Spawn #339 (March 2023) by Rory McConville & Carlo Barberi

The flagship Spawn comic has been consistently good for a while now. Writer Rory McConville has pulled me in and I’m enjoying the exploration of Heaven and Hell in this current story arc. Barberi’s art is really good. I like his fantasyesque style when he draws the scenes set in Heaven and Hell. I wish this title was getting a bit more coverage. It’s hard to find reviews of Spawn comics on the internet at the moment. ComicBook Round Up has stopped showing reviews for most of the four current Spawn titles. I’m not sure why because as far as I know the sales have been good, especially for Gunslinger Spawn and King Spawn.

Story Summary

The issue opens with more detail on what the Dead Zones are. We are told that both Heaven and Hell were using them to move their minions around Earth. That was until just over a year ago when Spawn sealed them all. After Nyx invaded Spawn’s mind, she gained access to half the Dead Zones. How long can Spawn keep control of the rest?

King Spawn #19 (Feb 1, 2023) | Guess Who’s Back?

Writer: Sean Lewis
Artists: Thomas Nachlik & Von Randal
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: February 1, 2023
Cover Price: $2.99

I bought the latest issue of King Spawn on Wednesday. Here is my short review.

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My Thoughts

This issue begins a new story arc. It also features the return of two beloved characters who first appeared in Spawn #1 back in May 1992. That’s right, Detectives Sam Burke and Maximilian “Twitch” Williams are back and it is a very welcome return.

People are going missing in New York City. There have been some grisly deaths where the victim’s body is found missing its brain. Has Victor Frankenstein made the long journey over the Atlantic Ocean, or is it an animated Herbert West returning from the dead? Sam and Twitch are on the case and their initial investigation leads them to the Exodus Foundation whose business card was found at the latest crime scene.

Gunslinger Spawn #16 (Jan 11th, 2023) | Comic Book Review

Writer: Todd McFarlane
Artist: Brett Booth
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: January 11, 2023
Cover Price: $2.99

Publisher’s Synopsis: ‘Parts of Gunslinger’s storied past are finally becoming clear. But there are secrets being kept from him that, if revealed, might set him on a new path of vengeance!’

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My Thoughts

I’ve been reading Gunslinger Spawn since it was launched back in October 2021. From what I’ve been hearing, this comic is the current bestseller among the four SPAWN comic titles. This probably has a lot to do with how good the art is by Brett Booth, month after month. Also, it’s written by Todd McFarlane and is probably the best thing he has written in a while.

I’ve found it to be a very entertaining story. It has fun with the “fish out of water” theme, or should I say “man out of time.” It’s funny to see Gunslinger trying to get his head around our modern world. He gets some help with this from Taylor Bartlett, a young man who Gunslinger saved from the dark forces his father was working for. The western tropes are appreciated, too, especially when we get glimpses into Gunslinger’s past. I’d like to see more of this in future issues.

Overall, Gunslinger Spawn is a comic I can kick back and relax with. Sometimes it’s a bit over-the-top with the violence but most of all this comic book is fun. Did I mention the killer art by Brett Booth?.. Recommended!

(Below is the story summary I wrote for my video review if you are interested.)

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Nemesis: Reloaded issue #1 (Jan 11th, 2023) | Comic Book Review

Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: January 11, 2023
Cover Price: $3.99

Publisher’s Synopsis: ‘The world’s most evil comic book is back! Who is Nemesis, and why does this eccentric billionaire who dresses up in a mask and cape want to terrorize people instead of helping them? Isn’t that how this is supposed to go? Trigger warning: Too violent and too cool for some!’

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My Thoughts

Imagine a vigilante similar to Batman but with no moral code. I’m not sure what his endgame is, but if the final page of this opening issue is anything to go by, it’s going to be bloody and brutal. This is a violent story which has been brilliantly illustrated by Jimenez. The way the artist renders the action scenes is a lesson in comic book art. It’s dynamic, fluid, and always eye-catching. Millar has a reputation for being controversial, but he still manages to tell a compelling story. Sure, some of the scenes are a bit over the top, but it should be remembered that this is a comic book aimed at a mature audience. And most of all, it’s very entertaining to read. I’m in for the ride.

Batman / Spawn #1 (2022) by Todd McFarlane & Greg Capullo

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.

SPAWN Comics Flying High!

It has been just over a year since Todd McFarlane released Spawn’s Universe #1 which heralded the addition of three new monthly Spawn titles to the original Spawn comic. We now have Spawn, King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn and The Scorched. McFarlane is writing Gunslinger Spawn and drawing occasional covers for some of the comics. Spawn is currently being written by Irish writer Rory McConnville who has been writing for the British weekly comic 2000 AD. American writer Sean Lewis is writing the remaining two titles, King Spawn and The Scorched.

It’s difficult to get hold of accurate sales figures for comics these days. But from what I’ve read online or heard in interviews, all four Spawn titles are regularly in the monthly top sellers. It appears that McFarlane’s efforts have really paid off with not only the new titles selling well but also the flagship Spawn comic receiving a substantial lift in sales. Before issue #300 of Spawn was released in September 2019, the comic was shifting around just 15,000 issues a month. Now it’s said to be closer to 45,000, a huge increase which is matched by each of the new Spawn titles.

Ice Cream Man (2018~) by W. Maxwell Prince & Martin Morazzo

Writing: W. Maxwell Prince; Art: Martin Morazzo; Colors: Chris O’Halloran

The best weird original creepy inventive comic book you’re not reading! Ice Cream Man is a kind of Twilight Zone meets The Outer Limits comic book series. Each story works as a one-and-done short story. There are almost no recurring characters outside of the titular Ice Cream Man. The series tackles such subjects as love, family, murder, madness, sex, drugs, music, ghosts, superheroes, sickness, cults, game shows, word puzzles, reality, identity, and on and on.

In an interview with Comic Book Herald, writer W. Maxwell Prince talks about how we tell our children not to accept food or other things from strangers, yet the ice cream man is trusted and accepted. Do children still flock to the ice cream van/truck in summer? Who is the ice cream man? He could be anyone, for example a serial killer, an alien, an escaped prisoner, a spy, an assassin, or even a kindly old man.

Spawn’s Universe, Issue #1 (2021) by Todd McFarlane & more

Spawn’s Universe issue #1 from Image Comics was released on June 23rd, 2021. It’s a 68-page comic which creator Todd McFarlane introduces with the following quote:

“Three hundred and eighteen issues have led to this, the founding of Spawn’s Universe. A Universe of possibilities for Spawn and his Allies, as well as his Enemies.”

Spawn first appeared back in May 1992, so it will be 30 years of Spawn comics next year. Growing up collecting comics, I was aware of the character but never got into reading the book. I knew Todd McFarlane from his work on The Amazing Spider-Man in the late 1980s, and then the new title named simply Spider-Man which he both drew and wrote. Man, I used to get lost in the detail of Todd’s Spidey-webbing!

Before the release of Spawn’s Universe #1, I bought a few of the recent issues of Spawn in a digital sale. The art is excellent, but the story didn’t pull me in. Perhaps I’ve missed too much that’s come before? So, I thought this new issue might be a good jumping-on point. Plus, I knew the art would be next-level, especially when compared with a lot of recent content the so-called “Big Two” comics publishers have been putting out.

Home Sick Pilots, Vol.1: “Teenage Haunts” (2021)

by Dan Watters, writer & Caspar Wijngaard, artist

“We need to throw a sicker gig than this. Somewhere even better. Somewhere we can really show people what the Home Sick Pilots are all about.”

“We should throw a gig in the house that kills people.”

Publisher’s Synopsis

‘In the summer of 1994, a haunted house walks across California. Inside is Ami, lead singer of a high school punk band–who’s been missing for weeks. How did she get there? What do these ghosts want? And does this mean the band has to break up?

Expect three-chord songs and big bloody action as Power Rangers meets The Shining (yes really), and as writer DAN WATTERS (Lucifer, COFFIN BOUND) and artist CASPAR WIJNGAARD (LIMBO, Star Wars, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt) delve into the horrors of misspent youth. COLLECTS HOME SICK PILOTS #1-5′

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My Thoughts

I became interested in Dan Watters‘ work after reading his run on the 2019 Lucifer comic book, (Goodreads review here). This led me to the weird, surreal road trip that is the series Coffin Bound, and now here with Home Sick Pilots, Volume 1: Teenage Haunts.

Pulp (2020) by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

“That was one of the problems of getting older. You hit an age where everyone either ignores you, or treats you like some hassle they’re being forced to deal with. But inside, you still feel like the same person you were thirty or forty years ago.”

-Ed Brubaker

A few years ago, my brother introduced me to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ brilliant crime comic book series Criminal. I quickly became a fan of the series and searched for other works by this creative team. That led me to Kill or Be Killed, a comic book series that explores the experiences of a young vigilante, and also contains a supernatural element. Another great read, I collected all twenty issues of the series. Now, when a new title by Brubaker and Phillips is released, I will usually buy it “sight unseen” because I know it will be of the highest quality.

Publisher’s Synopsis

“Max Winters, a pulp writer in 1930s New York, finds himself drawn into a story not unlike the tales he churns out at 5 cents a word – tales of a Wild West outlaw dispensing justice with a six-gun. But will Max be able to do the same, when pursued by bank robbers, Nazi spies, and enemies from his past?

One part thriller, one part meditation on a life of violence, Pulp is unlike anything the award-winning team of Brubaker and Phillips have ever done. A celebration of pulp fiction, set in a world on the brink. And another must-have hardback from one of comics most-acclaimed teams.”

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