Review: King Spawn #1 
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Todd McFarlane, Sean Lewis
Artists: Todd McFarlane, Javier Fernandez, Brett Booth, Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, Philip Tan
Letters: Tom Orzechowski, AndWorld Design
Colors:
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Â
Â
Summary
King Spawn #1 – A historical NEW ongoing SPAWN series begins!
The launch of this book, nearly three decades in the making, further expands the SPAWN UNIVERSE with a growing presence of Hell, Heaven, and Heroes here on Earth.
A classic villain from Spawn’s past has begun asserting his powers on Earth by corrupting as many souls as possible. And only Spawn knows that he even exists.
Continuing the dramatic battles from SPAWN’S UNIVERSE #1, this is where it all begins!!!!! Don’t miss out…the last time a new ongoing SPAWN series launched was in 1992.
Positives
The fact that you are reading a #1 issue of Spawn and arguably a #1 issue that has not appeared since 1992 (McFarlane forgets he published some other incarnations of Spawn along the way), displays the popularity of this character. Image comics has their pillar and this year is the Year of Spawn!
King Spawn #1 catapults the storylines that were ignited in issue #300. Taking the reins of the primary writing is one Sean Lewis. Lewis’s style is different than McFarlane and that is a good thing. At times McFarlane becomes a bit predictable, but his game has been accelerating on an uptick for some time now.
Lewis provides a heroic Spawn and one in which we as readers are going to recognize as a hot button for all of us given the first chapter in this comic. Killing children is a hot button, and when kids are involved, it apparently brings out the vengeance that all of us would feel if we had Spawn’s powers. If you have been a long time Spawn fan, you know what he did way back in the early 1990s to one Billy Kincaid who would lure children in with ice cream. You can’t unsee that comic image of what Spawn did to Kincaid…google it!
Lewis is perfect in his revisit of Spawn…he is truly a King in this situation! Thanks Wanda!
  
Positives 2.0
McFarlane is a genius. This book is full throttle McFarlane and his teaming of Haunt and the Redeemer (Komox)? Did I say Haunt? Yes…McFarlane combines (no pun intended, but if you know the character, you will certainly get the reference) a hero in a completely different McFarlane comic and places him in the Spawn Universe. Did we know he was a part of it? No….Did we want him to be a part of it? YES!
Turns out Haunt is going to be a vital part of this story line. McFarlane uses a curve ball to get our attention in the second chapter.
The remaining chapters indicate that a “Nightmare” is coming, a “Hero” is among us, and a “Gunslinger” is on a mission. All three of these stories are excellent and I would be remiss if I revealed any detail among the remaining chapters as we see these characters take off on a new level. Â
A lot of origins all packed into one comic. Imagine getting a first issue and you are introduced to Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman all at once. Whew!
Accolades for World Record Setting
2021 is the year of Spawn. Spawn’s Universe #1 kicked things off.  King Spawn #1marks the first time in twenty-eight years that anyone can buy a monthly issue #1 Spawn book. This will give McFarlane hope of reaching a new generation of readers that missed out on the initial launch of the Spawn back in 1992. October will bring Gunslinger Spawn #1. Finally, there will be a new #1 team book, which will band five characters together to fight against forces too big for any of them to take on alone. That book is titled The Scorched. Spawn, Redeemer, Gunslinger, Medieval Spawn and She-Spawn begin the group’s adventures, but McFarlane promises a rotating cast of heroes over the coming months to keep the roster of heroes fresh.
More Positives
This team of artists is top notch. If you like your comics with immaculate detail, check out every page of this comic book. The penciling alone must have taken months. It is so fine pointed! But that is McFarlane and his team…no shortcuts!
Verdict
This is the #1 issue you want on your shelf right now. The art work alone is worth every penny, but the story lines are rich. Gunslinger #1 is going to be awesome and the return of Haunt inserted into the Spawn Universe…well played Mr. McFarlane!
