Spread #4
Slithering, slopping, spreading.
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Kyle Strahm
This comic, this perfectly set up and poorly executed comic. This comic I have a love/hate relationship with. This comic that is finally showing some promise like its first issue again, this comic spreading.
Jordan finally goes the mile and delves into the psyche and drives of this world and the characters in it. Molly (the crazy baby-mama) finally has a backstory of her own. The man in the black suit is fully introduced as The Preacher. This last bastion of hope depicted briefly in the issue prior, a world free of the spread, is going down, not in flames, but in tentacles. There's power plays between big fat men and skinny blonde warlords and more. It feels expansive, even in this tight and confined frozen place. A lot happens, a little bit too much I think, it goes from vibrant and complex to muddled quickly. This issue tells more than any issue has before it, and I appreciate it simply for that but at the same time, I know now that all of this could've been spread out across the previous issues in a much better way.
Strahm's character and action design really shines in this issue. No is aggresive, brilliant and ruthless. Molly is scrappy, rough and broken. The fight scenes peppered throughout are fast, fluid and instinctually organic like the Spread itself. Still, the art and especially the characters lack a certain human quality. In a world this cold, you need some warmth to keep it interesting and you certainly won't find that here.
It's not the best that it could be, and you will see a lot of missed opportunities to make this something really, truly special but, Spread is finally becoming something more than the classic end of the world story for better or worse.
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Kyle Strahm
This comic, this perfectly set up and poorly executed comic. This comic I have a love/hate relationship with. This comic that is finally showing some promise like its first issue again, this comic spreading.
Jordan finally goes the mile and delves into the psyche and drives of this world and the characters in it. Molly (the crazy baby-mama) finally has a backstory of her own. The man in the black suit is fully introduced as The Preacher. This last bastion of hope depicted briefly in the issue prior, a world free of the spread, is going down, not in flames, but in tentacles. There's power plays between big fat men and skinny blonde warlords and more. It feels expansive, even in this tight and confined frozen place. A lot happens, a little bit too much I think, it goes from vibrant and complex to muddled quickly. This issue tells more than any issue has before it, and I appreciate it simply for that but at the same time, I know now that all of this could've been spread out across the previous issues in a much better way.
Strahm's character and action design really shines in this issue. No is aggresive, brilliant and ruthless. Molly is scrappy, rough and broken. The fight scenes peppered throughout are fast, fluid and instinctually organic like the Spread itself. Still, the art and especially the characters lack a certain human quality. In a world this cold, you need some warmth to keep it interesting and you certainly won't find that here.
It's not the best that it could be, and you will see a lot of missed opportunities to make this something really, truly special but, Spread is finally becoming something more than the classic end of the world story for better or worse.
A Look Inside
