Questions, Part 1 (Spawn #1) ★★★☆☆

 

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Title: Questions, Part 1
Series: Spawn #1
Author: Todd McFarlane
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comic
Pages: 32
Words: 1K

Synopsis:

From Imagecomics.fandom.com

Spawn (Al Simmons) stands on top of a building in New York City. He died and has returned but he can't recall why he's there. He remembers being tricked and how this wasn't the deal he expected.

Five years ago in 1987, news flash reports discussed the recent death of American hero, Albert Simmons, who had saved the president's life previously working in the CIA. Some channels reported on how his wife, Wanda Blake, appeared with another man at the wake, Martin Alexander.

Spawn recalls being a part of the CIA, Jason Wynn, and his death. He wanted to return to someone, someone he loved. When he sees a vision of his wife, he recalls making a deal with a demon to return. He curses the demon as it was his terms and now he can't recall his past life. Spawn feels his new power surging through him and decides to find his wife. Once he gets some answers, he'll track down the demon who screwed him on the deal.

At a crime scene elsewhere, Sam Burke asks Twitch Williams about a mobster murder. Twitch explains several times to Burke that while he was thrown through a window, he died of his heart being removed from his chest and being shoved into his mouth. Burke shows little remorse as several other major crime syndicate members had been killed recently in a similar manner.

At a nearby rooftop, Spawn spots several men sexually attacking a woman. He easily disposes of them and uses part of his necroplasm to bomb them.

As the men flee, Spawn experiences another flashback, even stronger than before, and he feels he MUST find Wanda.

Upon returning to his senses, he finds he wept in the woman he saved arms as she holds him and feels his pain.

News reporters report on today's news of 1992 that a fourth gangland murder has been committed. There are also reports of the spotting of Spawn.

As Spawn wanders through the streets, he angrily pulls down his glove and realizes his body is charred and physically disfigured.

Twitch and Sam can't believe the physical damage Spawn caused to several of the gang members with his necroplasm bomb.

Elsewhere, Malebolgia watches over Simmons and says outloud to himself that he will have so many more problems coming his way as he breaks into a maniacal laughter.

My Thoughts:

Last month Paul did a review of a comic called Spawn Universe. Spawn is a comic book character from the 90's and has been successful enough that he's still around and inspiring his own multiverse. It made me feel rather old. I was getting into comics the same time that Spawn was just hitting the comic book stores and wowing all the teenagers with its edgy, dark, “mature” content that Marvel and DC weren't willing to provide to teenagers. Since I stopped being a teenager just a year or two ago I figured it was time to check out this iconic character that really helped make Indie Comics viable.

First off, the Fandom page provides so many answers to things that I had questions about which were not possible to know without having read much further, that I'm hesitant to visit there again. I will of course, because writing my own synopsis for a 32page comic book is a total downer and not what I signed up for when I was born.

It would appear that Spawn was a Special Forces military guy who died, made a deal with a demon to return to life so he could be with his wife. Only the demon, surprise surprise, had some additional clauses that he didn't tell Spawn about. Like not remembering his former life. So Spawn figures out he's back to hook up with his wife, but he doesn't know who she is or anything. During this period he's killing off crimelords, for no reason that I can tell. And he's doing it extremely violently and making a big splash doing it.

He has a costume, which we know nothing about. I figure we'll learn why it's so “cape'y” later on. There are also many references to Youngblood, another superhero team produced by Image Studios, the same studio that produced Spawn. We also see the demon that made the Faustian bargain with Spawn, which means they are real and not just a delusion of his. Which leads me to wonder, are there going to be angels or other supernatural forces for Good?

A lot of questions. Which I'm sure is exactly what McFarlane had in mind in crafting this. Nothing keeps people coming back and buying your comic like unanswered questions that they want the answers to.

★★★☆☆