So far I’ve nearly hated, then liked the last two issues of Spread. Something tells me that means this series has good points, but it’s not coming together as nicely as they’d like. Shall we see if issue #3 is moving in a more positive direction as the last did? Scroll down gentle readers and find out, is it good?
Spread #3 (Image Comics)
A man named No finds a baby named Hope, because she’s the only hope humanity has as she cries tears that destroy red tentacle teeth monsters. These monsters can also turn humans into mindless zombies, but they’re fast moving ones. Last issue, No ran into a woman who was being sold and freed her so she can provide milk for the baby. Now they’re on the road together fighting for their lives as the baby is a target for the monsters.
Maybe he likes furries?
This issue opens up the world a bit more as we get to see a settlement on No’s journey. No is there to trade so he can get a bath and some food in his stomach. Of course, judging by the state of the world, it’s not going to end very well. Writer Justin Jordan nails a few things in this series and one of the most important is the weirdness of the world. Humanity is pretty disgusting, from the look to the lack of morals. How society fell so hard is beyond me, but we get a very clear look at it here.
In a lot of ways I could see this playing as a great science fiction animated film for adults. Think HBO’s Spawn as there’s nudity, grime and grit everywhere and a sense of hopelessness.
Then there’s the issue of clarity. In the middle of this issue we get another look at the monster on display, but how it fits or why we’re seeing this is, again, beyond me. A man takes a bath; who is this man? I don’t know, but he allows a woman to join him as he assumes she’s a prostitute. When she bursts into red tentacles, which looked horrifically cool, I was at a loss. Why is this in the book? I assume it’s to set up a monster threat within the compound for the next issue, but as far as I can tell the victim was never introduced.
I continue to enjoy the art by Kyle Strahm in all its detailed freakishness. Character faces are so horrific you’d wonder if they were monsters too. Take away the color and I’m more than certain the pages would still be beautiful in all their gross glory. The only issue I have, once again, is the baby. The thing doesn’t look real. If it doesn’t look like a stiff baby it looks like a monster itself. The baby is technically the only bright light and hope for humanity, so why does it look so wrong?
A guy named No sure says ‘no’ a lot.
Is It Good?
Aside from a confusing bathtub scene this issue does a lot to explain how far humanity has fallen and it’s a disgustingly interesting read.
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