Published by Image Comics, Spawn’s Universe #1 is written by Todd McFarlane, with art by Jim Cheung, Stephen Segovia and Marcio Takara. Inks are by McFarlane and Adelso Corona and letters by Tom Orzechowski and Andworld Design. Colours come from FCO Plascencia, Andrew Dalhousie and Peter Steigerwald. Cover art is by McFarlane, J. Scott Campbell and Brett Booth.
The issue is available now in print and on digital where all good comics are sold. Grab your digital copy from Comixology right here.
Synopsis
IT’S HERE: THE OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LONG-AWAITED SPAWN’S UNIVERSE!
A double-sized issue that begins a storyline so huge that three NEW SPAWN-related monthly titles will spill out from it, including…
A new SPAWN title.
GUNSLINGER SPAWN monthly.
And a new TEAM book bringing a handful of these characters together in their own book.
With this one-shot…the world of SPAWN changes forever! New heroes. New villains, and more importantly, new titles coming to a comic shop near you.
Review
Spawn is a title which I have been itching to get in to for a long, long time. Opportunities to jump in to the on going storylines have never quite aligned with gaps in my reading schedule. So, until recently, I’ve mostly relegated myself to reading classic collections from early days of the character.
But in the last four months I’ve finally taken the plunge and dived in on the main Spawn title in advance of this multiversal (yes that’s not a word) event.
What gravitates me towards the franchise the most is the idea that Spawn can be relevant to a whole plethora of characters concurrently. Similar to how the Venom symbiote can move fluidly between genres and styles by simply shifting between bodies. The idea of a multiverse of Spawn’s seemed entirely like a no-brainer to me.
Even within the pages of this issue there are a number of interconnected stories. The perfect kick-off to the idea of a shared, intersecting universe. We pick up with a number of dangling plot threads from the main book. Cogliostro is captured by Jerich, Spawn is tracking the once-presumed-dead Omega Spawn and a mysterious winged figure watches from afar.
Spawn’s Universe acts like issue #319b in this respect. Cleverly tying together the idea of this Earth-prime with others from across the multiverse. Rather than introducing too many characters, our main Spawn only meets the Gunslinger. Another legend of the franchise, he goes on to receive his own story also. Separately we also meet a Medieval Spawn and She-Spawn. Though their stories intersect there’s no grand meeting to overpower the story.
It’s a measured attempt to introduce a multiverse theory. An attempt which reflects McFarlane’s approach to much of his work. If this is indicative of the plan going forward then I fully expect the series to build towards something mind-boggling in the future.
Each of the Spawns are presented by a different artist: Jim Cheung for the main story, Brett Booth for Gunslinger, Stephen Segovia for Medieval and Marcio Takara for She-Spawn. It gives each their own unique identity and helps solidify the idea that, whilst sharing a multiverse, these characters have their own room to breath. Under McFarlane’s watchful eye there’s a consistency to all the worlds we see. But not in a way which controls on constrains their presentation.
Verdict
Spawn’s Universe #1 offers a cool insight into McFarlane’s plans for the character. Building on events in the main title it effortlessly widens the world of one of Image Comics’ flagship titles.
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