Family Values (comics)
Family Values (comics)
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Family Values is a graphic novel, and the fifth "yarn" in Frank Miller's Sin City series. It was first published in October 1997. Unlike the previous four stories, Family Values was released as a 128-page graphic novel rather than in serialized issues that would later be collected in a trade paperback volume.

Key Information

Plot

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Dwight McCarthy is on a mission from Gail to dig up information about a recent mob hit at a small diner. After being hit on by a female cop (whom he manages to get rid of by pretending to be a bisexual masochist), he goes into a bar near where the hit happened and tries to charm one of the local drinkers there named Peggy.

Dwight also spots Fat Man and Little Boy, which makes his job easier later on. As Dwight keeps charming Peggy, she realizes he's not interested in any company that night and only looking for information behind the recent hit. She reveals that Bruno, the target, was killed by Vito, one of Don Magliozzi's nephews and hitmen. Don Magliozzi ordered the hit on Bruno, who murdered his beloved niece years before. This went against his family's treaty with mob boss Wallenquist, who had Bruno on his payroll. With that information, Dwight leaves the bar, to be confronted by Vito and some other Magliozzi hitmen, alerted by Fat Man and Little Boy.

The thugs kidnap Dwight, but he is more interested in Vito's car, swearing that it will be his once he kills all of them. Uninterested, Vito brags about killing every living thing at the diner, including a stray dog. Dwight then tells Miho, who has been following them, to strike; she kills Spinelli. They park in a hilltop rest area, overlooking the Projects. There, Miho toys with one of the hitmen as Dwight tells Vito to kill the other hitman; Vito's own brother Luca. After Miho and Dwight are through, they head straight to Sacred Oaks to confront Don Magliozzi.

As Miho massacres the guards, Dwight tells the Don he is going to die along with Vito, and reveals why: the accidental death of Carmen, one of the Old Town girls. Dwight tells them Vito shouldn't have shot at the stray dog, since the angles were in a straight line to a nearby phone booth where Carmen was calling for a ride. Carmen was killed by the gunfire. Carmen's lover, Daisy, arrives as Dwight walks away from the Don and his associates, and guns them down. Dwight remarks that the massacre will result in a mob war, but that neither he nor the girls of Old Town will have cause to worry about it. Finally, he takes possession of Vito's car and drives off into the night.

Characters

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  • Dwight McCarthy, a criminal who takes it upon himself to take on the Magliozzi clan to avenge Carmen's death. He is also the protagonist of The Big Fat Kill, A Dame to Kill For and The Babe Wore Red, and appears in That Yellow Bastard.
  • Miho, one of Old Town's prostitutes who is also a ninja assassin. She too appears in The Big Fat Kill and The Babe Wore Red.
  • Vito, a mobster who kills Bruno and (accidentally) Carmen in Family Values. Forced to shoot his brother Lucca. Drives Dwight and Miho to the home of his uncle, Don Giacco Magliozzi.
  • Spinelli, short Mafia muscle. Wears a hooded coat similar to a slicker. The first of Vito's thugs to be killed by Miho.
  • Luca, Vito's brother and one of Magliozzi's hitmen. Dwight forces Vito to kill him.
  • Vinnie, Mafia muscle. He is incredibly racist, especially towards Japanese.
  • Don Giacco Magliozzi, leader of the local Mafia, residing in Sacred Oaks. He is main antagonist Herr Alarich Wallenquist's sworn enemy. The prostitute Daisy kills him at the conclusion of Family Values.
  • Carmen, one of the Old Town Girls, portrayed in flashback. She ran away from her father's sexual abuse and began working as a prostitute in Old Town, where she fell in love with a woman named Daisy. She was killed in the crossfire when Vito shot up the diner, and inspired Dwight to take revenge.
  • Daisy: Carmen's lover, who massacres the Magliozzi clan at the end of the story.
  • Peggy: An alcoholic who supplies Dwight with information on Vito. In a flashback it is indicated she could be Bruno's wife, whom he cheated on. This would explain how she knew so much.
  • Fat Man and Little Boy: Two loquacious mob hitmen. They also appear in That Yellow Bastard.

Awards

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  • 1998:
    • Family Values won the "Best Graphic Album of Original Work" Harvey Award[1]

References

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Grokipedia

from Grokipedia
Crossed: Family Values is a seven-issue limited comic book series published by Avatar Press, running from April 2010 to January 2011.[1] Written by David Lapham with art by Javier Barreno and covers by Jacen Burrows, it serves as a spin-off in the Crossed horror franchise originally created by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows.[2] The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mysterious plague that transforms infected individuals—known as the Crossed due to a distinctive cross-shaped rash on their faces—into sadistic, hyper-violent maniacs driven by their darkest impulses.[3][2] The narrative centers on the Pratt family, a resilient North Carolina ranching clan led by patriarch Joe, who remain uninfected amid the chaos and seek refuge in a remote mountain compound.[2] Bonded by generations of hard labor on their land, the family—including Joe's eighteen-year-old daughter Adaline—must confront not only the hordes of Crossed but also a buried family secret that tests the limits of their unity and raises questions about inherent human evil versus the plague's corruption.[2] Lapham's script delves into themes of survival, familial loyalty, and moral decay, amplifying the franchise's exploration of societal collapse through graphic depictions of horror and depravity.[2] Barreno's artwork captures the gritty, nightmarish atmosphere with detailed panels that emphasize the escalating brutality.[2] Collected in a trade paperback in 2011 and reprinted in 2025, the series received attention for its unflinching portrayal of apocalypse.[2][1][4]

Publication History

Creation and Development

Crossed: Family Values was written by David Lapham with art by Javier Barreno and covers by Jacen Burrows, serving as a spin-off to the original Crossed series created by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows.[1] Announced by Avatar Press in early 2010, the series was developed as the second major storyline in the franchise, expanding on the post-apocalyptic horror theme shortly after the conclusion of the initial 10-issue run in March 2010.[5] Lapham, known for his work in crime and horror comics, was selected to continue the narrative, focusing on family dynamics amid the Crossed outbreak. The story was conceived to explore survival and moral themes in a limited 7-issue format, allowing for a self-contained tale set at the onset of the plague, distinct from the anthology-style Crossed: Badlands that followed.[6]

Release Formats

Crossed: Family Values was published as a 7-issue limited series by Avatar Press, with the first issue released on April 21, 2010, and the final issue on February 2, 2011.[7] Each issue featured multiple variant covers, including regular editions by Jacen Burrows and convention exclusives, such as the C2E2 VIP edition limited to 750 copies.[8] The series was collected in a trade paperback titled Crossed Volume 2: Family Values in September 2011 (ISBN 978-1-59291-125-7), compiling all seven issues with an introduction by Lapham.[9] This edition, along with digital formats available through platforms like ComiXology as of 2025, has kept the story accessible to readers.[10] The work is part of Avatar Press's mature horror line, benefiting from the growing popularity of the Crossed universe.

Story

Plot Summary

Crossed: Family Values is set during the early days of the Crossed outbreak in rural North Carolina. The story follows the Pratt family, a large, devoutly religious clan living on an isolated ranch. As the plague spreads, infecting neighbors and community members into violent Crossed maniacs, the family barricades themselves in their home and witnesses horrific acts of depravity outside. Patriarch Joe Pratt rallies his wife, children, and grandchildren to fight off the initial assaults, but the chaos claims several lives, including young family members torn apart by the infected.[1] The surviving Pratts—led by Joe, his daughter Adaline (Addy), sons Matthew and Eli, and others—flee their ranch under cover of night, heading to a remote mountain cabin used for hunting retreats. Along the way, they evade hordes of Crossed and lose more members to infection and attack. Tensions rise within the group as the isolation amplifies long-buried family secrets, particularly Joe's tyrannical control and abusive behavior toward his daughters, which Adaline and Joyce confront amid the survival struggle.[11] As the story progresses, infections infiltrate the family itself. Joyce, grappling with trauma, succumbs to the plague and transforms, leading to brutal internal confrontations. Joe attempts to maintain order through faith and force, but his hypocrisy unravels, forcing the survivors to question whether the Crossed reveal innate human evil or merely amplify it. The narrative culminates in a desperate standoff at the cabin, where Adaline emerges as a fierce protector, dispatching numerous Crossed—including infected kin—in a bid to preserve what remains of the family. The ending underscores themes of fractured loyalty and moral collapse, with a narrow escape for the core survivors into an uncertain future.[12][13]

Characters

Adaline "Addy" Pratt is the central protagonist, an 18-year-old daughter of Joe, depicted as resilient and capable with firearms. Traumatized by family abuse yet determined to protect her siblings, she becomes the family's de facto leader in combat against the Crossed, amassing numerous kills and symbolizing reluctant maturity in the apocalypse.[14] Joe Pratt serves as the authoritarian patriarch, a rancher and religious figure whose strict moral code masks years of sexual abuse toward his daughters. His leadership drives the family's initial survival efforts, but his secrets erode group cohesion, leading to his violent demise at the hands of an infected relative.[11] Joyce Pratt, Joe's daughter and Adaline's sister, starts as a supporting family member burdened by abuse. Her psychological unraveling culminates in infection, transforming her into a sadistic Crossed antagonist who hunts her own kin, embodying the story's exploration of unleashed impulses.[15] Matthew Pratt, one of Joe's sons, is a steadfast brother who aids in defense and travel. Practical and loyal, he survives the ordeal, contributing to the family's firepower while grappling with revelations about his father.[14] Eli Pratt, another son, provides muscle during early fights but succumbs to the outbreak's toll, highlighting the random brutality affecting even the prepared.[12] Supporting family members include Kayleen Pratt (Joe's wife, who faces tragic losses like her grandchild), and younger siblings/relatives such as Hannah, John, Paul, and Joseph Jr., many of whom perish early, underscoring the family's vulnerability. External figures, like infected neighbors and Crossed hordes, drive the external threats without individualized development.[14]

Themes and Style

Major Themes

Crossed: Family Values examines the fragility of family bonds in the face of apocalyptic horror and internal corruption. The Pratt family's initial unity, forged through generations of ranching labor, is tested by the Crossed plague and a buried secret involving abuse and depravity, questioning whether human evil is innate or solely a product of the infection.[2] This irony highlights how "family values" can mask cycles of violence and moral decay, as personal traumas escalate into survival-threatening conflicts within their isolated compound.[16] The narrative explores survival and human nature's darker impulses, amplifying the franchise's critique of societal collapse through graphic depictions of madness and betrayal. Adaline's journey confronts the blurred line between the Crossed's induced sadism and pre-existing familial dysfunction, such as implied incest and authoritarian control, underscoring themes of inherited sin and the futility of isolation from one's past.[17] These elements emphasize how the plague acts as a catalyst for repressed evils, trapping survivors in self-perpetuating cycles of horror.[18] Gender dynamics are portrayed through the lens of vulnerability and resilience, with female characters like Adaline challenging patriarchal family structures amid the chaos. Her emergence as a key decision-maker subverts traditional roles, illustrating agency in a world where the infection strips away inhibitions, forcing confrontations with exploitation and power imbalances within the group.[19] The story critiques institutional facades like religious or familial piety as pretexts for control and vice in a dystopian setting. The Pratts' devout, self-reliant ethos crumbles under the weight of secrets, revealing how such values perpetuate division rather than unity, tying into the broader Crossed exploration of uncivilized humanity.[20]

Artistic Style

The artistic style of Crossed: Family Values features Javier Barreno's detailed, high-contrast illustrations that capture the gritty, nightmarish tone of the post-apocalyptic world. Rendered in black-and-white with selective shading, the artwork emphasizes visceral violence and psychological tension through angular lines and dynamic compositions, evoking a sense of impending dread in rural landscapes.[18] Barreno's panels highlight the escalation of brutality, using close-ups on facial rashes and gore to underscore the horror, while expansive views of the North Carolina wilderness convey isolation and vulnerability. Characters are depicted with hardened, expressive features that reflect internal conflicts, blending realism with exaggerated savagery to amplify the story's themes of moral erosion.[17] Panel layouts incorporate cinematic sequences, with irregular borders and splash pages during intense confrontations to mimic the chaos of survival fights, relying on visual storytelling to convey motion and depravity without heavy reliance on text. This approach maintains a rapid, immersive pace, supporting the narrative's focus on raw human impulses.[21] Lapham's script employs sparse, hard-boiled dialogue interspersed with introspective narration, overlaid on the visuals to heighten isolation and emphasize the characters' descent into darkness. This integration of text and image creates an economical, tension-filled flow that aligns with the series' exploration of familial and societal breakdown.[22]

Reception and Legacy

Critical Reception

Crossed: Family Values received generally positive reviews from horror comic enthusiasts for its intense storytelling and escalation of the franchise's themes of depravity and survival, though it was noted for pushing the boundaries of graphic violence even further than the original series.[23] Critics praised David Lapham's script for building tension through family dynamics and moral dilemmas, with Javier Barreno's artwork commended for its gritty depiction of the post-apocalyptic horror, earning high marks in individual issue reviews such as 9.5/10 for the final issue.[24] However, some reviewers and readers criticized the artwork as less detailed compared to earlier Crossed volumes and found the narrative less impactful than Garth Ennis's original, with Goodreads aggregating a 3.4 out of 5 rating from over 1,500 users as of 2025.[16] The series drew attention for its unflinching portrayal of human darkness, aligning with the Crossed line's reputation for extreme mature content, but faced backlash for repetitive brutality that some felt overshadowed character development.[22] In the broader Crossed canon, Family Values is regarded as a solid spin-off that explores familial bonds amid societal collapse, contributing to the franchise's cult following in independent horror comics.[25] The 2011 trade paperback collection helped sustain interest, with ongoing discussions in online communities highlighting its disturbing effectiveness despite criticisms of excess.[26]

Awards and Recognition

Crossed: Family Values did not receive major industry awards such as the Eisner or Harvey Awards. However, artist Javier Barreno was honored with the "Grossest Artist of the Year" at the 2011 C2E2 Bleeding Cool Fan Awards, a tongue-in-cheek recognition of the series' visceral horror style.[27] The series' legacy is tied to the Crossed franchise's influence on extreme horror comics, with the 2011 trade paperback edition solidifying its place in Avatar Press's catalog and attracting readers interested in post-apocalyptic narratives.

References

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