Batman and Spawn in a crossover event? What year is this? Did we slip back in time to the nineties?
There has been a lot of hype building up to the release of this comic book. Released on Tuesday December 13th, the 48-page Batman / Spawn #1 comic will set you back $6.99. It’s published by DC Comics (Batman), not Image Comics (Spawn). I’m sure Image would’ve put it out at a cheaper price. (They have been releasing their Spawn comics for $2.99, a dollar or more cheaper than the other publishers.) Todd McFarlane writing Batman & Spawn, Greg Capullo drawing the book and McFarlane inking Capullo’s pencils. As you can imagine, a lot of comic book fans have been very excited about this release. The question is, is it any good?
My simple answer is buy it for the art. The story is okay but the art by Greg Capullo is stunning. There are some incredible double page spreads in the comic. I’ve since heard in an interview with the two creators that Todd asked Greg what he wanted to draw. Then he wrote the story around that. So it’s not like he had this great idea for a story he really wanted to tell. And it shows. The story is convoluted and requires re-reading to take everything in. It’s also a bit daft with McFarlane trying to tie-in the deaths of Batman’s parents and Spawn’s wife.
Sure, this is an “Elseworlds” kind of book so it is outside the main continuity. But I still felt disappointed with the story. I know that McFarlane is often criticized as being an artist first and a writer second. But he’s been writing Spawn for years now and I’m sure he knows the character of Batman very well. In this issue, the Spawn scenes stood out more than the Batman scenes. You could tell McFarlane felt more confident writing Spawn than Batman.
9 out of 10 for the art, 5 out of 10 for the story.
I made a video review if you’d like to see a bit more of the interior art.
Thanks so much for reading!
Wakizashi, *
Wakizashi's Reviews 
This issue was amazing. I’m pleased it lived up to all the hype as well!
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I managed to get hold of a physical copy. I got the Jason Fabok cover, which I love!
What did you think of the story?
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Me too! A friend has been collecting my comics from my LCS for me while I’ve been recovering. Yes, I thought it was a great issue as well, I really like this alternative universe / take on the whole Batman mythos. It’s been such a great run of stories – although I do think the concept has probably run its course now.
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Sounds like a great friend! I’m curious, what’s your monthly pull list like these days?
And I hope you are feeling better.
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Well, I vary it more now depending on what reviews I’m scheduled to do. Personally, for comics I’d buy I hardly bother with any DC or Marvel these days. I used to read all the Bat Books and X Men books, but the direction they have taken over the last few years have seen me ditch them all. I never bother with events or crossovers now – so ASM will be ditched for a month or two until that awful Dark Web thing is over. I read a lot of Image Comics now, mostly Spawn’s Universe, I get the odd book from Dark Horse and BOOM! from time to time as well. If you’d asked me a few years ago I was probably getting 8-10 books a week, now it’s only about 2-4. How about you? Cheers, I’m feeling a lot better now thanks, well on the mend. š
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I regularly pick up the four Spawn titles, Batman (now Zdarsky is writing it), and ASM. Plus the occasional indie title that catches my attention. I’m thinking about dropping ASM, though. I used to buy the digital copy of 2000AD–only $1.99–but I can’t keep up with it being a weekly release. I used to buy Usagi Yojimbo too, but I’ve lost track of it lately.
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Yeah, know what you mean. It can get very expensive now. I’ve kept my pull list quite streamlined for a while now. I liked 2000AD as well, but with so much now it’s tough to keep up with. I don’t usually bother with events or cross overs anymore either. I’ll ditch ASM until it reverts back after Dark Web. The Spawn’s Universe Books are my main reads now, and I enjoy a lot of Image stuff as well. Mostly though I enjoy re reading old classic stories best and getting them in trade collections.
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Man, that is too bad about the story. Glad to hear the artwork saved it for you though š
I think my days of being able to appreciate the art in spite of the story are over and I’d probably tear into this. Plus, I’m not a spawn fan, hahahaha š
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I’m a fan of both characters, so I had to get a copy. Also, I was able to order a physical copy too. š Capullo’s art is excellent. Shame Todd forgot to write a great story.
Do you know any “crossovers” that really worked well? I have an old Batman Judge Dredd graphic novel which is a lot of fun. Cool art by Simon Bisley, too.
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I liked the first Batman vs Predator.
But then the next 2 dropped dramatically, and the Superman vs Aliens that came after were even worse š¦
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I heard Batman Predator is good. How about Groo vs Conan?… It’s daft but a lot of fun š
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Once I work my way through the regular series, I’ll be reading the various spinoffs for Groo š
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Even my amateur eye can tell that this is good stuff.
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If you are interested in a professional eye, I may be able to put you in touch with some people. For a small fee of course.
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Makes me wonder if they should have just done away with all the dialogue and story blocks and published it as art book? The spreads you’ve shown look like the kind they’d sell as signed prints or posters at cons.
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I only showed some of the different covers and one of the double page spreads I really like. But yes, it probably would have worked as an art book. I just wish Todd had written a good story first and then brought Capullo in to draw it.
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