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Spread #1
Spread #1
Ten years ago, we dug too deep. We unleashed something ancient that couldn't be controlled. Something that couldn't be stopped, twisting everything it touched into more of itself. The Spread. Humanity was nearly destroyed before we found a way to slow the Spread to a crawl. Now, deep inside the quarantined zone, one man has found the key to stopping it forever: a baby girl. And if he can save her, he might save the world.
30 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2014
87 people want to read
About the author
Justin Jordan
536 books99 followersJustin Jordan is an American comic book writer. He is known for writing and co-creating The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Spread, Dead Body Road, Deep State, Dark Gods and Savage Things. He has also written Green Lantern: New Guardians, Superboy, Deathstroke and Team 7 for DC Comics and the relaunch of Shadowman for Valiant Entertainment.
In 2012, he was nominated for the Harvey Award for Most Promising New Talent.
In 2012, he was nominated for the Harvey Award for Most Promising New Talent.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 11, 2014
In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity has been decimated by giant red monster blobs! But it gets worse – those infected by the monsters, become zombies! In this punishing new world, a mysterious man called No and a baby – the potential saviour of mankind – called Hope, are the last chance against this threat.
Spread is unfortunately nothing like Justin Jordan’s other Image series, Luther Strode; it’s dull, clichéd and derivative. Even more jarring is that it’s almost a complete rip-off of the X-Men storyline, Messiah CompleX. In that book, the first baby to be born after M-Day is named Hope and could be the saviour of mutantkind. She’s saved by Cable who must protect her from Mister Sinister and his forces, with the pair eventually fleeing into the future where Cable raises Hope as his daughter.
Here, the baby Hope, the possible saviour of humankind, is saved by a Wolverine-looking dude (who uses hatchets instead of claws) who must protect her from the red monsters. Hmm… it’s awfully close, isn’t it?
Spread also reminded me of Saga which is another Image series narrated retrospectively by the grown-up version of the baby in the comic. Throw in Lovecraftian monsters, zombies, roving punk gangs of scavengers, and you’re left with absolutely nothing original!
The comic might’ve been saved if there were any standout characters but No (the Wolverine-looking dude), is your average strong/silent type main character. He can fight, he’s tough, he’s completely lacking a personality. There aren’t any other characters, just two-dimensional things that say words and get killed by No.
Kyle Strahm’s character designs aren’t particularly memorable either – as you can tell from my repeated references, No is derivative of Wolverine sans costume, while the punk scavengers look like every punk scavenger in a post-apocalyptic world that you’ve seen in The Walking Dead or Mad Max. And the Lovecraftian monsters? Giant red blobs with no eyes and sharp teeth - seen it a million times before!
I’m really surprised that this lazy, unimaginative effort is from the same guy who gave us Luther Strode. Spread #1 is a totally forgettable debut for a series that shows a dearth of invention on both creators’ part. Very disappointing.
Spread is unfortunately nothing like Justin Jordan’s other Image series, Luther Strode; it’s dull, clichéd and derivative. Even more jarring is that it’s almost a complete rip-off of the X-Men storyline, Messiah CompleX. In that book, the first baby to be born after M-Day is named Hope and could be the saviour of mutantkind. She’s saved by Cable who must protect her from Mister Sinister and his forces, with the pair eventually fleeing into the future where Cable raises Hope as his daughter.
Here, the baby Hope, the possible saviour of humankind, is saved by a Wolverine-looking dude (who uses hatchets instead of claws) who must protect her from the red monsters. Hmm… it’s awfully close, isn’t it?
Spread also reminded me of Saga which is another Image series narrated retrospectively by the grown-up version of the baby in the comic. Throw in Lovecraftian monsters, zombies, roving punk gangs of scavengers, and you’re left with absolutely nothing original!
The comic might’ve been saved if there were any standout characters but No (the Wolverine-looking dude), is your average strong/silent type main character. He can fight, he’s tough, he’s completely lacking a personality. There aren’t any other characters, just two-dimensional things that say words and get killed by No.
Kyle Strahm’s character designs aren’t particularly memorable either – as you can tell from my repeated references, No is derivative of Wolverine sans costume, while the punk scavengers look like every punk scavenger in a post-apocalyptic world that you’ve seen in The Walking Dead or Mad Max. And the Lovecraftian monsters? Giant red blobs with no eyes and sharp teeth - seen it a million times before!
I’m really surprised that this lazy, unimaginative effort is from the same guy who gave us Luther Strode. Spread #1 is a totally forgettable debut for a series that shows a dearth of invention on both creators’ part. Very disappointing.
January 13, 2022
great beggining !!!
July 13, 2014
This debut issue is truly a horrifying visual treat. Set most likely in a post-apocalyptic world (we haven't have much information about the Spread history in this issue), Spread #1 fuses Jordan's solid and concise narrative with Strahm's beautifully ugly environment and people. I love the stark contrast between the relaxed, monotonic narrator voice and the hopeless, violent world.
Spread #1 doesn't tell much about the Spread's history, though we can say that it has been there for quite a long time. It focuses on the protagonists, the bad people and what the Spread are capable of doing.
I will stick with this one and see where things go in issue number 2.
Spread #1 doesn't tell much about the Spread's history, though we can say that it has been there for quite a long time. It focuses on the protagonists, the bad people and what the Spread are capable of doing.
I will stick with this one and see where things go in issue number 2.
July 15, 2015
Not perfect, particularly on the scripting, but I admire the effort to make this sort of body horror into something that looks a lot like dystopian fiction or lone wolf samurai fiction. Not a big fan of horror but this was a fun read with nice visuals.
March 15, 2018
It's horror meets Lone Wolf & Cub, meets Saga. There - now you want to read it? Good. It's pretty delightful for fans of post-apocalyptic graphic novels who like a narrator telling the story who might save the world (but we don't know yet). I'll be picking up some more issues.
June 26, 2015
I like it. But honestly, it's like a lot of other things and not quite as good.
It's like Sweet Tooth, but it doesn't tug the heartstrings.
It's like Luther Strode but less cool.
It's like Ronin but less weird.
It's like Mad Max but less bonkers.
It's like The Road but less gritty.
It's like The Walking Dead but with an enemy that's less compelling.
I really like Justin Jordan's stuff, and I like seeing his crazy on the page. It works for me. It makes me happy to read. As The Spread develops, I do have hopes that it'll get deeper and more exciting and compelling. I have every reason to believe it will because Mr. Jordan hasn't let me down thus far.
Buuuuuut I think it's a tough time to be starting a post-apocalyptic story of any kind, really. I think the world is getting a little apocalypse-ed out. There are too many different stories about too many different apocalypses, most of which boil down to trying to solve the apocalypse.
I have to say, this is why I respect a Fury Road and enjoyed it more than a Walking Dead or other tales of the crapified world. Fury Road was not at all about trying to solve the apocalyptic crisis. I didn't feel like I was watching a story of characters who would fix the world. It was a story of people stuck in a real bad time, and they did what they could to survive. That, to me, is a lot more exciting.
And the other thing, it all goes back to this movie. Dragon...something.
Reign of Fire!
That movie.
The premise is that dragons are real and they come to life and kick everyone's ass. And there are like thousands of them.
But, of course, someone discovers if we kill the queen dragon, all the other dragons just magically die.
See, that defeats the whole point. It's hard to kill 1,000 dragons all over the world. One dragon? Even if it's a badass dragon, that's a pretty attainable goal. More than that, it turns an apocalypse into a real bad afternoon. Stupid.
God, I really hated that part of that movie. That came out in 2002 and I saw it in the theater. I've never forgiven it.
Oh my god. I just discovered the guy who directed Reign of Fire also directed Elektra.
Oh my god. And Airborne.
M.A.N.T.I.S?! Parker Lewis Can't Lose!!? This may be one of history's greatest monsters. Screw the spread.
It's like Sweet Tooth, but it doesn't tug the heartstrings.
It's like Luther Strode but less cool.
It's like Ronin but less weird.
It's like Mad Max but less bonkers.
It's like The Road but less gritty.
It's like The Walking Dead but with an enemy that's less compelling.
I really like Justin Jordan's stuff, and I like seeing his crazy on the page. It works for me. It makes me happy to read. As The Spread develops, I do have hopes that it'll get deeper and more exciting and compelling. I have every reason to believe it will because Mr. Jordan hasn't let me down thus far.
Buuuuuut I think it's a tough time to be starting a post-apocalyptic story of any kind, really. I think the world is getting a little apocalypse-ed out. There are too many different stories about too many different apocalypses, most of which boil down to trying to solve the apocalypse.
I have to say, this is why I respect a Fury Road and enjoyed it more than a Walking Dead or other tales of the crapified world. Fury Road was not at all about trying to solve the apocalyptic crisis. I didn't feel like I was watching a story of characters who would fix the world. It was a story of people stuck in a real bad time, and they did what they could to survive. That, to me, is a lot more exciting.
And the other thing, it all goes back to this movie. Dragon...something.
Reign of Fire!
That movie.
The premise is that dragons are real and they come to life and kick everyone's ass. And there are like thousands of them.
But, of course, someone discovers if we kill the queen dragon, all the other dragons just magically die.
See, that defeats the whole point. It's hard to kill 1,000 dragons all over the world. One dragon? Even if it's a badass dragon, that's a pretty attainable goal. More than that, it turns an apocalypse into a real bad afternoon. Stupid.
God, I really hated that part of that movie. That came out in 2002 and I saw it in the theater. I've never forgiven it.
Oh my god. I just discovered the guy who directed Reign of Fire also directed Elektra.
Oh my god. And Airborne.
M.A.N.T.I.S?! Parker Lewis Can't Lose!!? This may be one of history's greatest monsters. Screw the spread.
April 16, 2015
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Two Sentence Synopsis:
A bloke named No is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden world, when he stumbles across a dead woman’s baby. No’s life looks set to become far more complicated, until the baby inadvertently reveals an extremely handy post-apocalyptic, plague-destroying ability.
If gore and blood splats and hand-to-hand violence is your kind of thing, Spread will be right up your plague-festering alley. If you like heartwarming stories featuring gruff men saving cute little babies, this will also be right up your alley (presuming you can handle large amounts of blood-splatting gore). I don’t normally go for highly violent graphic novels, but I picked this one up because the fantastic juxtaposition of No and baby (named Hope, for the present time) on the cover screamed “Oddity Odyssey Challenge!” at me and I found that the story was engaging enough that I could put up with the graphic violence. I quite enjoyed the wily and carnivorous ways of the plague creatures too, and No is really just a big softy carrying a throwing axe.
Brand it with:
Post-apocalyptic cuteness, awwww-ful violence, fun with plague creatures
Two Sentence Synopsis:
A bloke named No is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden world, when he stumbles across a dead woman’s baby. No’s life looks set to become far more complicated, until the baby inadvertently reveals an extremely handy post-apocalyptic, plague-destroying ability.
If gore and blood splats and hand-to-hand violence is your kind of thing, Spread will be right up your plague-festering alley. If you like heartwarming stories featuring gruff men saving cute little babies, this will also be right up your alley (presuming you can handle large amounts of blood-splatting gore). I don’t normally go for highly violent graphic novels, but I picked this one up because the fantastic juxtaposition of No and baby (named Hope, for the present time) on the cover screamed “Oddity Odyssey Challenge!” at me and I found that the story was engaging enough that I could put up with the graphic violence. I quite enjoyed the wily and carnivorous ways of the plague creatures too, and No is really just a big softy carrying a throwing axe.
Brand it with:
Post-apocalyptic cuteness, awwww-ful violence, fun with plague creatures
January 15, 2016
Gory and awesome. Intriguing characters in an interesting post-apocalyptic world. Probably you don't want to read this during lunch.
My synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world contaminated by a monstrous organism called The Spread, Spread-immune No makes his living by scavenging the wastelands. In his travels, he comes across many unique items and people, including a child who may be the key to an unimaginable future.
Why I liked it: Spread is stomach-twistingly gory for sure, but the most horrifying parts are about what you'd expect in a brutal post-apocalyptic world--humans are more cruel to each other than any outside factor could ever be. I've read that sort of story before, but Spread stands out due to its crazypants characters--they are fascinating! There's lone wolf No, who basically out-badasses everyone in his path; delirious Molly, who has no limits when it comes to protecting Hope, Jack, who has no moral qualms...and possibly no morals; the Preacher and his flock; and Ravello, an intoxicating villain. Here's the deal--EVERY character is layered and seems to have a backstory that is only given out in tiny drips.
I'll talk to you later. I'm off to find Volume 2.
My synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world contaminated by a monstrous organism called The Spread, Spread-immune No makes his living by scavenging the wastelands. In his travels, he comes across many unique items and people, including a child who may be the key to an unimaginable future.
Why I liked it: Spread is stomach-twistingly gory for sure, but the most horrifying parts are about what you'd expect in a brutal post-apocalyptic world--humans are more cruel to each other than any outside factor could ever be. I've read that sort of story before, but Spread stands out due to its crazypants characters--they are fascinating! There's lone wolf No, who basically out-badasses everyone in his path; delirious Molly, who has no limits when it comes to protecting Hope, Jack, who has no moral qualms...and possibly no morals; the Preacher and his flock; and Ravello, an intoxicating villain. Here's the deal--EVERY character is layered and seems to have a backstory that is only given out in tiny drips.
I'll talk to you later. I'm off to find Volume 2.
May 8, 2015
It's ok, but it's just not really my thing.
I've heard a lot of storytelling recently described in terms "The mystery box" Other than the unusual nature of the box in question, the story simply doesn't quite have enough juice to go forward.
Frankly, it's the deliberate gross-out images that do it for me in lower the books below acceptable. Yes they are interesting right at the start, and understanding the spread's otherworldlyness is fine. But about halfway through the book (and this is collection #1 only) they become a bit redundant and you start to feel like the creators just like to draw weird gore for it's own sake. They could have been using their time to write interesting things happen, but it tends to feel like the writer just wrote "insert a page of heads and hands being cut apart here"
I'll probably keep on reading it, but it's simply not really up to scratch.
I've heard a lot of storytelling recently described in terms "The mystery box" Other than the unusual nature of the box in question, the story simply doesn't quite have enough juice to go forward.
Frankly, it's the deliberate gross-out images that do it for me in lower the books below acceptable. Yes they are interesting right at the start, and understanding the spread's otherworldlyness is fine. But about halfway through the book (and this is collection #1 only) they become a bit redundant and you start to feel like the creators just like to draw weird gore for it's own sake. They could have been using their time to write interesting things happen, but it tends to feel like the writer just wrote "insert a page of heads and hands being cut apart here"
I'll probably keep on reading it, but it's simply not really up to scratch.
August 8, 2014
Love this new comic! Visually aesthetic, intriguing storyline and I absolutely love the baby!!
August 2, 2015
I love horror comics.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews