Tag Archives: Spawn

Comics

The Bizarre Meta Issue from Spawn’s Early Days

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It’s hard to predict what will become popular in the entertainment industry. There have been so many instances where studios tried using a movie to launch a franchise…only for it to die before it even got a chance. And then there are the movies and shows that became popular out of nowhere – or despite the obstacles they had to overcome. The same can be applied to the comic book industry. At the time, I imagine only Todd McFarlane believed that Spawn would have lasted this long and continues to go strong. But that doesn’t mean he kept that to himself. He let his belief become public knowledge in the tenth issue, released back in May 1993.

In the previous issue, Al Simmons had his first fight with an angel named Angela. Spawn managed to lure Angela into a trap and defeated her. But she had left her lance in the New York alley. When Spawn went to grab it, he is seemingly transported to another place. And that is depicted in issue 10 and it gets a bit weird. The issue has these narration boxes coming from Al’s point of view. Only, it also isn’t his point of view? He’s both the Al/Spawn of his world but also the one of this alternate world too. I think the narration continuously confusing us about this is supposed to enhance a dream-like feeling of this other world. But it only makes it confusing on who exactly is supposed to be telling us what is going on.

Moving on though, Spawn goes out and finds this cave that turns out to be a prison. One one side of the wall, there are a bunch of unknown people with hands behind their back and bags covering their heads. On the other side is the actual prison. Out from the bars are this arms for all of these superheroes. None of them are actually referred to by their official names. But the way Spawn describes this group of heroes and the designs of these outstretched arms clearly indicate they are heroes from both Marvel & DC. There is even a figure that falls just sort of outright confirming it’s Superman, but referred to as “He-Who-Came-First”. They all give Spawn their power so that he can try to free them…only to fail. Oh, and we also see a female version of Violator wearing a dress made of money. Not much else to say about that.

This also counts as a crossover because this character named Cerebus arrives in this issue. I’ve never read any of Cerebus’s comics so I don’t know enough about him to give an opinion about the character. But he explains to Spawn this is a world where superheroes have been sold by their creators. That is, with the exception of this world’s Spawn. Cerebus takes Al to a home that belongs to him and to this world’s Cyan. It ends on this bittersweet moment where Al goes downstairs holding his child to greet his – or this world’s – Wanda.

So…there are a couple of ways to view this issue. Let’s look at it as if it’s 1993 and this just came out. It must have taken big brass balls to release an issue like this – and for a series that’s still technically within it’s first year of publishing! But this actually does connect to why Image Comics was created in the first place. There were artists in the comic industry that were frustrated with how they were treated by the two big companies and how their work was owned by them and not by the creators. You could read this entire issue as a big middle finger to DC & Marvel. Doesn’t necessarily excuse the awkward writing, especially with confusing narration. But I’ll grant that this was written with courage.

Now, let’s view this from the modern era. And I have to say that this is…an amusing issue. Still has flaws when it comes to the writing. But it does read differently given everything that has happened with Spawn in recent years. Spawn has run for over 300 issues, even earning the title of longest-running creator owned comic book series. It has now launched 3 new titles in an effort to created a shared universe. And the first issue of each of those titles has broken different sales records. This is no small feat for this industry, where the two leading companies are constantly restarting series with new number one issues and struggling to maintain a consistent direction for any number of books.

This issue is by far the most meta Spawn has ever been. But it came out at an awkward time. Not only was the writing for a lot of comic books at the time – especially from Image – awkward, but it was for a comic that had yet to prove any staying power. Yet in time, it has actually become something of a prophetic story for the character. I’m not going to act that the Spawn title has been perfect for it’s entire history. I’ve had some issues with it from time to time. But I find myself still connected to this character and world. And that’s most likely because Spawn’s creator still owns him and is passionate about him. Cheers to whatever lies ahead! Just make sure the writing doesn’t get as awkward like it was in this old issue and you should be fine.

Comics

What the Future of Spawn Should Include

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Spawn is a pretty good representation of what the 1990s were in terms of look and atmosphere. The title has represented both the best and worst of what the era had to offer comics. But it was smart enough to recognize the bad stuff in the early days and phase them out. Regardless, the 90s style of the character and series is a big part of what made the character to so popular. What I’m referring to is action, dark atmosphere, violence, brooding, that sort of thing. But this book knew how to properly utilize and present it for the most part. These are all elements that connect to the heart of Spawn and what his stories are about.

But now that so much time has passed – achieving major milestones and now expanding with new books – it’s time to make some changes. I’m not talking anything major. The last thing I want is for this series and universe to become like DC and Marvel in terms of tone and approach simply because it’s trying to copy their success. Todd McFarlane knows how to handle his creation and make it distinct from everything else. And let’s face it, Marvel & DC have made more than fair share of mistakes in terms of creating content and guiding their characters. The one major change I’m suggesting is more about adding to the universe than taking anything away. Spend more time letting the characters…just live.

That admittedly sounds confusing, so allow me to explain. One of the new Spawn titles is focused on Gunslinger Spawn and his solo adventures. Brought into the present due to events in issues 300 & 301, this Hellspawn’s journey is about finding his way back to his own time while dealing with characters and events in the present. There is of course action and mystery laying out future potential storylines and enemies. But there have been several moments in this series that have taken me by surprise. There is a bit where Gunslinger is genuinely confused and curious about the existence of an indoor toilet. And he is perplexed about the existence of plumbing. This was a funny joke, but made funnier and more surprising by how logical it is. He does come from a time where something like this doesn’t exist. It makes sense why he would ask questions about something like this. Also, despite knowing how to study a map he admits he can’t read. Makes sense and is pretty humorous.

In a separate issue, it opens up with him learning from a woman how to properly hitchhike. She shows him how to properly hold out his arm and how to use his thumb. And when he gets picked up, he isn’t mean to the driver or just giving him the bare minimum of courtesy. It seems like the two of them had a decent time in each other’s company during the short trip to Gunslinger’s destination. He even shows some level of affection for a couple of the wolves guarding his stuff. Long story short, these are moments that help create a personality for the character that doesn’t advance the story. It creates small humorous, and sort of wholesome, moments that make it more fun and engaging to read.

The major thing I think the Spawn universe should do moving forward is to have more moments like these. Show what the characters are like, have them interact in ways that aren’t focused on missions and show them create friendships. Up until this point, we haven’t seen a lot of that. There was Nyx before she was killed in issue 300 – and yes, I’m still angry about that and want her resurrected. Right now in the King Spawn title. Al and Terry are working together, but Terry for sure doesn’t like being in that situation and their relationship is fractured at best due to their history. The new characters that are being introduced and focused on should be the main focus moving forward. Obviously we can’t get rid of Al, that would be going too far. But have more stories with Gunslinger Spawn and Jessica Priest and the rest where they have moments of them just being themselves. Bonding in ways that Al seemingly lost the luxury to have with his newfound mission to wage war on the supernatural forces trapped on Earth.

The best existing example I can use for comparison is the JSA from DC Comics. There were issues were the team members weren’t on missions and just spent time with each other dealing with the day to day stuff. Some of that if properly translated to the Spawn universe and breathe some new life and creativity that can help it evolve. I’m suggesting this because I don’t want Spawn to end. Hopefully we do get some of that down the road once the new titles have been around for a little longer. Here’s to 30 more – if not more – years of the Spawn universe!

Comics

The Eternal Nature of Spawn

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The mid to late 1980s saw the release of a couple of graphic novels that would forever change the comic industry. Both “Watchmen” & “The Dark Knight Returns” had dark storylines that integrated mature themes not usually associated with comics, as well as explored complex philosophies/ideologies. After receiving widespread acclaim from within and outside the comic book community, comic book editors and creators took the wrong lessons from those books. Working under the assumption that comics need to be more dark and include intense violence, we got a lot of stories and characters that would define the industry for the early to mid 1990s.

If you read comics during this time period or you sought out books from this era, you are probably familiar with the most common traits across various titles. You have characters carrying these huge overdrawn guns. Ones that make you ask how the Hell can that guy hold that with just one hand. Characters that are constantly growling or expressing anger and never showing any other emotion to help you truly connect with them. The rise of the anti-hero, characters willing to kill or do ethically questionable things to achieve their mission. While the concept of the anti-hero isn’t inherently bad, it was over-exploited during this time and not always well executed. And while the industry always had an issue drawing female characters sexy and not fleshing them out, it was probably at an all time high during this time. Basically, these years weren’t the highlight of comic book history. While some good did come out of it, there is a lot of underwhelming. A lot of titles and characters created during this time have mostly fallen into obscurity.

But why has Spawn prevailed? After 30 years and now attempting to create it’s own universe like DC did in the 1940s and Marvel in the 1960s, he is still around with a strong fan base. To answer that question, you have to look at his origin story. For most people who don’t read comics this is the probably the only part of Spawn they would be familiar with. But it also touches on the best stuff of the character. Al Simmons was a solider and special agent serving his country. But he was betrayed by the people he worked for and killed by his own during a mission. He gets sent to Hell where he is offered the chance to see his wife again. But it came at the cost of serving as one of that realm’s soldiers, a Hellspawn. And when he does return to Earth, five years have passed and his wife has remarried his best friend and they have a kid. He also has to regain his memories as he fights against foes – human and supernatural – who try to manipulate him for their own ends.

The story of Spawn is one that touches on a few universal themes. Mainly the idea of second chances and redemption. Al isn’t a perfect person, as many different issues over the years will showcase. But he is someone who tries to do what he thinks is right. Which is what all of us aspire to. And even though his life has been destroyed and he has lost everything, he finds a way to move forward and make the best of his situation. Making better choices and break free from the influence others have had on him, before his death and now as a Hellspawn. This universe also establishes that Heaven isn’t all what it appears to be either. The relationship between Heaven and Hell reveals that it doesn’t truly matter if your an ethically good or bad person. Where you go to once you die is random…for most people. But it is revealed that Al and his ancestors have been manipulated so that he follows a destiny of becoming the Hellspawn to start Armageddon. And while that war does come, Al takes on both Heaven & Hell and wins Armageddon in defense of mankind, who are used only as soldiers by both forces. Years after Al beats them, he ends up closing the doors to both realms. No more angels or demons can come or leave Earth. Their influence on a cosmic/supernatural level has been taken away. And now Spawn is there to take on who remains and make sure that humans have the freedom to make their own choices and be free of manipulated destiny.

Spawn is the story of realizing you don’t have to be perfect to be good. You could make questionable choices but as long as you do what you feel is the right thing to do, you will be all right. As long as you get to decide what you make for yourself and not let someone else decide for you. These ideas, accompanied with some truly great artwork and imagery and the writers realizing what works for Spawn while getting rid of the weaker elements, connects with everyone and has made sure Spawn has endured for so long. And hopefully he keeps being a strong presence for many years to come.