Crossed Plus One Hundred 18

Crossed Plus One Hundred No. 18 regular cover, art by Martin Tunica

Below are annotations for Crossed Plus One Hundred, No. 18 “Drowned World” (20 pages, cover date August 2016, released 7 September 2016)

Writer: Simon Spurrier, Artist: Martín Túnica, Series Outline: Alan Moore

>Go to CPOH annotations index
>Go to CPOH timeline
>Go to CPOH language/glossary
>Go to CPOH background, cast of characters

Note: some of this stuff is obvious. If there’s stuff I missed or got wrong, let me know in comments, or email linton.joe [at] gmail.com

WARNING: SPOILERS

General: This is the final issue (for now) of Crossed Plus One Hundred. In Murfreesboro, Taylor confronts Robbie Greer, who is killed by a dying Mustaqba. Bailey and his forces siege Sneezy’s stronghold at the Greenbrier Resort, where they become infected. Taylor departs Murfreesboro with her 5-year-old adopted Crossed baby girl, naming her Now.

Cover 

• From left to right are Future Taylor, Crossed barter-baby Now, and a Crossed Mustaqba. The portrait behind them is Beau Salt.
• Some of the books have titles that appear legible:
  – “W LEM?” and “XIN? or NIX?” are not clear.
  – “K.DICK” is likely science fiction author Philip K. Dick whose A Scanner Darkly inspired the title of CPOH15.
• The scene does not quite appear in the story.

Page 1

panel 1

• The date is 23 July 2114.
• Continuing from the conclusion of CPOH17, scenes alternate between Greenbrier Resort and Murfreesboro. This panel depicts Bailey’s team’s assault on The Greenbrier America’s Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV. The white building depicted is the main entrance – see contemporary image.

panel 2

• The location is Taylor and Mustaqba’s home outside Murfreesboro, TN.
• Left to right are Robbie Greer/Jokemercy, Crossed barter-baby Now (though unnamed at this time) and Mustaqba.

Pages 2-3

panel 1

• On the right is Future Taylor.
• Panelwise, this two-page spread introduces a three-row (3-1-3) layout that continues on pages 4-5 and 6-7 (and continuing pages xxx.) The upper and lower rows take place in Murfreesboro; the middle row shows the Greenbrier Resort. This alternating between locations echoes CPOH6.

panel 3

• “No touching” is to ensure that Now doesn’t infect Taylor.

panel 4

• The man on the horse appears to be Oneway McBlarney.

panel 7

• Greer’s radio is picking up communications from the assault on Greenbrier.

Pages 4-5

panel 1

• The blue tinted panels depict the story that Greer is telling.
• Left to right are Greer/Jokemercy and Slaketime. This is the first time the reader learns Slaketime’s name, though he is the Crossed captive who Taylor interrogated at the beginning of CPOH16.
• “First to pass the test ‘quick brown fox'” was shown XXX.
• The acetylene torch is apparently for burning the scars into Greer’s face to disguise his cross marking.

panel 2

• This appears to be the first depiction of Taylor’s father.

panel 3

• The fall of Bethlehem, apparently Bethlehem, PA, was mentioned by Slaketime (CPOH16 P5,p3) and shown in flashback told by McBlarney (CPOH16 P13-14). See CPOH settlements page.

panel 4

• The panel depicts Bailey (right of fold, with gun erect) and Insa (right, with black hair and exploding head – who was introduced in CPOH15 P2).

panel 5

• This panel apparently depicts the siege of Chooga, from CPOH6.

panel 6

• This panel apparently depicts the siege of Bethlehem. The water gun in apparently filled with contagious Crossed bodily fluids.

Pages 6-7

panel 1

• “The dwarves” are the Salt Crossed leaders (introduced in CPOH5) named after the seven dwarves: Bashful, Doc, etc.

panel 2

• These are apparently (left to right) Bashful and Sneezy, attendant at the death of Beau Salt whose hand is shown holding a scalpel carving words into his own chest – see xxx.

panel 6

•  “Skull-mopped” literally translates to “think-died” and apparently means went soft in the head – grew more senile or more crazy.

Page 7

panel 1

• “Merge” was mentioned earlier – see xxxx. Explain – xxx.

panel 3

• “Peoples” is Greer criticizing humans for not seeing the Crossed as at all worthy of sympathy.

Page 8

panel 3

• Mustaqba’s voice changes (and face rash appears) as he becomes infected.

Page 9 – no specific annotations

Page 10

panel 1

• The “Pops? Pops? Pops?” is very poetic. One is addressing her dying father as Crossed and as human.

panel 3

• The location is the Appalachian Crossed settlement shown in CPOH5.

Pages 11-12

panel 1

• Panelwise, this two-page spread returns to the three-row (3-1-3) layout shown earlier on pages 4-5 and 6-7. The upper and lower rows depict Greer and Taylor’s interactions in Murfreesboro; the middle row shows the Greenbrier Resort.
• Taylor “[en]countered some unfecteds… rejex” in CPOH10.

panel 2

• “Huntboss Cuntface” is apparently the name of the single-breasted Crossed woman introduced CPOH7 P18,p2 and killed in CPOH12 Pxxx.
• “Martyr-borns” are apparently the Crossed babies called “barter-born” in xxx.

panel 3

• Seated on horses are Bailey and Oneway McBlarney.

panel 5

• The panel depicts Taylor’s interrogation of Slaketime in CPOH16.
• “Insa” is the human woman killed on P5 above, introduced in CPOH15.

Pages 13-14

panel 2

• The “inner-fearing” interference appears earlier – see xxx.
• “Moore’s Code” is, of course, Morse Code, though perhaps also a nod to Alan Moore.

panels 5-7

• These form a fixed camera sequence.

Page 15

panel 1

• The location is the Murfreesboro communications center. Left is Ima’am Fajr.

panel 2

• The location is the Camp Genheim communications center. Right is Cautious Optimism Kriswyczki.

panel 3

• The location is Greenbrier. Left to right are Oneway McBlarney, Ufoq, Lieutenant Steady, and Bailey.

Page 16

panel 1

• Coming soon

Page 17

panel 3

• “Dunyouse fuggin’ dare” is “Don’t you fucking dare” with a Brooklyn accent.
• Taylor is describing the events of CPOH12, where Bailey was responsible for Oneway’s father Genheim.

Page 18-19

panel 1

• Panelwise, this two-page spread returns to the three-row (3-1-3) layout shown earlier.
• Panels 1 and 2 form a fixed-camera sequence (though unclear why the background people disappear.)

panels 3-4

• Taylor saves the Gapplers lives by turning them against Bailey.

panels 5-6

• These form a fixed-camera sequence.

Page 20 – no specific annotations

Page 21

panel 2

• Google does not find “Fog Party 5000” but this is apparently some kind of party-fog generator machine, which the Crossed have set up to generate Crossed-infected fog.

panel 3

• The hand is apparently Sneezy‘s.

Page 22

panel 1

• The Crossed-infected fog envelops the area in front of the Greenbrier Resort.

Page 23

panel 1

• The location is the Murfreesboro communications center. Right is Ima’am Fajr.
• “Peace-beyond…” confirms that Murfreesboro Muslims are among the people infected.

panel 4

• Captions are Taylor’s baby, here for the first time revealed to be named Now, continuing Taylor’s journaling tradition.

Page 24

Final page of Swamp Thing No.24, art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben

panel 1

• Steady, Bailey, Ufoq and others are infected and have become Crossed.
• The naked woman with upraised arms, speaking, is apparently Beau Salt Crossed leader Sneezy.
  Her posture echoes an iconic Alan Moore Swamp Thing image – the final page of Swamp Thing No. 24 with art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.
  Sneezy’s posture is mirrored by a human (center of page) whose face and heart have been shot through, perhaps symbolizing the fate of humanity.
• This issue’s title “The Drowned World” is the name of a 1982 science fiction novel by J.G. Ballard. According to Wikipedia, The Drowned World “features a central character who, rather than being disturbed by the end of the old world, is enraptured by the chaotic reality that has come to replace it.” This, of course, echoes the attitude of Sneezy and her Crossed at the end of this issue.

 

THE END – AFAWK

>Go to Crossed Plus One Hundred No. 17 annotations
>Go to Crossed Plus One Hundred Annotation Index