Spawnography

It's time to find out more about Dead Zones! No, not the wonderful 1983 David Cronenberg film starring Christopher Walken and Tom Skerritt. These Dead Zones are pockets of heaven on Earth that affect Spawn's powers! Meanwhile, Spawn is fully embracing his Grim Reaper-esque mantle by showing off a new power and we get the debut of the truly iconic Maggotface Spawn. Plus, the Freak is back! There's...

After another Curse of the Spawn diversion, we're back with original flavor Spawn as we dive into issues #67 and #68. Trouble is brewing in the Bowery amongst the night people and that'll spell some bad news for Spawn and the his gang. George and Pierce dig into these two issues and take the necessary tangents into explanations of Kindred the Embraced, Vampire the Masquerade and forgotten 80s Tom...

Who is Abdiel and what does he do? George and Pierce find out in Curse of the Spawn #15 and #16. Usual colorist Brian Haberlin tries his hand at writing and the results are solid! This little two-parter adds some texture to the Spawn Universe while bringing in some characters from the McFarlane Toys Total Chaos line into the mix as well. In the back matter, we run down some of the choices of the 1...

We've got the second half of the "Face to Face" arc that further explores the fallout of Spawn getting his face back and then losing it. Poor Al can't catch a break. We lament that this is still a bit of Spawn with training wheels meant to appeal to new readers but then in classic Todd fashion, the second issue we cover has a little more "oomph" than the first. We'll explore a little more esoteric...

Al's got a new face and he's making that Terry and Jason Wynn's problem! We loved to dig into these two issues because they are actually legitimately fun despite some aspects of them kind of "playing the hits" as it were. Cogliostro is vague! Spawn wants to kill Jason Wynn! Sam and Twitch are getting ever closer to figuringout... something... maybe? Wanda is unaware of the dynamics of the polyamor...

Angela's back! And we're back covering Spawn after a few hours talking through some Curse of the Spawn. (Thanks for bearing with us!) This is a fun one that proves that sometimes a comic just needs to be a 6 or 7 out of 10 to be really entertaining. We don't delve too much into the Curse of the Spawn arc that is related to this issue (though we can if the listeners demand it!) but we felt that we...

We're back with another Curse of the Spawn episode and this one is about as bleak as it gets. We get to see what Sam & Twitch have been up to in the background of some recent Spawn adventures but Alan McElroy's extremely "Seven"-inspired tone makes this one overall, a pretty tough read.  Big trigger warning for this arc regarding depictions of sexual violence and violence against women. Trigger wa...

Hey there, Hellspawn! We've got a CURSE OF THE SPAWN arc for you! We're digging into the origins of Jessica Priest and it turns out they aren't too dissimilar from a bunch of familiar action movie tropes. We get into a bit of an introduction of Alan McElroy and Dwayne Turner to help provide some context for these creators much like we did with the ToddFather back in episode 1 so that eats up some...

Who killed Al Simmons? If you said "Chapel," you are wrong! Circumstances in the real world (namely, the Spawn film) have affected the story so Todd spins a yarn to get this retcon going and we learn about the legally distinct character, Jessica Priest.

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...