King Spawn #1
As much as Spawn has long been an enjoyable title, it’s had room to evolve for some time. Todd McFarlane’s new initiative with the three new titles is a great step toward that. And by kicking off the expansion with King Spawn, Sean Lewis gets the chance to set the tone for this major attempt to develop Spawn further. No pressure, right?
Image Comics
Written by: Sean Lewis with Todd McFarlane
Art by: Javi Fernandez
Colors by: FCO Plascencia
Letters by: Andworld Design
Well, Lewis absolutely delivers with King Spawn #1. Things get pretty dark and twisted right away, setting up a story that’s already promising to have multiple twists and layers along the way. But for those who’ve read Lewis’ work before, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. McFarlane turning to Lewis to write one of these new Spawn titles was one of his best decisions relative to this expanding universe.
Working side-by-side with Lewis, Javi Fernandez and FCO Plascencia balance the pages of King Spawn #1 between action and horror. There’s an image of Sam and Twitch which perfectly highlights what this pair can do — and just how dark the imagery can get with King Spawn.
King Spawn #1 is absolutely a must-read for all Spawn fans. For those who’ve been looking for a way to get back to reading the character or jump in for the first time, this story feels like a great place to do either.
King Spawn #1 also features several back-up story written by McFarlane, with art from Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, Philip Tan and Brett Booth, inks by Adelso Corona and Daniel Henriques, and colors by Andrew Dalhouse, Marcelo Maiolo, Peter Steigerwald and Dave Craig. These seem like table-setters for GunSlinger Spawn (coming in October) The Scorched (December) and were solid stories. Above all else, the art stood out in the back-up stories.
Lastly, there are a ton of variant covers for this book. The main one is great, too, making it even harder to pick just one. If you have to settle on just one variant cover, Greg Capullo’s has to be the way to go. His Spawn is just something else.