Image Comics Shakes Up the Spawn Universe in Bloodletter First Look Preview (Exclusive)

Image Comics is leading fans on a journey through Spawn’s secret history in a brand new series, and we’ve got an exclusive first look preview to give you a taste of what’s in store. The new series is titled Bloodletter, and will introduce the world to a new anti-hero named Tasha Thornwall and her connection to Al Simmons and Spawn. Crafting this new adventure is the dynamite team of Joseph P. Illidge (Batman, Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet), Tim Seeley (Revival, Hack/Slash), Christian Rosado (Vampirella, Skull and Bones: Savage Storm), DC Alonso (Avengers), and AndWorld Design, and Illidge took the time to break down several scenes from the anticipated series in our first look preview below.

The first page features a bloody throwdown that ends rather brutally for Bloodletter’s enemies, and despite the numbers advantage, she makes quick work of them and more than lives up to her name. There’s also a slick homage to the universe’s other well-known hero who happens to wear a red cape to boot.

“This is the first time we see Tasha Thornwall taking people down, and she’s both smooth and brutal,” Illidge said. “A mix of her spy history from past days in the CIA and her memorable methods of murder, which helped make Tasha an urban legend throughout the world as ‘The Bloodletter’. I just love how Christian has her trench coat flapping outward like a cape. Does anyone else we know in this universe sport a red cape? ;)”.

On the second page, we see Bloodletter’s back and arms, which tie into her mystical powers, but she’s not alone. You can also see her all,y Casper, and Illidge teases some big reveals in regards to who she is and what she means to the book.

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“The Bloodletter sports quite a number of tattoos and scars on her body, which connects directly to her mystical power…and her capacity for surviving fights with both angels and demons. As for who Tasha’s sidekick is on this page, her name is Casper, and she’s much more than most people realize,” Illidge said.

The final page gives us a look at the calm right before the storm, though I wouldn’t describe the world Bloodletter operates in as necessarily calm. “Bloodletter’s world isn’t one of James Bond-type villains in Stanley Kubrick-clean locales and shaken martinis. She operates in all the shadowy places in between, where the real engines of crime and magic exist. Tasha doesn’t realize the direction of her life is about to change in this grimy, smelly place…but that’s going to change in the next two minutes,” Illidge said.

“At its core, this story is all about synthesis,” Seeley said. “For our lead, Tasha, it’s that combination of espionage and street magic that makes her an unkillable survivor in a world where guys like Spawn, Overtkill, and Violator walk. And the comic itself is a synthesis too, of Joe, Christian, and me, something totally new none of us would have concocted on our own.”

“It’s blood, magic, it’s evil questioning itself, it’s also love and redemption,” Rosado said. “Tasha took on a life of her own, and what we do as a team is narrate it, chapter after chapter. In this transgressive and dark world, there’s a new character who is a privilege to draw. Joe, Tim, and I have that mission—to make her struggle known and what she has to tell us.”

The Bloodletter will hit comic stores on June 18th and is available for pre-order, and Bloodletter #2 will hit stores on July 23rd. You can find the official description below.

“Tasha Thornwall is THE BLOODLETTER, mystical mercenary of the world’s secret underground. A former CIA operative forced to live in the shadows after being outed by Al Simmons 10 years ago, Tasha is now out for revenge when she learns Al Simmons is alive as Spawn. The mission to hunt down and kill Spawn begins in this debut miniseries.”

Are you excited for The Bloodletter and learning more about Spawn’s history? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!