Superhero universes are no stranger to creating outside-of-continuity stories that see their heroes placed into dire apocalyptic stakes. In Marvel Comics, the likes of Deadpool, Wolverine, and the Punisher have killed their respective universes, and comic book readers have seen their fair share of evil Batmen and Supermen threatening their respective locales. Now, Image Comics is taking their turn by taking a particularly strange Spawn and sending him out on a suicide mission to take out all other Spawns. Unlike those other universe-ending stories from Marvel and DC, Spawn Kills Every Spawn takes a far more humorous approach but is it better for it?
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Spawn Kills Spawn focuses on “Spawny,” a version of the Hellspawn that is far more like Deadpool than Al Simmons. Attending an event dubbed “Spawn Con”, the pint-sized Hellspawn finds himself shoved to the side as the more popular Spawns are receiving the lion’s share of attention from fans. Following his disastrous time at the Hellspawn con, Spawny returns home only to see his hatred of his fellow Hellspawn grow. Wanting nothing more than to be the most popular Spawn of them all, Spawny sets out to make sure that he reigns supreme despite his stature.
At the end of the day, Spawn Kills Spawn is not what I was expecting it to be when I was assigned this review. This isn’t your typical Al Simmons venturing forth into the multiverse to take down his fellow heroes who were cursed with supernatural powers and a living suit. Your enjoyment of Spawn Kills Spawn is entirely contingent on your enjoyment of Spawny and his characterization, the fourth-wall-breaking pint-sized terror who isn’t afraid to shoot his mouth off at every occasion. Unfortunately, I found the series’ humor to be very hit-or-miss, leaning much more into the latter than the humor.
Spawny’s look as a “Chibi Spawn” is one that seems counterintuitive to the message of this miniseries, as the gore and violence clash with the childish look of the main character and the “edgy teen” style of humor that he belts out. Humor is always subjective but for me, it falls flat so much in this opening issue. The first issue luckily doesn’t need you to know much about the “Spawn universe” before you dive in but in that fact, it feels like humor that could be pointed at Al Simmons and the fight between heaven and hell is also lost. It’s a case of “having your cake and eating it too”. Spawny just doesn’t feel like a character that you want to rally behind and considering the future tasks that are alluded to here, it’s an element that would be greatly important.
While the humor might fall flat, the art certainly doesn’t as Spawn Kills Spawn has a lot occurring in each panel. Rob Duenas and Robert Nugent handle the artistic chores here handling the pencils and color respectively. A lot is going on within each page but it never feels too cluttered and the exaggerated facial features work for this world. It’s a great mixture of art across the board, seeming like it would fit right into stories like Invader Zim and other surreal animated comedies.
Spawn Kills Spawn doesn’t do much to draw in readers of the titular character’s universe or potential new fans, seemingly trying to bring in both but ultimately failing in the attempt. The humor never manages to push Spawny to the forefront in a way that makes readers want to follow this character and his long-winded monologues as he searches for revenge. The miniseries simply feels like a missed opportunity and doesn’t make good on any of the angles that it takes in this surreal side of the Spawn universe.
Published by Image Comics
On July 24, 2024
Written by John Layman
Art by Rob “Sketchcraft” Duenas
Colors by Robert Nugent
Letters by John Layman
Cover by Rob Duenas & Todd McFarlane
