This is a huge milestone!
It isn’t everyday a comic, let alone a non DC/Marvel book lives to see #200. But here we are some 17 years after the release of Spawn #1 celebrating not just a comic book or character, but an event in comics history!
All those years ago, Spawn challenged everything we knew and loved about our comics! He was an anti hero with supernatural abilities, and the books were certainly 0style over substance. Not that they were bad stories, it’s just the art was the precedence, and Todd McFarlane always delivered on the visuals.
Spawn #200 is a big, massive book. As a casual Spawn reader over the years (consistent only during the incredible David Hine/Brian Haberlin run), I’m not up to date in the Spawn world. Al Simmons isn’t Spawn anymore, he’s been replaced by a guy named Jim Downing and I don’t know enough about him. Simmons was an interesting and complex character so having a new guy step into the role is a bit of a shock, but I’m in.
What you get in this issue is not a lot of character development, but a whole mess of punch ups! Freak, The Clown, Omega Spawn, Hell Spawn for a lot of pages just throw at each other banter, fists and chains. Omega Spawn is looking for control, Freak is looking to take out Spawn and the Clown just gets in the way. In another realm, Simmons and his replacement chat about life; what to expect and where they are going!
Did I mention the punch – ups? This entire book is like the awesome fight scene between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David in ‘They Live.’ In other words, Spawn # 200 is non stop! McFarlane, Michael Golden and Robert Kirkman fill each panel with some of the coolest monster creature things you’ll see. The art is colorful, vibrant and exactly what you’d expect from a Spawn comic. The writing by Kirkman, McFarlane and Jonathin David Goff is not earth shattering, but who really wants it, or needs it to be.
This is a great way to celebrate an anniversary! 48 pages of fighting and a few pages of McFarlane’s thoughts! Perfect. The last few pages is a brief introduction to the new creative team; artist Szymon Kudranski and writer Will Carlton coming in with the next issue.
In other words…you get more than your four bucks worth! And with a million different covers you get your choice. I picked the coolest looking one without knowing who drew it and it ended up being the Rob Liefeld one (pictured above)!
So spend your cash, have a great read and get ready for the next era of Spawn.
Matman – 4.5 out of 5 green blood splatters.
Many moons ago, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane was a guest of Matman and Brian LeTendre on the Secret Identity Podcast (www.secretidentitypodcast.com). Both with never admit this, but they are terrified of the Clown!
