I extremely enjoyed the first issue of ‘Spread‘ by Image Comics last month. It is a take on survival of the human species against a virus found deep in the Earth that infects humanity and turns us into very alien-esque violent killing machines akin to ‘The Thing.’ With my excitement of a new post-apocalyptic world very apparent in the first issue, lets see if that carried through into the second one as well.

Thankfully we have Justin Jordan returning to tell a fun story that takes place in this wilderness that much of humanity calls home. He is still introducing us to the world that our characters live in as well as to the characters themselves. That doesn’t mean he skimmed on the action one bit though! Speaking of the action, I’m still in love with the muted tones and look that Kyle Strahm is bringing to this comic. It fits the world that our characters are in. Also, the way the aliens are colored really allows them to stand out from the rest of the book. With this virus apparently able to spread through every living creature, aside from plant life, much of nature itself could potentially be an increased danger to humanity.

I didn’t make the comparison last time but you get a bit of the Mad Max vibe from the book. Assuming you replace the sand and sun with the snow and cold and add a virus that mutates people into monsters. You have a man on a mission to survive by himself, you have what appears to be a group of scavengers who are just looking out for themselves, and you have someone that is in need of saving. If it wasn’t for that pesky virus you’d have the same thing!

While the last issue introduced us to No and baby Hope, that he finds, this issue introduces us to a woman and the settlement the scavengers from the first issue came from. The scavengers have a charismatic leader who also happens to know how to fight and are clearly out for themselves. The woman? Well she’s a little bit crazy but clearly is going to be an important character moving forward. Also we are introduced to one of the fiercest alien creatures known to mankind so far, a Spreadworm. Think of a sand worm from ‘Dune’ or something along those lines, paint it red and tentacally with teeth and you’ll get the idea.

Basically, no human has gone up against one and lived to tell the tale.

In this second installment into ‘Spread,’ Jordan continues telling a compelling introduction while Strahm delivers on art that compliments perfectly what you’re reading. We’re still only scratching the surface when it comes to the secrets of this world that they’ve created and if there is a downside, it’s that we have to wait a full month to find out more. If you are looking for a fun new take on an apocalyptic world that doesn’t directly involve aliens or the undeadm I highly suggest picking this series up as we’re only two issues in!

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SPREAD #2
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Kyle Strahm