DLS Reviews - Crossed +100: Volume 3 (2017)

Trade Paperback Edition

Hardback Edition

First published within a single compilation volume back in July of 2017, ‘Crossed +100: Volume 3’ was the third instalment in the ‘Crossed +100’ spinoff post-apocalyptic mini-series which followed on from the original ‘Crossed’ comics, only set exactly 100 years later.

The six comics compiled in this second volume were written by Simon Spurrier and drawn by Rafa Ortiz and Martin Tunica.

DLS Synopsis:

It’s now July 2114, a further five years since the Crossed tried to put their law on Murfreesboro. Five years of rebuilding, organising and working with the other settlements. Over that time, Murfreesboro and the Gapple Isles have evolved into the two biggest settlements in Alleghannia. Communities in regular communication. It was now time for the people of Murfreesboro to start trading and archiving with Gapple.

Murfreesboro wasn’t the same as it had been five years ago. Captain Baily had taken the position of the commanding voice across the settlement. His dominance had been established when the Crossed had tried to force their law onto them. Bailey was cold, calculated and cruel. Characteristics that made him a formidable foe to the Crossed.

However, although the Crossed threat had lessoned over the ensuing years, their mere existence still troubled the community. No one was more aware of this than Future Taylor. What the Crossed had done, how they’d planned and executed their attack on Chooga, then tried to force their will on Murfreesboro, it haunted her.

During their archiving runs, Future had come into possession of a book which increased her concern about the Crossed’s intentions and their continued threat. The book was the journal of Beauregard Salt. A book written entirely in code. A range a different cyphers, for which Future was gradually decoding. And with each chapter, came an increased understanding, and gradually the revelation of an even more terrifying threat.

Nevertheless, the idea that the Crossed were inherently malicious and that they couldn’t be taught to co-exist with the uninfected was something Future couldn’t accept. Over the past five years her view on the Crossed had altered. It was complicated. Not as clear cut as it had been.

It was all because of the child. An infected infant which her and Mustaqha had been raising. One of the so-called ‘barter-babies’ the Crossed had forcefully traded for ten uninfected prisoners. Not that Future could speak with anyone about her shifting view of the Crossed. Mustaqha had been dubbed crazy – an eccentric who’d isolated himself away from the rest of the community. No one from Murfreesboro knew about the child. No one knew what Future and Mustaqha were raising so close to their homes. No one else understood.

Now, as Future sets off to undertake a trade with the Gapple Isles, she begins to unlock the most important parts of Salt’s journal. It speaks of his final instructions, forming the last chapter in his life’s work. All his disciples will own a copy, though none will be able to decode that ultimate section. It’s a fiendish encryption, which can only be unlocked with a single cypher. A single word. A key.

It’s Salt’s final control over his disciples. Only by surviving, will his infected children learn the keyword to unlock their future. Selected for intelligence and obedience, then rewarded for their faith. Only when it’s the right time and place, will the cypher be revealed to them, and in doing so, it will reveal Salt’s final act upon the world…

DLS Review:

So, here we have it, the final volume in the ‘Crossed +100’ series… well… outside of the six ‘Mimic’ (S018) comics that is! But more importantly, we have the concluding volume to the what’s essentially evolved through the previous comics into Future Taylor’s personal story and plight.

What’s interesting to see is the re-emergence of the whole ‘Beauregard Salt’ storyline and the terrifying legacy he left behind. This is expanded upon even further in this third volume, with sections from the dead killer’s journal reproduced for us, as Future Taylor gradually deciphers each page and chapter.

Because of the way this is told, we get to hear the intricacies within Salt’s voice and the message he’s left to his beloved followers. His ambitions and the details of how he intends his legacy to continue for years after his passing. It’s all quite sinister, intriguing and one of the more compelling aspects to the ‘Crossed +100’ plot.

Outside of this we also have Future Taylor leaving Murfreesboro (which is now under Captain Bailey’s rule) so that she can undertake a trade with the settlement located in the Gapple Isles. This essentially has the story spending much of its time following Future around as she liaises with the various people of Gapple whilst trying to get a handle on how the two settlements might eventually work together. This might sound like it might have plenty of tension building up within it, however, I have to say it’s sadly somewhat lacking in that area.

Back home in Murfreesboro, we also have another slow burner of a storyline – in which we see Future Taylor and her lover, Mustaqha, bringing up an infected infant. This essentially has them wearing hazmat suits when they play with the child, as well as having the young girl constantly secured by a hook to the wall located above her cot.

Together, this trio of storylines bleed into each other, with Future Taylor as the connecting element between all three. The latter storyline involving the child they’re rearing, is what drives much of Taylor’s evolving emotional response to everything else – providing the character with a new perspective on the Crossed. A weird sort of coming-of-age storyline, although one which doesn’t necessarily go anywhere!

Compared with the previous two ‘Crossed +100’ volumes, this final instalment perhaps contains even less action, violence and bloodshed. This makes it worlds apart from the original ‘Crossed: Badlands’ comics. Instead, it’s one of an evolving perspective on what’s happening, a storyline that’s trying to forge a future and trying to understand the intention of a lasting legacy.

The language is as per the previous two volumes, although we have some new words and expressions thrown into the mix. In fact, the language in this volume has possibly become even harder to follow. Whereby pretty much every aspect of the dialogue involves some degree of deciphering by the reader. However, with the storyline being particularly dialogue-heavy, this begins to weigh heavy on the overall pacing of the comics. Indeed, at times this constant deciphering begins to wear the reader down, making it feel like a trudge to get through.

The sporadic moments of action (and violence) are short-lived and largely without much in the way of purpose, merit, or a connection to the wider storyline. Indeed, things seem to become forgotten quite quickly, almost the moment something’s over…which just feels sloppy.

Honestly, it’s not a great final instalment. It’s slow-paced, in many ways disjointed with how the pieces to the three separate storylines are haphazardly stitched together, and frustratingly ambiguous in any final outcome to the story.

I loved the original ‘Badlands’ comics, but this ‘+100’ storyline seems to have lost some of the original spark. It’s gone for personal and emotional, without first forging a tight enough bond. It’s gone for thought-provoking and simmering, when the concepts are at best, just shallow deep. It’s gone for a bigger picture, where the perspective offered is still far too insular.

Nevertheless, it’s still good to have another comic volume. The comics do have some quite inspired moments that’ll have you grinning. And the character arcs are interesting to follow through this journey. So, not all bad. Just not the best volume in comparison with the others.

The graphic novel runs for a total of 144 pages.

Other ‘Crossed +100’ instalments:

PLEASE NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ VARIOUS NON-FICTION