Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Spread #2
Image Comics
Jordan, Strahm & Sobreiro
The second issue of Spread is quite different from the first one. This issue introduces the head of the bad guy group and puts out some slavers in the path of the lead character, "No" and the baby, Hope. As a result, this comic is starting to settle too much in familiar apocalyptic circles. The narration helps the comic along nicely and the book is backed up by stellar artwork. I'm not sure what to make of this series yet but with a strong first issue and a decent second issue I think the potential is still there. I recommend checking this out.
The book opens with several pages of a character named Ravello. He seems to be the main man among a group of survivors. As he makes a speech and then slaps around one of the men that let "No" slip past them he feels too much like a cross between Rick Flair and The Governor. I wasn't a fan of the narration switch but I recognize that there needed to be some establishment of a steady villain. This was too much, too soon and too over the top for my liking.
The book then picks up with Hope and "No" and these scenes help bring the comic back to what worked so well in the first issue. "No" runs into some slavers that happen to be carrying a woman that is producing breast milk. "No" decides to take matters into his own hands but not before an unexpected surprise.
The book picks up nicely when the survival aspect of the comic comes back into play. Sure, it helps that "No" is a man of few words but the story has a better fit when the dialogue is shorter and is fixed on survival and not speeches. "No" is clearly a character that could grow into having a huge following and quickly.
The artwork is tremendous when it deals with the science fiction aspect of the story. The comic is loaded with grizzly looking characters and monsters and when it is set against the bleak looking backdrop, the comic's art seems like a perfect fit for this story. The art in the book is simply tremendous.
Spread has two great things going for it: a strong lead character and an excellent monster cache. These two things make the comic book something different on the marketplace. The artwork and most of the narration help this book turn into something a little extra. If the book can stay away from the theatrics of the Walking Dead's chief villains then I think the comic has great potential. This issue is worth picking up.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
