in the annual which is a bizarre story featuring incomprehensible dialogue due to a poorly transcribed accent and some nonsensical artwork.
"Gore Angels" rounds out this volume, and it's a lot of fun. Taking the story to Japan during the onset of the Crossed epidemic, we follow the adventures of three American tourists visiting a monastery in a more remote section of the country. But one of the friends is harboring a secret as to why they are there, and the ensuing chaos only compounds a much darker secret within the friend group. "Gore Angels" unfolds as an unexpected revenge thriller, and it's a well developed little story.
"American Quitters" is a fun tale of two bikers meeting on the road and deciding to ride into a blaze of glory together. Errol, an old, grizzled and fairly bigoted man, seeks vengeance against an old friend of his who led their gang into ruin, while Frank, a junkie who harbors his insecurities about his past cowardice, make for an odd couple. The pair cut their way through the highways laden with the Crossed, until they come across a pregnant Mexican woman who is being hunted by her psychotic partner. Frank and Errol decide to help her, but things go awry quickly for the trio. Spurrier's story comes together like something of a shaggy dog tale, which works fairly well for a Crossed adventure. The black humor lands pretty well, making this a more memorable feature. That can't be said about Spurrier's story in the annual which is a bizarre story featuring incomprehensible dialogue due to a poorly transcribed accent and some nonsensical artwork.
"Gore Angels" rounds out this volume, and it's a lot of fun. Taking the story to Japan during the onset of the Crossed epidemic, we follow the adventures of three American tourists visiting a monastery in a more remote section of the country. But one of the friends is harboring a secret as to why they are there, and the ensuing chaos only compounds a much darker secret within the friend group. "Gore Angels" unfolds as an unexpected revenge thriller, and it's a well developed little story.
August 28, 2022
Чергові три історії про виживання в умовах глобального людського сказу.
Історії про байкерів чогось не вистачає. Мабуть, нормальної мотивації персонажів. Вбивство хрестоносця, який сам себе не контролює - такий собі спосіб вкоротити вік. Був момент, коли історія майже стала цитувати “Скаженого Макса”, але автори вирішили не рушати цим шляхом. А, ще тут була пані в біді та її агресивний чоловік, від якого вона, власне, тікала. Не зачепило.
Історія про те, як виглядала Хрестоносна Чума у Японії. Біс його зна, чому обрали саме Японію, а не якусь іншу країну. Про японку, яка пережила колись сексуальне насильство, а повернувшись на батьківщину, стала малювати гуро-мангу. І промудакуватих американців, які приїхали у містечко цієї японки на екскурсію, подивитись храми та шпилі. Один з них колись намагався зустрічатися з нею, але виявився лайнюком, інший просто з компанією друзів згвалтував дівчину, знявши процес на відео та виклавши в інтернети. І от починається, власне, чума, і герої зустрічаються, щоб в результаті загинути у сценах з різним ступенем жорстокості. Незважаючи на серйозний референс, вигляда це все як трешова чорна комедія, бо хрестоносці аж ніяк не вспокоюються.
Третя історія - це пріквел до спін-оффа “Прикро, що тебе тут немає”, і вона нічим не запам’ятовується. Зрозуміло, чому її винесли в щорічну збірку.
Історії про байкерів чогось не вистачає. Мабуть, нормальної мотивації персонажів. Вбивство хрестоносця, який сам себе не контролює - такий собі спосіб вкоротити вік. Був момент, коли історія майже стала цитувати “Скаженого Макса”, але автори вирішили не рушати цим шляхом. А, ще тут була пані в біді та її агресивний чоловік, від якого вона, власне, тікала. Не зачепило.
Історія про те, як виглядала Хрестоносна Чума у Японії. Біс його зна, чому обрали саме Японію, а не якусь іншу країну. Про японку, яка пережила колись сексуальне насильство, а повернувшись на батьківщину, стала малювати гуро-мангу. І промудакуватих американців, які приїхали у містечко цієї японки на екскурсію, подивитись храми та шпилі. Один з них колись намагався зустрічатися з нею, але виявився лайнюком, інший просто з компанією друзів згвалтував дівчину, знявши процес на відео та виклавши в інтернети. І от починається, власне, чума, і герої зустрічаються, щоб в результаті загинути у сценах з різним ступенем жорстокості. Незважаючи на серйозний референс, вигляда це все як трешова чорна комедія, бо хрестоносці аж ніяк не вспокоюються.
Третя історія - це пріквел до спін-оффа “Прикро, що тебе тут немає”, і вона нічим не запам’ятовується. Зрозуміло, чому її винесли в щорічну збірку.
November 16, 2018
Less intense than previous volumes. On a quest to find some holy dope, the story follows an odd combination of people. A racist biker, a hippie and a pregnant woman (Hispanic, I think). ‘No lesson was learned’ is the theme here. Keeps repeating throughout the narrative. And by the end of it all, that’s exactly what we get. A pointless mission with zero achievement and everybody dies. A tale not worth telling if you ask me.
The next story is a rape revenge set in Japan. Even this was a downer. I skipped the Annual in its entirety – Had no clue what was going on (confusing Scottish narrative and dialogue).
The next story is a rape revenge set in Japan. Even this was a downer. I skipped the Annual in its entirety – Had no clue what was going on (confusing Scottish narrative and dialogue).
August 31, 2017
Altre tre storie deviate da Crossed. Divertenti, non disturbanti come gli illustri predecessori. Interessante il primo racconto di Spurrier, con la vicenda tragica di un motociclista e un hippie, destinati a morire più o meno come volevano, mentre Hine ci riporta all'inizio del contagio, ma cambia contesto, facendoci conoscere un giappone messo a ferro e fuoco dagli scrociati. Chiude il lotto un cameo di un personaggio di "manchi solo tu".
November 19, 2022
This was easily my least favorite Crossed I have read. Honestly, it just wasn’t at all very good.
American Quitters: This story truly stunk. The shittiest story that Crossed had brought to the table. One star
Gore Angels: The best of the three. Chaos in Japan. Three stars
Th’ Big Yin: Pretty Boring. Just didn’t grab me. Two stars
Do better guys. A huge disappointment.
American Quitters: This story truly stunk. The shittiest story that Crossed had brought to the table. One star
Gore Angels: The best of the three. Chaos in Japan. Three stars
Th’ Big Yin: Pretty Boring. Just didn’t grab me. Two stars
Do better guys. A huge disappointment.
May 13, 2018
Liked more the art style of Rafael Ortiz, and the writings of David Hine, so the first arc was better at drawings and the second was better at the story.
September 3, 2019
Loved the first two stories. Especially the second. Found the accents so hard to read in the third one that I honestly gave up about 10 pages in. But first two stories were great.
January 12, 2022
3.5 star
January 17, 2023
Sadly, Gore Angels was the only decent story in this volume; the annual was atrocious and the American Quitters was simply too mindless to be an enjoyable read.
December 19, 2023
Each volume is progressively getting more and more boring.
June 22, 2016
3.5/5.
Historias más que interesantes y el dibujo.. Ni que decirles. Me encantó.
La que tenía una pinta realmente interesante era el de Gore Angels. ¿Por qué ése final tan precipitado? Tenía mucha curiosidad con lo que ocurriría con tan singular grupo. Tanra evolución que pudieron tener los personajes.. Desperdiciada. Se concentraron más en carnicería y sesos que en el drama. Supongo que de eso se trata todo esto.
Historias más que interesantes y el dibujo.. Ni que decirles. Me encantó.
La que tenía una pinta realmente interesante era el de Gore Angels. ¿Por qué ése final tan precipitado? Tenía mucha curiosidad con lo que ocurriría con tan singular grupo. Tanra evolución que pudieron tener los personajes.. Desperdiciada. Se concentraron más en carnicería y sesos que en el drama. Supongo que de eso se trata todo esto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2015
The main problem with this volume of Crossed,
is that just one of the stories is worth to read,
and the story that I'm talking about is "Gore Angels".
In my opinion "American Quitters" and "Th' Big Hi" weren't so good,
and to be honest I felt bored while I was reading them.
I love the series Crossed,
but I hate when one of the volume has bad stories, like this one.
is that just one of the stories is worth to read,
and the story that I'm talking about is "Gore Angels".
In my opinion "American Quitters" and "Th' Big Hi" weren't so good,
and to be honest I felt bored while I was reading them.
I love the series Crossed,
but I hate when one of the volume has bad stories, like this one.
December 28, 2024
Two of the better additions to the Crossed series in American Quitters, and Th' Big Yin, whilst, sandwiched between them is one of the series absolute lowest points in the cringey, corny, and frankly boring Gore Angels.
January 5, 2016
Review later. I'm behind on my record keeping :D
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews