There was a time-not so long ago- when Todd McFarlane’s new series, Spawn, was a fresh diamond on the crown that is comic book industry. The story of the murdered covert op Lt. Al Simmons who sold his soul to a demon for a last chance to see his wife exploded and eventually morphed into an all out war between heaven and hell. Now, more than 20 years later, Image Comics has sort of hit the reset button on the character with Spawn Resurrection Issue One. Without completely revamping the story, new writer to the series Paul Jenkins, puts a fresh spin on the existing universe and sets the demon warrior on his most personal adventure ever.
If you’re new to the series, this is the issue to start with. After committing suicide and sending his soul to Limbo, Spawn is punishing himself by crucifixion when he strikes up a conversation with his childhood dog. As it turns out, that heavenly hound is actually God manifesting himself in a way to relate to Simmons. He talks about how he created the world too perfect then made humans to counteract that. Then he disassociated himself from the world to forget how it ends. Now, the Earth is on the brink of destruction, and Spawn isn’t there. In a weird flashback sequence, God strings Simmons along. Showing his life as a happy child, a married man, losing his unborn son and eventually his murder by the hands of his best friend. It does a good job setting up the sequence of events that will carry Spawn throughout the rest of this series.
This is where the comic gets interesting, Jenkins actually pulls from real world events making this comic feel up to date and most of all relatable. Which lets be honest, is a hard feat for a character like this. America is in a state of disarray. Liberals and conservatives are at odds, and police and citizens are clashing in the street. Simmons’ former wife, Wanda, was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time during this unrest, and a protest gets out of hand. This leads to her untimely death. God wasn’t there to save her, and neither was Spawn. Now her soul is wandering the wastelands of hell trying to find the soul of her unborn child. Spawn has to save her before it’s too late.
This whole story is told through the high quality art style that has made the series famous. Jonboy Meyers is at the helm for this issue. While it isn’t out of the ordinary, he did a fantastic job capturing some of the more realistic parts in the comic. That, along with the pretty badass cover he worked on with McFarlane, just adds to the start of a pretty interesting story.
Honestly, this character hasn’t had this much buzz in a really long time. Jenkins does an admirable job creating a world that isn’t too different from the one we live in now. If you haven’t kept up with the series in a while, there are some confusing parts, but overall, this first issue fills the reader in on what you need to know and where the story is headed. There is a ton of potential to make a classic series and breath some much needed life into Spawn. If you’re a fan of the character, it should be a no brainer to pick up Spawn Resurection Issue One. If you’re new to the series, here is your perfect start. You’re not going to find something as epic as this.
