The Good
Wow, SPREAD just gets crazier and crazier, doesn't it? This latest chapter seems to be the result of Justin Jordan just letting loose now that all of these elements are in the same place. There's a whole lot of violence and the story drops a big development -- one that puts No's group on everyone's radar. It's an important step and definitely a game changer for the narrative, but really, this one is mostly fighting. There's an insane amount of bloodshed, biting, stabbing, slashing, and a bunch of other really, really over-the-top and savage stuff. It's pretty much non-stop madness and it's constantly reminding you just how tough you need to be to survive in this seriously messed up world. Sure, there's a lot of gruesome stuff going on, but this fighting also gives Jordan a chance to show a little more of these characters' personalities while everything is hitting the fan at a million miles per hour. I especially love Fat Jack's blunt reactions. The way the narrative is handled makes you fully aware Hope will make it out of the situation, but that doesn't mean we know how it'll play out and Jordan's constantly surprising us. This time it took a... well, very weird twist -- one that'll probably be too silly for some -- but the handling of it was awesome. If there's a theme in this one, it seems like it's all about how far someone will go to survive.
This issue has a constant flow of vicious deaths, tension, fast-paced battles and horror. So, Kyle Strahm's rougher style and Felipe Sobreiro's emphasis on shades of red are a great way to bring Jordan's gory script to life. The sketchier character work fits the hectic tone and really seems like a perfect fit whenever we spot one of the creatures -- and that's something which happens very often. I mean, how horrifying is that scene with Molly under the train? The angles used to build that up in the last issue were brilliant and this one presents just how brutal you need to be if you want to see another day. Some of these panels are packed, so the character work does tend to fluctuate, but overall, this is another issue which captures just how insanely scary and violent this world can be.
The Bad
Out of all the craziness going on, my biggest criticism is that people seem to be immune to pain and/or escape seemingly impossible situations fairly easily. Jordan usually drops some reasoning for this (Molly's motivated to protect Hope, humans won't risk killing her), but it's a little odd to have several very armed people on top of No and then he walks away from the situation seemingly fine or to have people seem totally cool with an injury after being attacked by one of these creatures.
The Verdict
Now that everyone is in the same location, the creative team unleashes a bloody and immensely entertaining chapter. There's a ton of amazing chaos going on and it never holds back. One moment may be a little too out there for some of you, but odds are it won't take away from all of the other insane stuff that's taking place. Even when a chapter focuses on offering a ton of action and one big plot development, Jordan's script still manages to deliver plenty of character, a few decent bits of comedy, and a whole lot of intrigue. It looks like we'll get even more mayhem in the next issue and you can bet I'm excited to see how it all plays out. Jordan's dialogue works so well in this story and he's doing a great job slowly building this world. I'm constantly wanting to see more and more of this twisted place and thankfully, the art team makes this setting and its characters every bit as tense and scary as it should be. Love horror or stories about surviving against impossible odds? Read SPREAD.