Spawn, #1 (Comic Book) Comic – January 1, 1992

I picked up most of the first 2 volumes via single issues to try and get some backstory to Spawn and hopefully fill in some blanks for my read of Hellspawn.Lt Col Al Simmons was killed and sent to hell but made a deal with the devil that he could return to earth after 5 years to see his wife, Wanda. When he is sent back to earth he is disorientated, not remembering why he's there or the details of what he was sent for. He is now one of hells minions complete with powers which he first uses to save a woman from being gang raped.Also on earth is The Clown/Violator who is there to keep an eye on Spawn but is wreaking havoc, killing off mob bosses by ripping out their hearts. This is keeping detectives Sam and Twitch busy although they feel that they are being mislead somehow.Loved this, the story and art both drew me in quickly and I'm able to follow the story much better than in the Hellspawn series so this may help me a lot when I go back to it. The art is so different but still amazing, the panels pop with colour and detail and I especially liked how the Clown is drawn much different to Hellspawn but in some ways just as disturbing.The scene where Spawn is bombarded with memories and has to be comforted by the woman he rescues was a favourite in this issue, a reminder that even though he has superpowers he still has weaknesses.A great start to the series.

Visually I always thought that McFarlane made Spawn to be a mixture of his own popular version of Spider-Man (sure you have the first issue of Torment with the classic cover) and Frank Miller's Batman. Spawn was a super success in popular culture, being quite meritorious that the character is not from companies like DC or Marvel but the work of McFarlane. Now you cannot see artists like McFarlane anymore as the success, among others, of Spawn made big companies afraid to encourage again artists to stardom. But enough of that this is the first issue and it reads great to be introduced into the style of the series and the characters, the series is coherent and fantastic since the beginning.

This scan is of excellent quality (aside from a single panel that's slightly misaligned). McFarlane's style aged immensely well. This first issue does it's job of making you want more.

Todd McFarlane really showed his mastery story telling. He did not shy away and took image comics beyond. Spawn really shows the true pain of Al Simmons.

I'm reading Spawn for the first time here! Granted I'm going into this with already some understanding after seeing the highly recommended HBO animated series!But, this debut issue doesn't disappoint!Todd's art is legendary and I have no issues with his writing, (not in this issue anyways). - Zach D.

Art and writing are outstanding! Todd has really pioneered the indie comic world, and no wonder, this series is gold!

I've loved spawn for years and finally read issue 1. Good story great art.I will probably continue the series. I like this way of reading comics.

The quality of this book is phenomenal. I was pleasantly surprised at how well kept this was. This is for my personal collection, and it is one I've wanted for quite some time. It was shipped in a protected state, and that was a plus too. Very excited for this book!