Comics
Review: “Spread” #1
The cinematic influences behind Justin Jordan, Kyle Strahm, and Felipe Sobreira’s new series “Spread” are numerous. In the author’s “patented end of issue ramblings,” the Mad Max film series are unapologetically paid homage to. And rightly so. While reading Issue #1, I also picked up on (obvious) references to John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi classic The Thing, especially given the icy setting, but also Ron Howard’s 1988 fantasy epic Willow. Both made me very happy.
WRITTEN BY: Justin Jordan
ART BY: Kyle Strahm
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: July 9, 2014
Reviewed by Nick Brehmer
The Spread is a terrible, ravenous, infectious mass with stylistic renderings similar to that of the demonic force from Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke. It eats its way through people and animals that don’t run fast enough, and even those with an immunity, like our mysterious protagonist No, may still suffer being ripped to shreds.
The story is propelled by the narration of the (presumably) now older Hope, a baby (at the time of Issue #1) with an incredible gift. She is rescued by No in the inaugural issue from a band of post-Spread-apocalyptic raiders. The hero quickly realizes her importance, but he isn’t the only one with a vested interest in the infant.
The writing flows like pieces of nightmarish memory slowly being put back together. Little is revealed in Issue #1 about the nature of the Spread or how much damage has actually been done to civilization. And, like Issue #1, I’m not inclined to reveal much in this review. I suspect that you’ll be as intrigued as I am during your own read-through.
I found the aforementioned back matter “ramblings” to be very insightful to the creators’ process. Jordan writes “I’ve never been as interested in, say, the first days of a zombie apocalypse as I have in what the world would look like ten or twenty years after.” I share this sentiment. The world of “Spread” has been plagued for some time and the danger is significant. However, given the events of Issue #1, there may be hope (*ahem*) left for humanity.
The colouring of this series is going to be a major draw to some. The coldness of the human world, dominated by blues, greys, and most prominently, white, is cut by the heat of the bright red Spread. It makes for an (at one point literally) eye-popping experience.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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