A bunch of people have tried to get me into The Walking Dead, but I just haven't been able to do it because of this series. I feel like a guy who'd been drinking Everclear hearing about how wine coolers give such an awesome buzz. The Crossed are bar none the most evil, horrifying monsters I've ever encountered in fiction.

So, beware, if you click the link below. There will be graphic, hideous violence, sex, sexual violence and violent sex. Do not read this if you are sensitive to such things. Do not read this unless you want your reaction to The Walking Dead and similar stories to be "Man those people are lucky. They have no idea how good they have it or how much worse things could be." In any case, you have been warned:

http://www.crossedcomic.com/category/the-webcomic

I've read a few of these trades, some are quite good, the ones written by Ennis, others are a bit too much, basically just try and shock you for the shock value of it. I'm not averse to that, its just if you read the Ennis stuff first, its to me at least, a higher quality and there's more of a point to the ultra-violence and depravity. The later volumes to me got worse and worse. Kinda like watching Carpenter's Halloween and then watching Zombie's version, even though its the same basic structure and story, one has a subtlety to it and the other just smacks you in the face.

I checked out the link and frankly found it rather lame. I have no problem with violence or sex in entertainment, but this just seemed like it was over the top just for shock value alone. I mean, what was the point of having some crazy man fucking a dolphin's blowhole while stabbing it at the same time only to have that guy get his head blown off a few pages later?

I assume it was to show the deprivity and despair of the situation, but honestly it just felt kind of lame and dumb. I like a good zombie/horror/end of the world story and of course there will be quite a bit of violence, gore, and sex involved, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Different strokes I suppose.

I've read a few of these trades, some are quite good, the ones written by Ennis, others are a bit too much, basically just try and shock you for the shock value of it. I'm not averse to that, its just if you read the Ennis stuff first, its to me at least, a higher quality and there's more of a point to the ultra-violence and depravity. The later volumes to me got worse and worse. Kinda like watching Carpenter's Halloween and then watching Zombie's version, even though its the same basic structure and story, one has a subtlety to it and the other just smacks you in the face.

The smacks and depravity cover the nastier subtleties in the Crossed world. Most horror/disaster scenario put forth the idea that in order to survive and win, people have to embrace what is best in humanity. The Crossed world upends that. The people who are brave, kind, loyal and committed to victory are the ones least likely to survive the Crossed. It's the cowards, cold pragmatists, sociopaths and mad-people who are the one most likely to survive and thrive in the world of the Crossed. The most horrible thing about the Crossed isn't what they've been turned into. It's what they cause us to turn into in order to survive them.

The smacks and depravity cover the nastier subtleties in the Crossed world. Most horror/disaster scenario put forth the idea that in order to survive and win, people have to embrace what is best in humanity. The Crossed world upends that. The people who are brave, kind, loyal and committed to victory are the ones least likely to survive the Crossed. It's the cowards, cold pragmatists, sociopaths and mad-people who are the one most likely to survive and thrive in the world of the Crossed. The most horrible thing about the Crossed isn't what they've been turned into. It's what they cause us to turn into in order to survive them.

Oh, I completely understand the point and thats why I appreciate the Ennis penned volumes, but there is a subtlety to his that the others don't have. It can be done intelligently or moreso and dumbly, which I found the later ones to be.

Wish You Were Here is definitely in the more intelligent category, dolphin rapestab notwithstanding. It evidences the moments of extreme terror of Crossed, but also brings in the soul-crushing boredom and its effects as well.