What do you think?
Rate this book
Spread #22-25
Spread, Vol. 5: Damocles
It all ends here. No has taken Hope as far he can. Now, under threat from both Ravello's army, the Spread itself and the outside world, Hope and No will either save the world or destroy it.
The final arc of the hit series by JUSTIN JORDAN, KYLE STRAHM and JOHN BIVENS.
Collects SPREAD #22-25
The final arc of the hit series by JUSTIN JORDAN, KYLE STRAHM and JOHN BIVENS.
Collects SPREAD #22-25
112 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2018
47 people want to read
About the author
Justin Jordan
535 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 2, 2019
A fantastic ending to a great series!
March 29, 2025
Mid 3
This was pretty cool comic-lens take on the concept of the all-consuming mimic organism.
Much like the Flood from Halo, or the more directly analogous titular creature from John Carpenter’s The Thing, the eponymous Spread is a mysterious and catastrophic biohazard capable of assimilating organic tissue and turning it into more of itself. I’ve always enjoyed this creature trope, and had been meaning to get around to reading this one for a while.
I’ll start with the good:
I enjoyed most of the characters. No was the best and most central of them, while Molly, the Preacher, and a few others were also intriguing.
The art was consistently solid, though I’m much more partial to the style of the first few issues. And the narrative did keep me interested and entertained throughout.
Now the bad:
I’ll qualify all this by saying, I love Image as a company and I love that so many creators have the chance to tell the stories they want in the way they want to tell them. I think some of the problems I had with this story are largely a function of its shorter length, which was built in from the beginning. But I still did have problems.
I wasn’t really a fan of how frequently the art style changed. I didn’t read this series as it came out, and I know that the rotating slate of artists was a move made to avoid overworking, but I also found that the art was a major way in which I connected with the narrative. I mean, it’s a comic, after all. So having the style change pretty significantly three or four times throughout the central story was a bit jarring, but also maybe unavoidable.
As for all the other characters I didn’t mention in the positives: there weren’t many characters I truly didn’t care for, but some of them felt a bit flat by the end. I enjoyed the issues that provided some backstory for characters like Jack, Molly and the Preacher, but during the narrative’s present I found that much of the supporting cast just didn’t surprise or interest me very much. By and large everyone was pretty static, which again, I think is owed to the fact that this was a limited narrative (i.e., no one really had time to change). All the same, I think I may have begun to get a bit bored with if it had run past the intended 25-issue mark.
And finally, my only major gripes with the story itself: I’ll come right out and say that I found many of the revelations to be a bit lackluster. Maybe it’s just because I’ve seen this concept played out a number of times in other pieces of fiction, but I’d also say these “reveals” were made out to be quite the carrot on a stick through both foreshadowing and the author’s own post-issue extras. And when the time came, I found them to be lacking a certain “oomph”. I can’t get too much into it without spoiling things, but I’d say, broadly, that I found said revelations to be fairly predictable, which feels odd to say about a comic that focuses on a fairly niche sci-fi horror trope. But yeah, unfortunately I just wasnt too blown away. And I certainly can’t say everyone will have the same experience, but for me it just happened to dampen the impact.
Overall:
I had a fun time with this one and definitely found it worth my while. I also got to learn a bit about how comics like this are made. It was really nice learning that the creators got to tell the story they wanted to. I think this is a solid story and a fun read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking a post-apocalyptic read that does things a little differently than most.
This was pretty cool comic-lens take on the concept of the all-consuming mimic organism.
Much like the Flood from Halo, or the more directly analogous titular creature from John Carpenter’s The Thing, the eponymous Spread is a mysterious and catastrophic biohazard capable of assimilating organic tissue and turning it into more of itself. I’ve always enjoyed this creature trope, and had been meaning to get around to reading this one for a while.
I’ll start with the good:
I enjoyed most of the characters. No was the best and most central of them, while Molly, the Preacher, and a few others were also intriguing.
The art was consistently solid, though I’m much more partial to the style of the first few issues. And the narrative did keep me interested and entertained throughout.
Now the bad:
I’ll qualify all this by saying, I love Image as a company and I love that so many creators have the chance to tell the stories they want in the way they want to tell them. I think some of the problems I had with this story are largely a function of its shorter length, which was built in from the beginning. But I still did have problems.
I wasn’t really a fan of how frequently the art style changed. I didn’t read this series as it came out, and I know that the rotating slate of artists was a move made to avoid overworking, but I also found that the art was a major way in which I connected with the narrative. I mean, it’s a comic, after all. So having the style change pretty significantly three or four times throughout the central story was a bit jarring, but also maybe unavoidable.
As for all the other characters I didn’t mention in the positives: there weren’t many characters I truly didn’t care for, but some of them felt a bit flat by the end. I enjoyed the issues that provided some backstory for characters like Jack, Molly and the Preacher, but during the narrative’s present I found that much of the supporting cast just didn’t surprise or interest me very much. By and large everyone was pretty static, which again, I think is owed to the fact that this was a limited narrative (i.e., no one really had time to change). All the same, I think I may have begun to get a bit bored with if it had run past the intended 25-issue mark.
And finally, my only major gripes with the story itself: I’ll come right out and say that I found many of the revelations to be a bit lackluster. Maybe it’s just because I’ve seen this concept played out a number of times in other pieces of fiction, but I’d also say these “reveals” were made out to be quite the carrot on a stick through both foreshadowing and the author’s own post-issue extras. And when the time came, I found them to be lacking a certain “oomph”. I can’t get too much into it without spoiling things, but I’d say, broadly, that I found said revelations to be fairly predictable, which feels odd to say about a comic that focuses on a fairly niche sci-fi horror trope. But yeah, unfortunately I just wasnt too blown away. And I certainly can’t say everyone will have the same experience, but for me it just happened to dampen the impact.
Overall:
I had a fun time with this one and definitely found it worth my while. I also got to learn a bit about how comics like this are made. It was really nice learning that the creators got to tell the story they wanted to. I think this is a solid story and a fun read, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking a post-apocalyptic read that does things a little differently than most.
November 10, 2025
7/10. Fairly underwhelming conclusion to a fairly disappointing comic - as a huge fan of Luther Strode, I kept expecting something more satisfying than what we got, but I think Spread's focus was just a bit too big for it to handle. That's the most concrete problem I can see with it - at the endgame, we saw characters like Lamb, Serena, Ash, Hope's 'mother' etc., dropped on us and the narrative didn't have time to establish them in the same way it tried to establish No or Jack or Molly.
While the final fight kicks ass, ultimately I did not care enough about the setting or the characters for it to be much more than a fairly visually impressive fight. Is this comic bad? No, but given how phenomenal Luther Strode is, I expected more.
Also, re: Jack -
There's a part of me tempted to go 3/5 stars, but I think 7/10 rounded up is closer to how I feel about this comic than a 3/5, which would imply that the comic's outright bad.
While the final fight kicks ass, ultimately I did not care enough about the setting or the characters for it to be much more than a fairly visually impressive fight. Is this comic bad? No, but given how phenomenal Luther Strode is, I expected more.
Also, re: Jack -
There's a part of me tempted to go 3/5 stars, but I think 7/10 rounded up is closer to how I feel about this comic than a 3/5, which would imply that the comic's outright bad.
October 6, 2019
I haven't mentioned the artwork since the first volume. Sadly, it seems to have gotten sloppy. The story is just as solid, but not so well complemented by the artwork as in the first couple of volumes. The ending is unexpected, perhaps less spectacular, but a good finish to this weird series.
The good guys have all banded together to save the baby Hope and figure out a way to defeat the Spread, but the infected give it a tactical advantage more dangerous than ever before.
The good guys have all banded together to save the baby Hope and figure out a way to defeat the Spread, but the infected give it a tactical advantage more dangerous than ever before.
October 21, 2019
I didn't realize going in that this was going to the final volume so the last issue in this bind up was a bit jarring. I kind of wish there were more - more adventures, more resolution, more explanation - but I guess that's life, eh? I think this was a fitting conclusion without actually solving anything. I have more questions and would love to read a spinoff if there ever is one. I ultimately felt very connected to all of the characters by the end.
November 11, 2023
in the end, the ending felt...flat. I was not a fan of that ending. To me, the standouts throughout the series were: the art and the selflessness of our main characters (No, Molly, Jack). While the story was fun, I kind of realized that there wouldn't exactly be a magical ending. It doesn't really feel like closure for any of the characters.
November 28, 2023
And just like that, Spread comes to an end as No, Jack, and the other survivors team up to protect Baby Hope, the infant whose bodily fluids kills the bizarre creatures known as the spread. It's not a bad ending, but it did feel rushed even as it gave what is probably the closest explanation for what the Spread actually is that the series could make.
April 2, 2018
Spread is no more. Gutted. Such a brilliantly-written, imaginative series that was one of the first titles to get me into comics in the first place. Great stuff, well worth picking up in trades...
April 13, 2018
Well that was a terrible and perfect ending.
Damn, Justin Jordan, just.....damn.
Damn, Justin Jordan, just.....damn.
August 5, 2018
No is a selfless hero that doesn't say very much. The Spread is kept in check by extreme means.
September 4, 2018
it over. The ending was cool, but as a final volume to the series it still feels there is a lot of filler and the end is just tacked on.
September 16, 2022
Back to a general 3-star rating for a series that never really reached for anything more. It's time for a last stand. Will our heroes save the world or will they end it?
September 5, 2023
3.5*
Solid ending to a fun, disgusting, gory book. The drawing of No got weirder and weirder as the volume progressed, I wonder if that was intentional seeing how the story ended?
Solid ending to a fun, disgusting, gory book. The drawing of No got weirder and weirder as the volume progressed, I wonder if that was intentional seeing how the story ended?
June 10, 2024
Not that it was bad, but I was hoping for a stronger conclusion. Overall, it's a very good series.
September 10, 2018
Starting off strong, the series is filled with a lot of unexpected characters that have encountered horrific experiences and continue to live in “survival mode”.
The ability of humans to adapt to life altering situations is fascinating.
It’s almost as fascinating as the alien antagonist known as the Spread.
The Spreads survival depends on adaptation, too.
The concept is fresh and was vastly appealing to me.
Well written with touches of humor, horror, empathy and mystery, I thought this series could go could on forever.
The art is brilliant and brought the characters to exquisite life.
The first few books had me hooked. I couldn’t read them fast enough.
Although the last book did not end the way I was expecting, it was somewhat apropos.
No became a Yes.
The world continues.
Futures are always possible when a No doesn’t die.
Is it worth the read?
Start with book 1 and see how it goes...
... and, yes, I’m trying to be vague.
Why read a book when you know what happens every 5 pages along the way?
The ability of humans to adapt to life altering situations is fascinating.
It’s almost as fascinating as the alien antagonist known as the Spread.
The Spreads survival depends on adaptation, too.
The concept is fresh and was vastly appealing to me.
Well written with touches of humor, horror, empathy and mystery, I thought this series could go could on forever.
The art is brilliant and brought the characters to exquisite life.
The first few books had me hooked. I couldn’t read them fast enough.
Although the last book did not end the way I was expecting, it was somewhat apropos.
No became a Yes.
The world continues.
Futures are always possible when a No doesn’t die.
Is it worth the read?
Start with book 1 and see how it goes...
... and, yes, I’m trying to be vague.
Why read a book when you know what happens every 5 pages along the way?
April 9, 2018
"Did you enjoy the ride? The art, the characters, the ultimate conclusion?"
....
....
March 16, 2020
Lets hear it for heroic last stands and willing sacrifices.
A lot of potential to be explored, but only 25 issues :(
A lot of potential to be explored, but only 25 issues :(
November 18, 2023
A good book for an evening pastime over a cup of hot coffee with marshmallows on a cold winter evening.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews