by Antwan J. Thompson
In an era where most superhero comics relaunch every year or two, it’s impressive to see a comic reach the double-digit mark. Spawn is one of the longest continually-running creator-owned series in history, and is soon to hit the landmark 250th issue. What’s Todd McFarlane plan?
Spawn is a fictional character, a graphic novel anti-hero created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane. He first appeared in Spawn #1 in May 1992. The series was adapted into a 1997 feature film, and an HBO animated series lasting from 1997 until 1999.
Spawn #250 will reset the machinery. The special anniversary issue will have a cover by current Batman artist Greg Capullo who drew nearly a quarter of the issues of Spawn, clocking 80 single issues over seven years. McFarlane feels Capullo did the definitive Spawn, and Capullo’s calm, collected portrayal of him on the cover conveys the fact that Al Simmons has returned after more than 50 issues and, as Spawn, is not going to be on the defensive anymore. Instead, he’s going to let others know what it feels like to be hunted. He would be sitting in the throne like a king.
The issue also sees the return of Al Simmons in the Spawn suit, with the man in full control of the demon for the first time. The series will also see a special one-shot relaunch for Al in February’s Spawn Resurrection #1 when writer Brian Wood and artist Jonboy Meyers take over and dazzle you with their talent. Resurrection might even give you a little background as to where Al Simmons has been for so long.
The series will also go digital with Spawn #250 (alongside the standard print runs), and McFarlane plans to have the full back catalog available in a digital format. When the 250th issue hits, McFarlane plans to have the fans involved, he lets the Spawn aficionados submit their illustrations of the character, and whoever gets the most votes will get a pinup page in Spawn #250.
Sadly, when “Spawn” was released in 1997 at theaters, some say it was a overbearing, over-violent film that added little to the comic book adaptation genre. And it became an victim of producers failing to capture the grittiness of the original comic in order to achieve a PG-13 rating and a broader audience but we did appreciate the makeup and special effects. The film failed to accomplish anything else even though it was a modest box-office success; based on a $40 million budget, it grossed worldwide total of $87,840,042.
The problem is that they tried to squeeze it into PG-13 mold when it should be either Rated R or NC-17. For those who read the book, you would understand why. The movie stuck reasonably close to the established origin of the comics but no element has aged worse than the special effects. The CG effects in the movie are more worthy of PlayStation 1-era cut scenes than a blockbuster superhero film.
Bringing to life a classic representation of Spawn based on his appearance on the cover of Spawn issue 7 is an action figure (circa 2008) from McFarlane Toys, that is loaded with firepower and ready to battle. The figure is a 12-inch version of Spawn (issue 7 cover art) from Spawn Series 26. It measures 6.2 x 15 x 16.2 inches and weighs around 4 pounds. You can find it on Amazon for around $135 bux.
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