Comics
Comic Book Review: “Spread” #5 Is All About Hope
“Spread” #5 looks to be a transitional issue. Everything you need to know in terms of commentary or criticism can be read in Justin Jordan’s own words in the backmatter of this issue.
WRITTEN BY: Justin Jordan
ART BY: Kyle Strahm
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: January 21, 2014
Reviewed by Nick Brehmer
Beginning in the previous issue and, as Jordan explains, issue #5 is the convergence of multiple story arcs and character interests. No, Molly, and baby Hope are on the run but they’re caught between a rock, a hard place, and a bunch of mutants. Jack’s there looking to keep the peace in his own, messed up way; Ravello and No continue to violently engage in their relatively unspoken tension; the Preacher is hunting for Hope while Molly plays keep-away. The moment of convergence happens when Molly encourages baby Hope to unleash her Spread-wrecking up-chuck and the baby’s miraculous secret is revealed to all. Suddenly, Hope, small and vulnerable as she is, is wanted by all – to be used, to be destroyed, and to be kept safe.
Not much is revealed to the readers in this issue. Narrator Hope provides an adequate play-by-play of the events, but it does at times feel forced and obvious for the sake of continuity and consistency, which is understandable. In this issue’s backmatter, Jordan states, “What you don’t want to do is to use [narration] to tell you things that can and should be told in the art.” With that said, Jordan does well in his attempt to maintain a balance in issue #5.
As a transitional chapter with no revelations, the artwork really does carry it. Kyle Strahm and Felipe Sobreiro’s contributions to issue #5 are as crisp, vibrant, and disgusting as ever. The sequence where Molly uses Hope’s tears as hand-to-hand combat weapons is a particular favourite of mine.
Issue #5 is pretty much all action, which explains how short it feels when you get to the final few frames. With that said, again, as a transitional chapter, its fierceness and brevity add to the anticipation. Answers will come soon. They just gotta…
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A product of the harsh lands of Northern Ontario, Nick Brehmer is in fact a sensitive flower currently blooming in the GTA. He spends his downtime wishing he was British. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @nicholasbrehmer
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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