Spread issue 25 from Image Comics is available now! Here is my review of the final issue in the gritty post apocalyptic saga from writer Justin Jordan with artists Kyle Strahm, John Bivens and Felipe Sobreiro.
Story: Justin Jordan
Art: Kyle Strahm, John Bivens, Felipe Sobreiro
Cover: Kyle Strahm, Felipe Sobreiro
Variant Cover: Felipe Sobreiro
Published: March 7, 2018
Diamond ID: NOV170843
Age Rating: M
“DAMOCLES,” Conclusion No versus the Spread. All of it.
Print: $3.99
Justin Jordan (The Luther Strode Saga, Savage Things) has managed to deliver one of the most original and wicked post apocalyptic comic sagas of our time and we live in an era of The Walking Dead which has dominated the genre for a decade-plus. Spread is a vicious and profound tale that has concluded after 25 brilliant issues. Jordan has managed to weave an intricate but entertaining story with a vast array of interesting characters who all have their chance to shine by the end. Now — I loved issue 24, which saw the death of my favourite character in the series, so it was hard to follow-up such a badass outro, but Jordan did the best he could here as we got down to our main hero and villain – the ultimate showdown.
This comic is all about the final battle. It’s No versus Ravello and his Spread army. Hatchets chopping down red tentacles left and right as Ravello makes his final push to wipe out the remaining humans in our story. The action is drawn perfectly and it’s been a pleasure seeing Kyle Strahm, John Bivens and Felipe Sobreiro conjure up such horrifying imagery over the past few years. I was there from the beginning with issue one and I never for a second thought about taking Spread off my pull list. Month after month, Jordan and his crew of rotating artists managed to shock, entertain and even make me sad as hell with their exploration of this universe.
To see it all come to a bloody end is both satisfying and depressing. I would have loved to explore the world of Spread for another 25 issues, but you know what? We didn’t even get this many issues of Luther Strode before Jordan wrapped up that masterpiece as well. If you missed out on this gory, disturbing, hilarious and heart-warming tale of a world engulfed by a meat plague straight from Hell, then go buy the trades. The fifth and final volume hits stores May 2, 2018 (buy it here). It’s hard to review the final issue without spoiling it, but I will say that I was genuinely surprised at how Jordan wrapped up the main story. It was an unexpected but fitting conclusion that made me feel at peace with Hope (the baby who held the cure to the Spread) and the rest of our main cast that survived, who I would like to think, lived the rest of their lives without worrying about Spread infected animals mutilating them in their sleep.
Rating: [star rating=”4.5″]