Written By:Jamie Delano
Art By: Leandro Rizzo
Colours By: Digikore Studios
Covers: Jacen Burrows
Avatar Press
It’s quite rare that a comic shocks me in a good way. There are certain writers I expect a lot of and tend to stick within those tight bounds when choosing material to read due to a pretty intense list of let downs throughout this last year. With the release of Crossed: Badlands, Avatar forced me to accept and enjoy Crossed stories from writers other than Lapham and Ennis, stories which I assumed would be mediocre instalments filling the time before Lapham would return. What I didn’t expect was to enjoy Delano’s perspective so immensely and have it, thus far, stand strong among it’s predecessors’.
Unlike those that have been released before, these issues cover not one but, three groups of survivors. First we have Greg and Steve, two unlikely partners that have reluctantly come together in hopes of surviving the impending horrors. Steve is a hot chick with serious issues. Her entire life has been devoted to pity-bangs and prolonged torture of anyone who came near. Greg, a man who stands amongst the worlds worst fathers, experiences her more strong personality disorders first hand when she attempts to drown him and then screws his brains out only to respond in anger the following day upon his questioning of it.
Next up is Leon and his fathers crack-addicted whores and friends. These people act as though already taken over by the Crossed but, have yet to meet their fate. Sex, drugs, and abuse are all these men know and that’s why Leon, the stoner kid of the crowd, cooks up a toxic batch of crack and precedes to blow up his fathers entire camp, friends included.
Lastly, there are the twins. Two jail-bait girls with a thing for getting naked and a knack for kicking Crossed ass. Having survived all on their own up until now, when they discover Leon in their homestead unannounced and sniffing their panties, one can understand their defensive response. Despite his creepy arrival, the girls allow him to stay on the terms of a hold on his weapons until they can trust him.
Just as Steve and Greg catch site of the girls and Leon and began to discuss introduction, we have a sudden realization through Leon’s surprisingly logical warning: Those crack-out Crossed are on his trail and a meet up is due sooner than later. I suppose Greg and Steve will have no choice but to team up with the kids. That is too assume help is possible OR enough for them to survive this newly formed, already mentally unstable, group of degenerate Crossed.
Delano, best know for his work on Hellblazer, has had me on the edge of my seat since the third page of his first issue. The circumstances under which these people will meet up are unfortunate at best, and he’s built them up so high and strong that I fear their fall will be harder than any we have seen to date in Crossed. His ability to convey convincing and intriguing dialogue for each and every character, no matter how minuscule, adds a strong edge to the story – there’s no telling where any of them stand.
Not to be outdone by his co-worker, Rizzo brings forth an amazing experience through his art. All of these characters not only sound convincing but, look it as well. From first sight you could tell that Steve wasn’t your ordinary girl and Leon’s sudden rebellion and personal strength came as no surprise since you could read the anger in his face build upon every page turn. He takes some huge chances upon illustrating the nudist twins and although still uncomfortable to see, it felt a lot less pervy than they could have.
Crossed has never been a series to back down or stand shy from any controversial topic or imagery. Delano and Rizzo hold true to this no-holds stance on horror comics and I for one and loving it to bits. There is nothing more truly unimaginable and terrifying to see than society at it’s worst. Every stupid person made even stupider by a world wide epidemic of death and perversion that scarily, is only an amplified version of who we are today. Crossed is a series any horror fan or person with a grip on the reality of today should read. This is a much more convincing and alarming apocalypse than any zombie story could ever hope to provide.
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