Comics

Comic Book Review: “Spread” #5 Is All About Hope

Published

9 years ago

January 21, 2015

“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

Zac Thompson

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 weeks ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.