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Crossed (Collected Editions) #2
Crossed, Vol. 2: Family Values
In one terrifying moment, civilization crumbled. An outbreak of insanity swept across the planet, turning millions of people into the homicidal maniacs known as “the Crossed.” But from their isolated horse ranch, the Pratt family of North Carolina remain uninfected and defiant. Bonded together as generations of working, living, and learning together, they rely on Joe, the family patriarch, to see them through the apocalypse. But the Pratt family has a deep, dark secret – one that threatens to tear them apart, even under the constant threat of the murderous hordes. See, some men are turned to Crossed, but others… others are just born evil. Eighteen year-old daughter Adaline will soon discover which breed is worse. David Lapham, the critically acclaimed creator of the gritty STRAY BULLETS series, delivers a tale so twisted, so shocking, it more than earns its place next to the original runaway bestseller, CROSSED VOLUME 1, by superstar writer Garth Ennis!
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2011
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386 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
March 31, 2012
Duck and cover everyone...it’s time again for Baby Rage to launch an anger bomb at another literary louse...
What a massive failure this was.
A wise person (aka David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap), once said, “There’s a fine line between stupid and, uh….clever.” Well this book crossed over that line, kept moving passed worthless, and ended up pitching tent in the middle of SUCKville. This book’s only redeeming quality is that it reiterated to me how wonderful a writer Garth Ennis is, as his presence was sorely missed.
In his vile, gross, but ultimately excellent Crossed Volume 1, Ennis danced on the edge between over-the-top vulgarity and the effective use of atrocity. Well David Lapham is no Garth Ennis. He completely lacked any artistic compass to guide him in his use of the profane, the disturbing and the shocking. He turned what had been an eye-opening gut punch of brutal satire on man's inhumanity to man, into a stomach-churning, purposeless sack of gratuitous shit, worthy of nothing, and I mean nothing, but scorn.
When your subject matter involves numerous episodes of graphic depictions of mass murder, gang rape and all manner of sadism, it’s OH...SO...IMPORTANT to ensure that such actions have a purpose, that they complement some form of message. I can take some hefty doses of extreme behavior with my stories if there is, in fact, a story, a point. If you’re simply trying to gross people out and cater to the torture-porn crowd, I’ll pass.
Neither story nor point existed here in any semblance that I could discern. Shame on you, Mr. Lapham.
WHAT PASSES FOR A PLOT SUMMARY
The “crossed” are spreading, the world is in the shitter, and we're introduced to a large family of ranchers (13 initially) as they try to avoid the notice of the marauding hordes of sex-crazed, sadistic freaks. They fail...the “crossed” find them...there is carnage. In hindsight, that's probably not the worst thing in the world, since dear old dad himself is a daughter-raping, child beating, “I’m doing God’s work” psychopath, and mom is a cowardly “there there” “its not so bad,” “let’s pretend it never happened” doormat who made me as ill as her husband.
Anyway, the “crossed” come, many are killed and the survivors become more and more inhuman, while trying to cling to the shreds of their own humanity in the midst a world literally gone mad. That, at least, is the message of the story Ennis told in Volume 1. Here, there are just random, boring pages of filler in between each new series of massive perversions and depravity.
None of Ennis' cleverness and emotional gut checks. It's just gore, sadism and rape scenes, apparently for fun. Well, it’s not.
There are so many offensively useless gimmicks used in this “story” that I just don’t have the energy to list them all. From the worm’s-eye view of random defecations, to “crossed” mothers consuming their own infants at birth…it was so, so, so much beyond too much.
I will give one example because it's a scene that, for me, exemplifies the shallow motives underlying the “artistic” decisions made by the creators of this moldy ass cheese. In a relatively tame, by this book’s standards, splash panel, we see a picture of a group of “crossed” Salt Lake City Bishops raping and killing a group of parishioners. And the women shown being raped have massive, centerfold breasts.
I was like….hold up, wait a tick…WTF?????
You are showing a revolting scene of massive, unimaginable brutality, and so you figure, “might as well try and titillate” while we’re at it. What the shit!! Now there are inappropriately timed appearances of big boobs elsewhere in this volume (and probably in the last one as well) but this one just really struck me as particularly pathetic.
In sum, me and Baby Rage thought this book sucked. Really, really sucked. It also blew. I can’t recommend you buy it, read it or even look at it. And to those gluttons for punishments who will check this out because you just have to see how bad this really is...well...you’ve been warned.
1.0 stars. HATED IT.
What a massive failure this was.
A wise person (aka David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap), once said, “There’s a fine line between stupid and, uh….clever.” Well this book crossed over that line, kept moving passed worthless, and ended up pitching tent in the middle of SUCKville. This book’s only redeeming quality is that it reiterated to me how wonderful a writer Garth Ennis is, as his presence was sorely missed.
In his vile, gross, but ultimately excellent Crossed Volume 1, Ennis danced on the edge between over-the-top vulgarity and the effective use of atrocity. Well David Lapham is no Garth Ennis. He completely lacked any artistic compass to guide him in his use of the profane, the disturbing and the shocking. He turned what had been an eye-opening gut punch of brutal satire on man's inhumanity to man, into a stomach-churning, purposeless sack of gratuitous shit, worthy of nothing, and I mean nothing, but scorn.
When your subject matter involves numerous episodes of graphic depictions of mass murder, gang rape and all manner of sadism, it’s OH...SO...IMPORTANT to ensure that such actions have a purpose, that they complement some form of message. I can take some hefty doses of extreme behavior with my stories if there is, in fact, a story, a point. If you’re simply trying to gross people out and cater to the torture-porn crowd, I’ll pass.
Neither story nor point existed here in any semblance that I could discern. Shame on you, Mr. Lapham.
The “crossed” are spreading, the world is in the shitter, and we're introduced to a large family of ranchers (13 initially) as they try to avoid the notice of the marauding hordes of sex-crazed, sadistic freaks. They fail...the “crossed” find them...there is carnage. In hindsight, that's probably not the worst thing in the world, since dear old dad himself is a daughter-raping, child beating, “I’m doing God’s work” psychopath, and mom is a cowardly “there there” “its not so bad,” “let’s pretend it never happened” doormat who made me as ill as her husband.
Anyway, the “crossed” come, many are killed and the survivors become more and more inhuman, while trying to cling to the shreds of their own humanity in the midst a world literally gone mad. That, at least, is the message of the story Ennis told in Volume 1. Here, there are just random, boring pages of filler in between each new series of massive perversions and depravity.
None of Ennis' cleverness and emotional gut checks. It's just gore, sadism and rape scenes, apparently for fun. Well, it’s not.
There are so many offensively useless gimmicks used in this “story” that I just don’t have the energy to list them all. From the worm’s-eye view of random defecations, to “crossed” mothers consuming their own infants at birth…it was so, so, so much beyond too much.
I will give one example because it's a scene that, for me, exemplifies the shallow motives underlying the “artistic” decisions made by the creators of this moldy ass cheese. In a relatively tame, by this book’s standards, splash panel, we see a picture of a group of “crossed” Salt Lake City Bishops raping and killing a group of parishioners. And the women shown being raped have massive, centerfold breasts.
I was like….hold up, wait a tick…WTF?????
You are showing a revolting scene of massive, unimaginable brutality, and so you figure, “might as well try and titillate” while we’re at it. What the shit!! Now there are inappropriately timed appearances of big boobs elsewhere in this volume (and probably in the last one as well) but this one just really struck me as particularly pathetic.
In sum, me and Baby Rage thought this book sucked. Really, really sucked. It also blew. I can’t recommend you buy it, read it or even look at it. And to those gluttons for punishments who will check this out because you just have to see how bad this really is...well...you’ve been warned.
1.0 stars. HATED IT.
December 31, 2020
David Lapham picks up the reign after Garth Ennis' crazy masterpiece and what starts out as an utterly dark and dirty storyline continues apace throughout, without leaving the reader a minute's respite. There could be said to be a too hard intention to shock and this does plum the depths of in-humanity.
We return to the Crossed reality viewing from the view point of a large family on a ranch controlled by a religious fundamentalist father with a penchant for child abuse! Adaline decides to confront her father, not knowing that it will be the same day that the Crossed plague breaks out! More horror for a very adult and not too sensitive audience, with both text and artwork showing explicit abuse, violence, sex, sexual assault, horror, mutilation and more! From a horror viewpoint this is hard to top! 9 out of 12
We return to the Crossed reality viewing from the view point of a large family on a ranch controlled by a religious fundamentalist father with a penchant for child abuse! Adaline decides to confront her father, not knowing that it will be the same day that the Crossed plague breaks out! More horror for a very adult and not too sensitive audience, with both text and artwork showing explicit abuse, violence, sex, sexual assault, horror, mutilation and more! From a horror viewpoint this is hard to top! 9 out of 12
May 28, 2017
I almost feel guilty giving this one five stars. It's THAT disgusting and depraved. But considering the point of a horror comic is to be horrifying, this one does exactly that. I'm a huge horror comic fan, but it's rare that one truly unsettles me. This one does that.
I thought after the first volume things couldn't get much worse, but I was wrong. So. Very. Wrong.
This volume doesn't follow the characters from Volume 1, but instead tells the story of an entirely new group. This volume also explores the whole "sometimes humans are the biggest monsters" theme. There are things in here I've never seen in a comic, and really hope never to again. But as sick as this is, it's gripping and almost impossible to put down. The thing about this series is that as gross as it is, it's still got a good story at its core. It does the rare job of being vile but still telling a compelling story. David Lapham has gone into dark corners before with his series Stray Bullets, but this makes that series look G rated. The art is nice as well, and really gets every sick image across.
I put a BIG warning on this one, as the rape and violence in this could be a huge turn off for some readers. However, if you're an extreme horror fan, it doesn't get any more extreme than this.
I thought after the first volume things couldn't get much worse, but I was wrong. So. Very. Wrong.
This volume doesn't follow the characters from Volume 1, but instead tells the story of an entirely new group. This volume also explores the whole "sometimes humans are the biggest monsters" theme. There are things in here I've never seen in a comic, and really hope never to again. But as sick as this is, it's gripping and almost impossible to put down. The thing about this series is that as gross as it is, it's still got a good story at its core. It does the rare job of being vile but still telling a compelling story. David Lapham has gone into dark corners before with his series Stray Bullets, but this makes that series look G rated. The art is nice as well, and really gets every sick image across.
I put a BIG warning on this one, as the rape and violence in this could be a huge turn off for some readers. However, if you're an extreme horror fan, it doesn't get any more extreme than this.
November 27, 2018
Despite my better judgement I read volume 2 of crossed.
That was a mistake.
This is just one big story of a father raping his daughters and using them as "tools". Impregnating girls as young as 12. It's supposed to show that even when they aren't crossed (basically crazy people) they do terrible things. The 2nd story is somehow worse, because it's even more boring.
Fuck this series. I'm done.
That was a mistake.
This is just one big story of a father raping his daughters and using them as "tools". Impregnating girls as young as 12. It's supposed to show that even when they aren't crossed (basically crazy people) they do terrible things. The 2nd story is somehow worse, because it's even more boring.
Fuck this series. I'm done.
May 4, 2020
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Not a bad read but Ennis’ start to the series was better.
The story is still an interesting tale of survival in a twisted world. This book is very intense throughout. Lots of twisted kills too, even more disturbing than the first volume so good for fans of disturbing, gory horror. It is fairly suspenseful at times.
Unfortunately with that all being said, while Ennis depicted a fucked up scenario in volume one, Lapham slightly goes for gratuitous gross stuff (example: I understand why sadistic violence is portrayed because it’s part of the story but why is someone dumping shit on their head?). The dialogue sucks pretty bad, it was slightly painful to read. I didn’t give a shit about the characters. There’s some religion related imagery and dialogue but with no substance, just some edgy shit that I’d expect from a (admittedly more artistic) 10 year old who doesn’t wanna go to church anymore.
The art is iffy. Some of it looks great, some of it not so much. I think it may have mostly been the colorist oddly enough.
So yeah I didn’t think this one was bad and I do wanna continue this series. I think reading this during an actual pandemic (thank God it’s not like this) maybe enhanced the experience a little (IDK for sure though). Ennis definitely seems like a better writer than Lapham IMO but this still isn’t bad.
3/5
Not a bad read but Ennis’ start to the series was better.
The story is still an interesting tale of survival in a twisted world. This book is very intense throughout. Lots of twisted kills too, even more disturbing than the first volume so good for fans of disturbing, gory horror. It is fairly suspenseful at times.
Unfortunately with that all being said, while Ennis depicted a fucked up scenario in volume one, Lapham slightly goes for gratuitous gross stuff (example: I understand why sadistic violence is portrayed because it’s part of the story but why is someone dumping shit on their head?). The dialogue sucks pretty bad, it was slightly painful to read. I didn’t give a shit about the characters. There’s some religion related imagery and dialogue but with no substance, just some edgy shit that I’d expect from a (admittedly more artistic) 10 year old who doesn’t wanna go to church anymore.
The art is iffy. Some of it looks great, some of it not so much. I think it may have mostly been the colorist oddly enough.
So yeah I didn’t think this one was bad and I do wanna continue this series. I think reading this during an actual pandemic (thank God it’s not like this) maybe enhanced the experience a little (IDK for sure though). Ennis definitely seems like a better writer than Lapham IMO but this still isn’t bad.
3/5
November 19, 2011
Crossed is amazing!!!!
Volume One I mean...as in what Garth Ennis wrote.
Crossed is not your normal gorefest of a comic. Yes, it is popular for showing panels that sicken and horrify readers, but what writer Garth Ennis managed to capture with his words in Volume One was the depravity and viciousness of the Crossed. We not only feared them, but we feared what they represented.
Volume Two...not so much.
I loved what David Lapham was going for with his words - the idea that some humans are just born evil. The patriarch of the Pratt family was one sick twisted **** and he didn't have to be infected. He was twisted from birth, as evidenced by his introduction. You can't very well say a person is a nice guy when in the very first clear panel of him, he has just finished raping his own daughter.
It was a storyline that began with much promise.
That is until the Crossed attacked...
What follows is a narrative that is so loose, even Lapham seems like he barely put any concentration on the story. We follow Adaline Pratt as she helps to defend her family against the nefarious Crossed and her own father. We symphatize (or empthatize, either one really) with her as she cannot convince her family of their father's evil...and that's about all I care about mentioning story-wise.
After that, it's pages and pages of people trying to survive and the Crossed doing what they do best. The characters really don't add any individual traits to the story to differentiate from each other. He's a guy, she's a girl - that seems like their only descriptive traits. No one cares to mention how they miss something menial, like ice cream, no one reminices about the old days. It's really a borefest if the Crossed aren't attacking...and that's not good. I want to hear about their past so that I can connect with them or at least see where they are coming from.
No such luck. Lapham's initial storyline involving a corrupt patriarch is completely wasted.
Each chapter doesn't really seem to flow into one another and if not for Ennis's first volume or the fact that I was reading a TPB, I probably would not have cared to buy each issue individually. It feels like Lapham wrote the damn story on some napkins and delivered it to his artist (though I will praise the artist for a fine job done). When the Crossed aren't around, the story is flat.
Final say: Don't bother. Read Crossed Vol 1. If you already read that, use your money to get Gravel or start the Walking Dead.
Volume One I mean...as in what Garth Ennis wrote.
Crossed is not your normal gorefest of a comic. Yes, it is popular for showing panels that sicken and horrify readers, but what writer Garth Ennis managed to capture with his words in Volume One was the depravity and viciousness of the Crossed. We not only feared them, but we feared what they represented.
Volume Two...not so much.
I loved what David Lapham was going for with his words - the idea that some humans are just born evil. The patriarch of the Pratt family was one sick twisted **** and he didn't have to be infected. He was twisted from birth, as evidenced by his introduction. You can't very well say a person is a nice guy when in the very first clear panel of him, he has just finished raping his own daughter.
It was a storyline that began with much promise.
That is until the Crossed attacked...
What follows is a narrative that is so loose, even Lapham seems like he barely put any concentration on the story. We follow Adaline Pratt as she helps to defend her family against the nefarious Crossed and her own father. We symphatize (or empthatize, either one really) with her as she cannot convince her family of their father's evil...and that's about all I care about mentioning story-wise.
After that, it's pages and pages of people trying to survive and the Crossed doing what they do best. The characters really don't add any individual traits to the story to differentiate from each other. He's a guy, she's a girl - that seems like their only descriptive traits. No one cares to mention how they miss something menial, like ice cream, no one reminices about the old days. It's really a borefest if the Crossed aren't attacking...and that's not good. I want to hear about their past so that I can connect with them or at least see where they are coming from.
No such luck. Lapham's initial storyline involving a corrupt patriarch is completely wasted.
Each chapter doesn't really seem to flow into one another and if not for Ennis's first volume or the fact that I was reading a TPB, I probably would not have cared to buy each issue individually. It feels like Lapham wrote the damn story on some napkins and delivered it to his artist (though I will praise the artist for a fine job done). When the Crossed aren't around, the story is flat.
Final say: Don't bother. Read Crossed Vol 1. If you already read that, use your money to get Gravel or start the Walking Dead.
April 21, 2022
This in my opinion is PEAK Crossed. It has the perfect mixture of the insane depravity that is usually found in Crossed and the characterization and emotional element that you'd read in something like The Walking Dead.
Just a fantastic story. I can't wait till a few years pass where I forget about the plot and I can read it again all over again for a third time.
Just a fantastic story. I can't wait till a few years pass where I forget about the plot and I can read it again all over again for a third time.
July 17, 2016
I kinda thought the story would proceed with the same characters, but this one has an entirely new set.
A suitably vicious story, but confusing timeline and interchangeable characters that were dead then they weren't then they were pregnant and then they weren't. And they were the protagonist's sister? Or mother? Or dad, or brother? Dead, alive, in the past, in the present? I was totally lost.
But you don't come to "Crossed" for story. The strength of this series is its absolute brutality and I would focus less on the story and more on how frequently the "crossed" can re-enter the panels and do and say unthinkably evil and gratuitous things. I can be quite a highly strung person and I find the absolute abandon cathartic. The "crossed" are evil, wilfully disgusting, destructive and relentless. They're insulting, filthily mouthed, have no allegiances. As is pointed out in this issue, they don't have a past or a future: they have only the moment in which they must commit the most sordid act they can think of. And they're having the best time. And the hysterical nature of their characters is absurdly humorous in a way and shocks the reader out of their daily worries as a result. Sentient zombies? Not all that fussed. Gratuitous, reckless, relentless abandon? Please guiltlessly exercise those parts of my brain so I can check my emails in a more peaceful manner :)
Not horses. There's a whole section about how great horses were and I was like 'Lol don't care' and the last panel was a bunch of horses returning or something for hopeful effect. They weren't raped or gutted or decapitated or anything, seriously!
Where's my money's worth? ;D!!!
A suitably vicious story, but confusing timeline and interchangeable characters that were dead then they weren't then they were pregnant and then they weren't. And they were the protagonist's sister? Or mother? Or dad, or brother? Dead, alive, in the past, in the present? I was totally lost.
But you don't come to "Crossed" for story. The strength of this series is its absolute brutality and I would focus less on the story and more on how frequently the "crossed" can re-enter the panels and do and say unthinkably evil and gratuitous things. I can be quite a highly strung person and I find the absolute abandon cathartic. The "crossed" are evil, wilfully disgusting, destructive and relentless. They're insulting, filthily mouthed, have no allegiances. As is pointed out in this issue, they don't have a past or a future: they have only the moment in which they must commit the most sordid act they can think of. And they're having the best time. And the hysterical nature of their characters is absurdly humorous in a way and shocks the reader out of their daily worries as a result. Sentient zombies? Not all that fussed. Gratuitous, reckless, relentless abandon? Please guiltlessly exercise those parts of my brain so I can check my emails in a more peaceful manner :)
Not horses. There's a whole section about how great horses were and I was like 'Lol don't care' and the last panel was a bunch of horses returning or something for hopeful effect. They weren't raped or gutted or decapitated or anything, seriously!
Where's my money's worth? ;D!!!
March 10, 2018
I was really hoping to continue from where we left off in volume 1. Instead, we follow a new band of survivors. The Pratts. A family of ranchers with many dark secrets. Mainly incest and abuse at the hands of the family patriarch. To be honest, it’s indeed more unsettling to witness sick and depraved acts carried out by humans as opposed to the crossed.
At some point mid way, things got confusing. Especially with the time jumps between issues. First, this person gets pregnant. Then, another one gets pregnant. With too many female characters looking so much alike, it was kinda hard to keep track.
As David Lapham takes over the writing from Garth Ennis, the series seems to be drastically losing its magic. My biggest fear is that the series will end up being nothing more than a gore-fest.
I hope I’m wrong.
At some point mid way, things got confusing. Especially with the time jumps between issues. First, this person gets pregnant. Then, another one gets pregnant. With too many female characters looking so much alike, it was kinda hard to keep track.
As David Lapham takes over the writing from Garth Ennis, the series seems to be drastically losing its magic. My biggest fear is that the series will end up being nothing more than a gore-fest.
I hope I’m wrong.
March 9, 2022
thank u connor for literally sending this to me in the mail!!!!!!! its absolutely deranged, more so than i ever could've possibly imagined. the perfect distraction from my fractured and throbbing leg 😍🙏 thanks again connor <33333333
April 13, 2019
Not sure what to make of this which I why I gave it 3 stars. I couldn't really say I liked it as I found it shocking and disgusting in places but at the same time I didn't hate it. I liked the storyline and it gives a different take on the zombie theory. I'm not sure whether I will continue to read the other volumes but I've given it a go. I don't think I would re-read this either as it made me feel sick in places.
January 10, 2018
A crayzay volume for sure!
If you think your family has issues, check out this one!
So many awful things happening... sometimes you don't even need to be "crossed" to be as sadistic as they are...
If you think your family has issues, check out this one!
So many awful things happening... sometimes you don't even need to be "crossed" to be as sadistic as they are...
April 21, 2024
Volume 2 isn't quite as good as the first, but I still thought it was a decent follow-up with some memorable yet disgusting scenes!
August 4, 2019
Crossed continues to be one of the more twisted horror comics that I have read. The type of stuff that curls your sensibilities into the fetal position. It's a gory trainwreck. Definitely not for the faint of heart. It needs a huge trigger warning across the top since this volume like all of Crossed is equal opportunity in regards to sexual violence.
August 3, 2016
Gross. Very.
I had trouble with the rating, because it really creeped me out in the worst way and I kinda hate it, but then again, that's what it's meant to do. And it is a page-turner.
My own personal rating would be two stars, but considering the intentions of the story, genre and everything, it does deserve more than that.
I almost gave four stars - maybe it would deserve them. I think my judgment might be clouded here.
Seriously though, I will definately never read it again and hopefully forget about it alltogether.
I watch/read a lot of horror, but I never got an actual nightmare from any of it even though many of it scared me to the point that I would jump into my bed from a two meter distance, just so nothing would grab my ankle. This Crossed Volume gave me two nightmares so far, one of them the very worst nightmare of my whole life. I'll need a week at least to get over that one. (I'm not exaggerating, that was horrible! Can I just whine a little about that?!)
Really, I don't even know what else I could say.
It's not a bad Comic book, but even if you're used to horror and gore, this one will probably stick out and mess with your head.
If you'll excuse me now. I need to curl up in a corner and start repressing the memory of this comic. Bye.
I had trouble with the rating, because it really creeped me out in the worst way and I kinda hate it, but then again, that's what it's meant to do. And it is a page-turner.
My own personal rating would be two stars, but considering the intentions of the story, genre and everything, it does deserve more than that.
I almost gave four stars - maybe it would deserve them. I think my judgment might be clouded here.
Seriously though, I will definately never read it again and hopefully forget about it alltogether.
I watch/read a lot of horror, but I never got an actual nightmare from any of it even though many of it scared me to the point that I would jump into my bed from a two meter distance, just so nothing would grab my ankle. This Crossed Volume gave me two nightmares so far, one of them the very worst nightmare of my whole life. I'll need a week at least to get over that one. (I'm not exaggerating, that was horrible! Can I just whine a little about that?!)
Really, I don't even know what else I could say.
It's not a bad Comic book, but even if you're used to horror and gore, this one will probably stick out and mess with your head.
If you'll excuse me now. I need to curl up in a corner and start repressing the memory of this comic. Bye.
August 21, 2015
There is this place where god-awful and amazing intersect.
When you are 100% aware that stuff is cheesy and campy, but you are still having fun and it's kind of amazing.
Think...From Dusk Till Dawn.
Or Tremors.
I am guilty of having soft spot for these which is why Garth Ennis totally works for me.
The thing is, that's a veeery thin line of awesome and story can easily go in wrong direction.
This is exactly what happened with Crossed in Vol.2.
Vol. 1 had this perfect balance of ridiculous depravity that never fails to entertain, but vol. 2 was aiming to out-shock.
No Ennis, no fun. (-_-)
What I did like was awesome take on covers. :D
Very clever.
Oh, and this volume had a scene that's in my top ten Crossed fucked up moments.
July 13, 2012
Crossed is like Walking Dead on steroids. I liked Garth Ennis's volume more, although this definitely took things up a notch in the depravity department.
January 27, 2015
I LOVE Crossed ... when I first read it, after I remember thinking 'what the hell did I just read? Ha! Love it.
February 10, 2017
Man, this series is just the grossest, most insane thing I've ever read. So messed up but my twisted mind cant stop looking at it. Recommended to no one. Seriously.
April 23, 2021
Well that was just gross. The first volume was gross and shocking, but it seemed like it more had a purpose. This was just rape and incest and gross out violence and incest rape and blood and incest murder and ....yea. The storyline just wasn't any good, mostly focusing on the incest of this one family and then after they were monsters the incest just got worse. And while the artwork of the first volume was decent enough, though nothing spectacular, this one was definitely amateurish. And then the collection of alternative covers at the end was just blood icing on the blood cake with mutilated babies that I definitely didn't need to see. Just no.
Actually the covers based on famous paintings was decent.
Actually the covers based on famous paintings was decent.
November 3, 2021
WELL. Was this an appropriate Halloween read or WHAT? More like 3.5 stars but rated up because they managed to make an entire graphic novel volume revolve around incest and got away with publishing it and creeping readers the hell out. I was expecting pretty intense stuff, and it definitely goes a step further than the previous volume (which makes me wonder if each one is a preparation for the next, and each will get gradually more awful...), but in a way it wasn't as bad. It didn't seem to focus on the Crossed nearly as much as the previous volume, depending instead on the whacked family dynamics of the main character and her siblings and parents. More nudity in the volume though, and some unconventional gory scenes...
August 15, 2023
"I sold my soul cheap."
Having found out that this inspired the gory "The Sadness" (2021) film, I thought I would check it out, and it's just as cracked and gruesome.
Initially thought that this might have a slight Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibe to it with the theme and cover, but it's much darker than that.
Family values are definitely lacking here.
Having found out that this inspired the gory "The Sadness" (2021) film, I thought I would check it out, and it's just as cracked and gruesome.
Initially thought that this might have a slight Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibe to it with the theme and cover, but it's much darker than that.
Family values are definitely lacking here.
July 31, 2017
This volume was a lot crazier than I remember Vol. 1 being. Can't tell if it helped the story either. Seemed to be trying too hard at being as disturbing as possible. Like reading The Walking Dead and shouting "Hold my beer!".
May 19, 2021
If there is an envelope of bad taste, Garth Ennis certainly pushed past it in his 2012 nine-issue graphic novel series “Crossed”.
Volume 2, “Family Values”, written by David Lapham, doesn’t even acknowledge that the envelope exists. If it does, then Lapham has dropped trou, dumped a huge Cleveland steamer in it, lit it on fire, and smeared it all over the kitchen floor.
If Ennis’s story had any redeeming value (and I am well aware that I am in the very small minority that felt it had some), then Lapham’s seven-issue run is just complete and utter garbage.
This volume features scenes of graphic incest, pedophelia, and child murder. There are images of mass murder, rape, and horrific bloodshed on just about every page.
As for story? The plot is so skeletal as to be non-existent.
I don’t offend easily. I also have a pretty strong threshold for gore and bad taste. But everyone has his or her limit, and I think I’ve discovered mine.
I’m not sure if I have the desire—-or the stomach—-to continue on with this series.
Volume 2, “Family Values”, written by David Lapham, doesn’t even acknowledge that the envelope exists. If it does, then Lapham has dropped trou, dumped a huge Cleveland steamer in it, lit it on fire, and smeared it all over the kitchen floor.
If Ennis’s story had any redeeming value (and I am well aware that I am in the very small minority that felt it had some), then Lapham’s seven-issue run is just complete and utter garbage.
This volume features scenes of graphic incest, pedophelia, and child murder. There are images of mass murder, rape, and horrific bloodshed on just about every page.
As for story? The plot is so skeletal as to be non-existent.
I don’t offend easily. I also have a pretty strong threshold for gore and bad taste. But everyone has his or her limit, and I think I’ve discovered mine.
I’m not sure if I have the desire—-or the stomach—-to continue on with this series.
July 11, 2021
Transgression without agency is just dreary and tiresome.
August 24, 2021
Loved this set of characters. Addy was a strong female who had to make quick, hard decisions. Just couldn't put this down.
January 9, 2022
Even more fucked than volume 1
September 2, 2022
3.5/5
This one was a lot... The art is amazing and and the writing is great but oof you need a strong stomach
This one was a lot... The art is amazing and and the writing is great but oof you need a strong stomach
February 25, 2024
Another sick and depraved collection of Crossed!! I love this shit.
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
Happy Reading and Splatter On.....
January 30, 2023
This is the second entry into the storylines of Crossed and without Garth Ennis writing but David Lapham does a great job with this very disturbing story. The "insanity" plague has fallen and so to does the systems in the world that make sense. This is called Family Values for a reason and it centers on a small family from North Carolina. Layers of deceit and anger unleash a situation as bad as the threat of those with the insanity, the Crossed.
This one was almost as good as volume 1. It is ultra violent and not for children at all. It is a unique take on the horror genre in which the question is asked, "what will we do when there is no quick fix, no easy answer and no hope?" Solid storytelling here and the art is again, top notch!
This one was almost as good as volume 1. It is ultra violent and not for children at all. It is a unique take on the horror genre in which the question is asked, "what will we do when there is no quick fix, no easy answer and no hope?" Solid storytelling here and the art is again, top notch!
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