Introduction
With the soft relaunch last month, I split my comic reviews over three weeks. Furthermore, I needed three separate articles in the last week to cover all of the Marvel comic books. I hoped that by dividing and conquering the many books I now receive that I could cover them better and offer a more reader friendly experience. Plus, I read the other day that Uncle Todd plans to release four new books next year. I definitely made the right decision in that case. For now, I bring you four books for Spawniverse October 2024.
For some reason, no King Spawn released this month. Therefore, only Gunslinger, Rat City, Scorched, and the main title will be covered in this article. I looked to see if the book maybe got cancelled, but the Image web page assures me that books are planned through the end of the year. Hopefully things get back on track for next month.
Gunslinger 35
Quick Synopsis: Javier lies in a coma in the hospital. While he convalesces, his memory takes him on a trip to another time when he experienced severe trauma. Facing off against an angel who killed a family, the battle ends up with Javi playing possum and briefly getting the upper hand. However, that victory is short lived as a flock of ravens comes to take Gunslinger away from the battle and into a forest to die. Of course, he didn’t and that brings us back to the present. A present that sees medical staff studying the comatose hellspawn and someone from Javier’s past recognizes him from the news report and wants to find him no matter the cost.
My verdict: The beat em up is interesting enough with the fight going back and forth between Javier and the angel. I think the end left me feeling a little bit empty, but I understand it from a storytelling perspective. The cut from his broken body then to his broken body now makes sense in the context of everything happening. The reveal at the end took me a bit by surprise, but I’d be lying if it didn’t make me excited for what’s coming. As always, Barberi’s art is beautiful and brings the story to life. Decent.
Spawniverse October 2024 – Rat City 6
Quick Synopsis: The issue opens with a comprehensive history of New York that ends in Rat City. The story draws parallels between Al Simmons returning here when he first became a hellspawn and the same thing happening today (in the future today) with the new Hellspawn. The issue ends with a mistakenly injured person being brought back on the operating table with what looks like the intent of creating some kind of super soldier.
My verdict: The weird “through time” aspect of the introduction of this title intrigued me. While not strictly time travel, it uses a lot of those types of story techniques to illustrate exactly what happened. Because Al influenced the future with his actions, this now influences the story. However, they accomplish this without making it a direct retelling of the original Spawn. Very cool idea and well executed so far. The only complaint I have is that the art looks a bit rushed on some pages. Most are great, but some seem to be missing the detail that takes me a bit out of the story. Good.
Spawniverse October 2024 – Scorched 33
Quick Synopsis: They declare a Haunt dead because all bioscans reveal no life. This leads to a flashback telling of how this creature came into existence. The merger of the recently deceased and his killer, Sam and Twitch stumble on the thing. It makes a getaway before facing off against Spawn. Spawn defeats it. Sam and Twitch end up on the case when they find the remains, but a federal agency takes over and takes the body. The issue ends with this Haunt waking up, recognizing there’s another out there, and vowing to find the other Haunt to drain it of its power.
My verdict: I like the parallel story here, too. Any time you get to go back into the Spawn’s history, it makes me smile. As a teenager, I liked Spawn more than any other book I read at the time and I truly think that it ushered in a new era in comic books. Maybe not right away, but writers and artists who read the book and saw what can be done took that to heart and started realizing their power more. But, that’s neither here nor there as far as this story. I like what Layman has done with the book and hope he keeps writing it for a while. Plus, the art never lags on this one, even with a name I don’t recognize. Good.
Spawn 356
Quick Synopsis: This issue gives Lyra’s back story. We don’t know until the end, but she’s telling it to Al. When she finishes, she tells him that if he helps her to get Bludd, then she will become one of his soldiers in his new war. Overall, a decent origin story issue that hits all of the right notes for the character. A tragic beginning complete with a gruesome death. Stories of angels and demons. A brush in with those forces. Training her mind and body.
My verdict: Because I know less about Lyra than some of the other characters, this one proved to have less of an effect on me than the other issues that took us into the past. But, as I wrote, I liked the story. It brought me more understanding of the character. Plus, the fact that she will probably become recurring gives me more of a reason to get invested. Then again, they could always kill her off between now and then. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. I think Booth’s art most closely resembles Uncle Todd and I’m glad they put him on the flagship title because it fits so well. Good.
The Verdict
The Spawniverse October 2024 continues the incremental improvement of the books month by month. For a while there, I thought that Uncle Todd bit off more than he could chew with the additional books. But, he must have recognized the same because he shook things up, brought in new creators, expanded the universe even more, and the books finally started to hit their stride again. I think he figured it all out because they show little signs of fatigue at this point. And, if I’m being honest, I’m looking forward to the four new books next year.
Images from the mothership
More info on the new books here.
