Spawn #331 is published by Image Comics, written by Rory McConville and illustrated by Carlo Barberi.
Issue #331 is available from 6th July 2022 either directly from Image Comics online or from your local comic book store, digital copies will be available to download from the usual content providers.
Synopsis
Elements of Spawn’s dark past continue to arise. Some in the form of friends—others in the form of long-forgotten foes…
Review
In this issue we take a step away from what is the norm of Spawn comics and take a step into the origin story of Cogliostro and discover his longterm plan to finally take over the throne of Hell and rule over the forgotten dark souls. Track back through the story as we see the first steps Cogliostro took into Hell and straight away began hatching a plan to take what he believed to be rightfully his. We learn how he was tasked with refining the symbiot tests to create a super monster, which we now know as Hellspawn. Having been banished back to human form he returns to find the dead zones locked, with that he now can’t get back to his throne a certain Al Simmons is to blame, this could be a battle to end all battles.
Rory McConville has once again taken a Spawn story and invigorated it by taking it in a different direction, although it doesn’t seem like a standard Spawn story it’s a story that certainly adds a different perspective to the multiverse but at the same time still keeping in line with the main story. For a series to be 331 issues in and still feeling fresh is something to be marvelled and having someone as talented as Rory McConville at the helm is only going to be a good thing for the title going forward.
The illustrations of this book are a little different to the in your face bloodied action fest you normally get, this seems to be scaled back a bit and given a more epic feel almost cinematic. Carlo Barberi perfectly enhances the words of the book by injecting artistry that captures your eyes, each page is intense allowing the reader to get more of the story around a main character.
Verdict
This story arc keeps reinventing itself and evolving to stay fresh and intense, the creative team are the best in the business and it shows when a comic series is over 300 issues deep and still releasing 5⭐️ comics. Spawn can only get better and better.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
