Crossed + 100 Volume 2 TP 1st print Simon Spurrier Fernando Heinz Avatar NM

Description

CROSSED PLUS 100 VOL. 02 SC (AVATAR PRESS INC)

PUBLISHER Avatar Press Inc
WRITER Simon Spurrier
ARTIST Fernando Heinz
COVER ARTIST Gabriel Andrade
160 pages
Full Color
SIZE 7×10
Graphic Novel

Alan Moore’s redefining of the Crossed universe 100 years in the future continues with his hand selected successor, Crossed: Wish You Were Here scribe, Simon Spurrier. Future Tayler’s world was devastated by the realization that one of her closest friends led to the devastation of Chooga. Now as she helps a new town of survivors prepare for the organized attack of the evolved Crossed, she realizes that her best efforts may not be enough. The Crossed have a plan and they are coming. No amount of wishful fiction will prevent the conflict to come. The Crossed +100 series is a self-contained whole new world; no prior knowledge of the Crossed series is needed.

Crossed +100 Vol 2 TP contains the continuing story originally presented in issues #7 – 12 of the ongoing comic book series.

The future is here, and its name is CROSSED. The story that began with Garth Ennis’ original mini-series and expanded into the dynamic and delightfully disturbing CROSSED: BADLANDS has come to a full realization in CROSSED + 100. It is in this series, that the true nature of survival, hope, society and destruction are explored. In this series, the moment one feels the safe and secure is also the moment of greatest weakness.

For those unfamiliar with the CROSSED universe, it isn’t difficult to grasp; picture a WALKING DEAD type disaster scenario, only millions of times more horrifying. Those infected by the Crossed are not Zombies searching for humans to feed on, but the actual physical embodiment of all the darkness that is humanity. Crossed might eat you, but not before they’ve taken the time to torture, rape, and mutilate you. The real horror is that unlike Zombies, Crossed still possess intelligence and skills from their previous life; they can plan, they can set traps, and they understand psychological torture. In this world, hope can get you killed, and the only logical personal investment is in survival by any means necessary.

CROSSED + 100 takes place 100 years after the initial Crossed outbreak. Humanity has managed to survive the devastation slowly but steadily and is finally attempting to settle down and recreate civilization. The human population has begun to increase as people find themselves comfortable enough to have children out of choice while the Crossed population is almost vanishing from existence due to a lack of personal care and the spread of diseases such as AIDS. Simon Spurrier has described this new world as a type of paradise, or a post-apocalyptic Eden, where humanity has been given a second chance at life without the various constraints of society as it was before.

The first arc of CROSSED + 100 (written and designed by the legendary Alan Moore), follows archivist Future Taylor and the various survivors at the settlement ‘Chooga’ (what was once Chattanooga, Tennessee). While out archiving books and materials from a century before, Taylor and her gang continuously run into Crossed and strange altars. They are inexperienced with Crossed, believing the population to have been wiped out, but they continue to investigate their existence. Eventually, Taylor discovers that there was a small band of Crossed who were culled and trained by a super-intelligent Crossed to survive inevitable doom. Before Taylor could stop a horrific plan of conquest 100 years in the making, Chooga was overrun and taken over by Crossed, thanks to a traitor in her group. With no choice and no home, she flees and escapes the devastating holocaust.

Simon Spurrier continued the story following Moore’s plentiful and detailed notes on the universe and the future for the Crossed. A year following the fall of Chooga, Taylor is living at another settlement and is having tremendous difficulty coping with the trauma she experienced. Furthermore, she is struggling to have her voice and concerns heard, as the political and religious leaders of the settlement don’t consider her claims of intelligent Crossed to be legitimate. Even after gathering insurmountable evidence that the Crossed are organized and an extremely dangerous threat, her requests are denied, and her theories are discredited. Alas, everything came crashing down at the end of issue #11. Crossed appeared at the settlement’s gate shrouded in headdresses made of bone, viscera, and human genitals. These Crossed demanded a portion of the humans food, the destruction of all forms of communication, and the donation of seven girls or women and three men or boys.

Issue twelve, the finale for this arc, shows the humans of the Murfreesboro settlement striking back and is a positive change from the hopelessness and doom that felt impending. It seemed all was lost for these survivors after the events of issue eleven. After the Crossed announce their demand for tribute, the entire settlement is in shock and panic, including Future Taylor. In her moment of defeat and surrender, she is offered an opportunity to save the settlement by recent refugees (whom she initially suspected may be infected in disguise). Once she believes she can trust them, she helps them gain access to the settlement’s weapon stash, and they take over and begin to implement their plan. While the refugees plan seems, at first, cruel and giving into the Crossed demands for tribute, they have created an elaborate and cunning trap. Without giving away too many details, the humans are able to strike back in a big way, and Taylor meets her destiny face to face.

978-1592912759

Collects Crossed +100 # 7-12. Near mint, 1st printing. Please see description for more pictures.