Indie Comics Review: Gunslinger Spawn #1

by Carl Bryan
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Review: Gunslinger Spawn #1

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers] Publisher: Image Comics

Writer: Todd McFarlane, Aleš Kot

Artists: Todd McFarlane, Thomas Nachlik of Magnus Arts,  Kevin Keane, Brett Booth, and  Philip Tan

Letters: Tom Orzechowski

Colors: FCO Plascencia, Marcello Iozzoli, Macreclo Maiolo, Nikos Koutsis, and Andrew Dalhouse

Reviewed by: Carl Bryan

Summary

To defile wings given to them by God is an acto fo blasphemy.  Gunslinger knew that! .
Narrator to a battle between Gunslinger Spawn and an Angel.

GunslingerSpawn #1 – Introducing the launch of the second new monthly title spinning out of the SPAWN UNIVERSE, with one of the most popular characters in the entire SPAWN mythology!

This book contains three separate GUNSLINGER stories, each taking a look at his journey through time—from the wild, wild west to the 21st century. Will his 200-year-old past come back to haunt him as he navigates the strange world of 2021?

Get ready for the past and present to collide in this new ongoing title!

Positives

Finally, Gunslinger Spawn has his own book and it is every bit as awesome as when we first were introduced to this character within the pages of Spawn 174. 

Spawn #174

 

Todd McFarlane was playing the long game as we await Issue #323 for Spawn.  Brett Booth is as true as Spawn Artist as Capullo, McFarlane, and Philip Tan.  His attention to detail falls right into line with the template that McFarlane has provided since Issue #1.

The script for the first story is perfect as a freshly transported from the 18th-century Gunslinger Spawn meets Taylor, a convenience store attendant, that has more going on in his life than meets the eye.  Part Marty McFly and part Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court, this story only gets better.  Love the cliffhanger as this Spawn is the weakest, but somehow has the most intriguing story of all.  

Move over Al Simmons… The Gunslinger seems poised to take the mantle of Spawn!

Positives 2.0

McFarlane tells the story in four acts.  The first story involving Gunslinger Spawn and Taylor is not titled, but it ends with an ominous skull with bullets on the page.  However, the transition is made into “The Lynching” and we read a story of the old West where Gunslinger Spawn survived on vengeance and arguably a bounty hunter life.

“Weapons” is one of the most inventive ways to show Gunslinger’s “WHY” behind his bullets.  No spoilers here, but this is one of Aleš Kot and McFarlane’s best offerings ever in a Spawn book.  

Finally ” A Small Gift” provides a story of bullying and retribution as Gunslinger Spawn corrects a “wrong” Old West Style!  Watch that power meter…0613 is not a lot of energy.

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 has brought us  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 artwork alone is worth every penny, but the story line that contributes to the Spawn timeline as well as provides a real “fish out of water” tale is beyond description as you have to read this comic several times over to love both the script as well as appreciate the art.  McFarlane has created a dream team of characters, but he has recruited a dream team of writers, colorists, and artists.  And of course, Tom Orzechoswski remains as a pillar to all things Spawn!  BUY THIS BOOK!

 
 

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