Crossed, Vol. 17: Badlands

Crossed (Collected Editions) #17

by Christos Gage

El guionista de series de TV Christos Gage regresa al aterrador mundo de Crossed de Garth Ennis con ganas de venganza. El favorito de los fans, el cruzado alfa Smokey ha regresado y continúa su misión que comenzó en el legendario arco argumental. "Colaboracionista" en el tomo 7 de esta colección. Impulsado por una poderosa crueldad controlada. Smokey descubre un búnker de supervivencia y obliga a un hombre desesperado a ayudarlo a crear una nueva civilización cruzada y una ciudad llamada Smokeyville. Es el último experimento sociológico en medio de los escombros de la civilización. Una digna historia del que es el mejor cómic de terror sin censura que se publica actualmente.

Este volúmen recoge los números #93 a #100 USA de la serie regular Crossed. Badlands

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Zombies, Post Apocalyptic

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2016

About the author

Chris N. Gage is a writer for comic books and television.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christos Gage takes characters from Crossed, Vol. 4: Badlands (the twins) and Crossed, Vol. 7: Badlands (Smokey) to chronicle the next chapters of the stories of the 'intelligent' Crossed. As before Gage's refusal to dwell in schlock and horror, leaves a far more readable and enjoyable story. It's an interesting story, as in the use (again) of human stooges to provide Smokey with advise and reality checks. Cage's are probably some of the most accessible Crossed volumes - 7.5 out of 12.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

So this volume features the "smart" Crossed getting together, as we see the return of Smokey as well as the twin girls from earlier volumes. Smokey wants to rebuild civilization with the Crossed, and since the twins are like him and have retained more of their intelligence than the other infected, he thinks their children should be smarter and maybe the next step in evolution of the Crossed. We end up with another human traitor similar to the "Quisling" story arc.

Overall not a bad volume and the art is up to standard as usual but the series came across as a little silly since the "smart" Crossed idea doesn't seem to work. I had said I wanted the Crossed to be smarter, but making them THIS smart isn't what I had in mind.

Overall this has been a good series so I'm moving on to the "Wish You Were" and "Crossed +100" series.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more from this final arc. The artwork is a bit sketchy and the story is mediocre at best. It feels similar to the previous one where Smokey was featured, with an added goal of creating a sustainable future for the crossed. Doing that is as difficult as it sounds, given their violent tendencies.

Smokey, the infected fireman, is back. He is stalking an underground shelter where several survivors are holed up. Their attempt to escape lands the designer of the shelter in Smokey's hands. Smokey tells him he wants to rebuild the world. Smokey organizes a breeding program for the healthy and infected people and soon agrees with the designer's idea to move to a hospital for a better place to take care of the preagnant women. The designer has more planned for Smokeyville, though, as the town attracts more and more crossed. He would rather see the place burned to the ground, but he tries to rescue the preagnant women right as Smokey returns and kills him. The crossed under him can't fight their violent nature for long and attack the preagnant women, killing all the babies. Smokey goes into a killing frenzy, but when the dust settles he realizes he can't create his vision alone.

After travelling through many towns, he heads for the latest place where the fabled infected twins were seen. He finds the Queens, as their crossed followers call them, and they agree to have Smokey babies. The twins start taking advantage of Smokey and he can't force them to have more babies with him as they threaten to kill the babies. Thirteen years later and Smokey's kid with one of the twins doesn't seem as smart as he is, so Smokey new world seems untenable. Smokey decides to follow rumors that there are more smart crossed out there, but is soon attacked by the twins and his son. The latter is, in fact, as smart if not smarter that his dad.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Продовження історії Пожежника, найхаризматичнішого та найкмітливішого хрестоносця, та двох хрестоносних сестер, які теж виявилися особливими інфікованими.

Смоукі хоче побудувати свою цивілізацію, а для цього йому потрібна допомога когось із здоровим мозком. Носій такого мозку виявився у бункері неподалік, після невеликої драми вдалося знайти місто для розбудови нового світу, але завжди щось шло не так.

Смоукі хоче побудувати свою хрестоносну цивілізацію, частина друга, а для цього йому треба розмножуватися лише з розумними хростоносицями. Та у тієї парочки розумниць свої плани, і вони аж ніяк не такі глобальні.

Навіть другий незаражений друг Пожежника йому не допоміг, та все ж надія залишилась…

Є трохи гумору про сімейні відносини (а проблеми в сім'ях хрестоносців практично такі ж самі, як у людей), знову показана робота принципа ”вижити за будь-яку ціну”, прагнення до створення суспільства хрестоносців також є свіжою ідеєю, але вона ламається через саму природу хрестоносців, які терплять одне одного лише у невеликих групах.

Перша частина історії заслуговує на четвірку, а друга чимось нагадує сімейний сітком, де батьком сімейства весь час намагаються маніпулювати. Тому трійка.

[Koen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, our illustrious fireman is back :)
And again... another schlump that's so afraid and tries to save his own life by *¨32%Mè§ ... Haha, not saying of course, don't want to spoil anything ;)
But then it goes into second gear.. and third...

The end of the Badlands...
But I definitely want to see more of this!

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s two stories here. Both involving Smokey.

The first part is quite similar to that traitor guy in volume 7. Only this time, the mission is not to stalk and hunt for human survivors. Instead, to help build civilization for a world run by the crossed - Whatever that means. We start seeing attempts at breeding the crossed. Thank God this ended miserably. Points for mankind.

In the second part, Smokey finally makes it to the twin sisters. I’m pretty sure this is a moment Crossed fans have been waiting for. But it ended up totally weird. Like a sick sitcom. Smokey appears to be whipped. Pathetic. Up to the end, there was no closure. If there’s going to be more about these characters in the future, I’ve lost interest.

[Amanda Savieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see this one got a lot of flack but I honestly didnt mind it. It was the last of the Crossed : Badlands I had to get to. Now I am yet to read Crossed 100 and Crossed 3d and Wish You Were Here. But at least I read a chunk of my collection by finishing all 17 books of Badlands! This one has a 'smart' crossed traveling around the USA trying to rebuild the community, his community, trying everything from trying to tame the crossed around him to even trying to have babies with uninfected humans being the donors and even himself as being the donor. He has a dream, in this impossible toxic crossed world. The art work is brilliant in this one. Very nice to read. I thought this finished stronger than other volumes I had read.

[Monqeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 10 years from the start of the virus outbreak, the Badlands sub-series of the Crossed series ends with a never before seen or imagined twist, you'll enjoy this in so many level, but you have to read the crossed series from the beginning in order to understand some of the aspects shown in this volume.

I'm glad i finished the Badlands but a bit of sorrow i feel also, maybe because of the so many questions that hit my mind. We are still thirsty for answers but thank God not as thirsty as before.

The next sub-series i'm gonna read is called Crossed 100+, and it will represent the Earth after 100 years since the outbreak.

[Tj Flair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, super disappointed here. There was absolutely no closure to the arc or the series.
It is marketed as "This is how the world ends".... nothing ends. just another cliff hanger in the middle of a character arc. The last 4 pages is some of the laziest writing I've seen from the Crossed universe.

With that being said, I'm glad its over. Its been a couple years since the last time I picked up Crossed and I just read fifty issues in two days. I think I've seen enough...

[Ramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que decir ya de esta 17 entrega de la serie bizarra por excelencia.
Cuando el macho alfa Smokey pretende crear una sociedad de Cruzados y cómo se genera el preludio del futuro de Crossed y la civilización que esta por llegar.
Bizarra, sangre y vicio desmedido y despiadado, divertidisima como siempre.

[Sylvester · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, the final volume read more like a messed up sitcom. The final arc focused on the "super-crossed" who have more restraints and capable of planning. One particular super-crossed from the previous story wants to build a crossed civilisation, but it was not an easy task.

It was the best story after a long string of disappointments.

[BlueSnakeReaper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite weird Crossed Volume story as of yet, it has two stories featured in the Badlands continuity. Smokey is my favorite character who seems to live his life amidst the chaos of the fallen world. Still more likable than the other Crossed stories, grotesque even for my liking but I enjoyed the story far more than I'd anticipate.

[Devon Munn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I forgot to add this

So we just get mention of a Peruvian varyel making a Crossed army by subduing them with cocaine and don't get an actual story???? Wasted opportunity

[Patrick Connolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t really care for the crossed but smart zombie storyline 2⭐️

[Chronically Book Shark · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are no good endings in Crossed

And that's it Badlands is complete only 3 more volumes of official Crossed to read and I never have to think of it again.

As for the final story. I was expecting the twist so I wasn't as surprised as the author may have wanted me to be. Leaving off on a cliffhanger? What can you do? There are no real endings in Crossed so once again I'm not surprised.

In this story Smokey realizes that he wants to rebuild civilization. One problem that involves children. But the Crossed refuse to stay pregnant long enough. Until he finally finds the Twins. Two smart Crossed just like him. They have kids together but it seems his son is just as stupid as the other Crossed... Right?

Final story score 3 out of 5

Crossed Badlands as a whole? 2.75 Stars.

I will not be rereading

DNF +100 I am not reading that vocab you cannot make me goodbye Crossed may we never cross paths again!

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

This one is awesome.
You've got a group of people trying to safe in a bunker but then enters SMOKEY the smart Crossed and hell went to shit. But then we something different. We see character developement on a crossed. Even normal characters didn't have all acrossed the 100 chapters but this guy had? Fuck. Awesome. Crossed Civilization