The Boys Pales In Comparison To Another Comic By Its Author

Summary:

• The Boys TV series is often criticized for its excessive violence and gore, added mostly for shock value
• However, the show is actually pretty tame compared to the original comics by Garth Ennis
• In fact, the author has created another franchise that makes psychotic heroes look like child's play

Over the course of its three seasons and two spin-offs, The Boys TV series has really pushed the envelope on the amount of blood, gore, and other quite controversial elements, even making them part of the franchise's marketing campaign.

Some fans point out that it now feels like overkill, and that the creators are trying to cram in as many gruesome and even disgusting scenes as possible just for the sake of shock value.

Others, however, rightly point out that compared to the original comics of the same name by Garth Ennis, the show's take on all-powerful psychos masquerading as superheroes can be considered tame, which definitely worked to the show's advantage.

The Boys Isn't Even Ennis' Most Controversial Creation

In fact, even The Boys comics pale in comparison to another comic series also created by Ennis in collaboration with Jacen Burrows, as it features some truly nightmarish and gut-wrenching stuff.

Crossed, published by independent comic book publisher Avatar Press, debuted in 2008 with ten issues written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Jacen Burrows.

The story revolved around an outbreak of an unknown disease that spread through contact with the bodily fluids of the infected, turning its victims into totally unhinged psychos marked by a cross-shaped rash on their faces.

Crossed Is A Truly Disturbing Franchise

"Totally unhinged" is a very light way to describe what happened on the pages of the comics, as being gruesomely murdered was a relatively positive outcome for those who fell into the hands of the infected.

The disease stripped its victims of all moral boundaries and unleashed their darkest and most demented desires, making the so-called "Crossed" (hence the title) a bit like Reavers from the Firefly TV series, only with a hard R rating.

The idea was to depict one of the most horrific apocalypse scenarios imaginable, and the creators definitely succeeded, as the comic is incredibly hard to read due to all the gore that the story is filled with.

Much to the surprise of its creators, who originally wanted it to be a limited series, Crossed became a huge hit, spawning more installments in the franchise that eventually added more depth to its world.

For obvious reasons, it is absolutely clear that, unlike The Boys, this creation of Ennis will (probably, please, we hope so) never make it to the screen, as it would be instantly banned, so perhaps it is actually for the best.