Review: Spawn #325
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Â Rory McConville
Artist: Carlo Barberi
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Colors:
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
Spawn #325 – Marc Rosen has been at Al’s side for what seems like an eternity, putting his life on the line for a man whose cause he believes in.
Now, with his newfound powers, doubt is beginning to creep in, and the words of Jim Downing are starting to make sense!
Spawn looks for Caligstro…the only one he thinks can aid him in his mission. A new villain/hero enters the fray…Now comes…The Forsaken!
Positives
Carlo Barberi and pens are simply showing off! What great art for every Spawn fan out there! Sure… McFarlane and Capullo have the bar set high for anyone hitting the Spawn books. But the art and colors explode off the page in this issue.
Barberi has a unique style that is in the Spawn vein, so one is not detracted at all from the continuity that we have all grown to love in Spawn. His Spawn interpretations are not as intricate nor bloody, but it works. Hard to describe this art as it is clean and sharp, but it’s very different for a Spawn comic. Ramos’ coloring commands your eyes’ attention. Greens and reds have never been more brilliant!
This issue introduces The Forsaken, reintroduces to a new version of Haunt (YES! Finally, McFarlane’s other hero combines with the Spawn Universe), and we see a Noir Spawn and a Pirate Spawn. Where is Malibu Barbie Spawn? The Spawns continue to congregate in this time era. We should be scared!
Positives 2.0
Todd McFarlane does a great job of handing the baton off to McConville in this storyline. I like his letting others play with his toys as we get a bit more poignant dialogue between two major characters.Â
It is rare to have an artist/author that can really work. I want McFarlane fresh with ideas for the long haul… especially with new Spawn universe books released almost every week! That being said, McConville has some richer dialogue in his conversations between characters. 
Accolades for World Record-Setting
Each issue of Spawn sets a new World Record for independent comics. That’s history every time you buy an issue! Speaking of Record-Breaking… this month is the 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.
Negatives
This is not your usual “blood runs in the streets” Spawn comic. In fact, the illustrations are pretty crisp and clean and pop with color. You’re not picking up your usual Spawn issue here. It’s different art with seeds of a different storyline that will catapult the Spawn lineage into something new… and that is not a negative!
Verdict
Spawn #325 – Make sure you get this issue as this is the inaugural issue introducing some new Spawns, The Forsaken, and you get to see Haunt in a new light. There are a lot of stories up ahead in the Spawn Universe. Let’s hope we have enough time and cash to throw at this endeavor!
