Spawnography

The Spawn "child endangerment" series rolls on! Trust us when we say we've cut down on the random tangents. (Nobody wants ten minutes on KISS' 90s tour schedule.) But on the whole we do get to chat about the the kidnapping of Cyan, and the implications that has. We reflect on how the storytelling and artistic choices shape the Spawn universe, moving forward. And we explore the thematic growth of t...

We covered Spawn #58! In this episode, George and Pierce delve into the emotional and dark themes of the latest Spawn comic issue, exploring sibling relationships, the impact of trauma, and the consequences of violence. They discuss the return and character development of Eddie and Andy Frank, the nature of darkness in the story, and Todd McFarlane's storytelling style. 

Some more issues of all-time! On the whole, this arc is a-ok. In diving into it, George and Pierce find some warts. The Cy-Gor stuff sings. The Terry stuff less so. The narration is a lot. But hey, we get through it so you don't have to. 

Spawn is in Hell! Spawn fights Billy Kincaid! Spawn fights Malebolgia! All of this pales in comparison to the intense emotional catharsis in these two stories of a couple of guys just being great friends!

How's Al doing in the aftermath of a milestone issue? Turns out, not great. He fights... Savage Dragon?! We'll get into it. We'll also break down how Todd has changed the hierarchy of Hell that Alan Moore helped establish back in issue 8.

The road to 50 ends here! Or the road to 100 begins here? Either way, Spawn #50! George and Pierce dig in to Todd's return to penciling and what this issue means for our favorite Hellspawn. This being a bit of a milestone issue and milstone episode, we also reflect on the importance of criticism especially in such a reactionary critical age. Thanks for sticking with us through the first 50 issues...

Is 4DX the best way to watch a movie? Maybe. Does that have anything to do with Spawn? Nope! Did we likely talk about it for a little too long at the top of the episode? You bet! But we still managed to cover two more issues of Spawn, in which, we lament the pace of the book and having to compare Tony Daniel to Greg Capullo. But we've almost reached the first milestone! Clown is manipulating Jason...

Spawn #50 gets ever closer and Spawn is visited by an old friend: Tremor! George and Pierce take some time to compare and contrast Tony Daniel and Greg Capullo's continued artistic evolution in the pages of this book. Of course, there's another file. (This time, a computer file! It's the 90s, baby!) And Spawn's violent nature is continuing to rear its ugly head. They'll also touch on whether Spawn...

There's a new angel in town and she's... a lot less interesting than Angela, sadly. But the horror elements of the Spawniverse are ramping up including the introduction of the "Black Dispersal," a new tool in Spawn's arsenal. George and Pierce discuss Spawn's continuing visual evolution and how Todd McFarlane is continuing to mold the cosmology of Spawn into... something. He's not quite sure yet b...

A lot of Sam & Twitch. A lot of files. You get the idea.

Spawn helps a kid again but this time it goes a little better than the last few times. Sam and Twitch inch closer to finding out just how deep the rabbit hole goes regarding the files that Spawn gave them. George and Pierce also discuss whether you should go for a run in denim shorts, the importance of standing up to bullies and if Jim Lee charges enough for his commissions. 

The Curse is back! Cy-Gor saves a kid! Armageddon is coming!  This is a body horror extravaganza and we are absolutely here for it. George and Pierce dig into one of Spawn's most gruesome chapters yet while also discussing Spawn lack of strong villains, what they might do for a Spawn theme park ride and a little bit of what's to come as the Spawniverse keeps hurtling toward...well, something.

Join George and Pierce for a heartwarming and unique Christmas-themed episode of Spawn! This special issue shines a light on the struggles and joys of a single mother and her children, beautifully capturing the spirit of family, love, and the magic of Christmas. We delve into how this story emphasizes the importance of family and the spirit of giving, exploring themes like generosity, kindness, an...

The Freak is here! Again... sorta. We'll get into it.  The Toddfather cedes some storytelling duties to Alan Moore and we are treated to another one of the Spawn villain of all time. Pierce and George examine the themes of freedom and identity as they exist in the Spawniverse, try to unravel the Gordian knot that is this CIA plot and discuss Spawn's enigmatic relationship with Granny Blake. 

Technically, all of the arcs in this era could be called "Set-Up" but this is the only one that is. George and Pierce dive into issues 35 and 36 and they're pleasantly surprised. The book has a bit of gas and Todd is really building toward something here! There is some solid family drama amongst the overall world building and Greg Capullo's art is really rounding into shape. 

Violator's back, baby! And this two-parter really has it all! Spawn's greatest foe returns with a vengeance, tensions mounts between Terry and Spawn, we check in with Sam and Twitch following Twitch's injuries, the angels, the night people and Jason Wynn. George and Pierce get into the nitty gritty surrounding some of the motifs present in the art as well. The letters column are ripe for disucssio...

What happens when the two best Spawn podcasts join forces?! Well, you get a double dose of devilish discussion about everyone's favorite Hellspawn. We welcomed John and David from Regarding Spawn to discuss the Spawn: Blood Feud miniseries, the joy of diving into Spawn as adults, and just how we all ended up with Spawn podcasts in the first place. Come for the Spawn of it all and stay for the tang...

Spawn Across America continues in issues 31 and 32 as Al makes it back to New York City and faces off against a brand new Anti-Sp... I mean, Redeemer! Todd McFarlane dives a little deeper into the moral implications of Al's actions to this point while Greg Capullo's art continues to evolve and impress. Plus what does it mean that Al Simmons is "destined to be The One?"

Following Spawn's swing by Elysium, he finds himself thousands of miles from home and the Toddfather takes a couple of issues to tackle some important social issues - abuse and racism.  Now is Spawn the book to be tackling these issues? Can comic book superheroes ever effectively talk about problems that they can't fix with punching? Does Spawn do a lot more harm than good in these cases? Your hos...

The dream of the Bad Girl 90s is certainly alive in 1995's Angela miniseries by Neil Gaiman and Greg Capullo. But despite the sometimes leery and lurid aesthetics, this story is a lot of fun! It's Angela's 100,000th birthday and the only present she's getting is going on trial for high treason! So her friends do what any friends would - they get a witness for her defense - Al Simmons. George and P...

The Curse makes his debut as we see Todd McFarlane continue to develop as a writer while Greg Capullo really starts coming to his own. He's delivering art work that is in great conversation with Todd's earlier work on the series but still stands on its own. George and Pierce dig into some of the themes of a fanatical villain like the Curse as well as express some excitement and relief that Terry,...

Spawn makes a friend... sorta! Files are exchanged! Those pesky angels are up to something, too. We're back with a couple of little self-contained stories that help expand the Spawn world a bit. Marc Silvestri joins the book for issue #25 during Image X month when each of the Image creators guested on each other's books. George and Pierce probably get a little too deep into comparing and contrasti...

He's not the Vindicator or the Victimizer or the Vaporizer or the Vibrator or the Vegematic! He's the VIOLATOR! George and Pierce dig into Alan Moore's 3 issue miniseries that explains some of what ol' Violator is up to during "the Hunt" arc and this time they've got a guest along for the ride. You may have seen his work on Psycho Goreman, Beast Heart Strikers or Boom!'s WWE comics. Comic book wri...

Our favorite Sicilian cyborg celebrity assassin is back and he's out for Spawn's blood! That's right, Overtkill has returned! George and Pierce cover Spawn issues #21-#24 which were released before Spawn #19 and #20 and feature some fallout from that arc with Houdini or maybe some fallout from Spawn/Batman? We'll get into it. But many forces in the Spawniverse are converging as Vito Gravano (aka T...

Todd McFarlane and Frank Miller are back at it again but this time the collaboration is unprecedented. Not only is Spawn teaming up with Batman but he's specifically teaming up with a Batman who fits into the continuity established by Miller in The Dark Knight Returns. But wait a minute, this plot feels a lot like that Harry Houdini arc... We'll get into it. On top of the Goddamn Batman, George an...