Spawn 77 #1 Creates a New Version of Spawn With Todd McFarlane’s Earliest Design (Review)

In 1977, a 16-year-old artist came up with an interesting idea for a character that he would eventually name Spawn. That artist was Todd McFarlane, and he came up with the idea for the story, the mythology, and the legend behind the Hellspawn. It wasn’t until 15 years later, in 1992, that McFarlane left Marvel to form Image Comics and finally release his first Spawn comic book in a series that became the backbone of Image for years to come. That title featured Al Simmons, a government assassin who died, went to Hell, and then returned as the Hellspawn, an antihero seeking atonement for his past sins.

However, that is not what a teenage McFarlane originally came up with in 1977. Instead, this version of Spawn, with a story by Mark Spears, is Eddie, a former mafia enforcer whose own boss betrayed him. Eddie then returned in a costume, claiming to be a Hellspawn back from the dead to seek vengeance and save his daughter. Spawn 77 allowed McFarlane the opportunity to release his original Spawn design in a new story with this three-issue miniseries.

Rating 3 out of 5

PROS	CONS
Beautiful art	The dialogue and story are somewhat simplistic (but for good reason)
Interesting new take on Spawn

Spawn 77 Presents a Very Different Take on the Hellspawn (And a Look at an Early Todd McFarlane Design)

Spawn 77 #1 by Todd McFarlane and Mark Spears starts in 1977 with Spawn setting out to kill the members of a mafia family who had killed him. It is hard to say too much about this issue without giving away real spoilers, but the first issue of the series reveals almost immediately that this isn’t a real Spawn. Eddie was one of the best killers in a crime family led by a mafia boss named Uncle Sal. However, Sal had Eddie killed and dumped in a river. Now, Eddie is back as Spawn, lets everyone know who he is, and starts killing anyone who betrayed him.

In a slight spoiler, this is not an actual Hellspawn, and Eddie is pretending to be the real Spawn to scare the family members as he hunts them down. He is dying from the shrapnel in his body, and he is using a mix of adrenaline and morphine to stay alive to complete his mission. He wants to kill everyone who hurt him and then save his daughter. This series will likely take some dark turns on the way to the climax, and readers shouldn’t be surprised if this turns into a real Spawn story by the end, based on characters introduced in this issue.

The artwork by Spears is striking, a photorealistic painted style that offers a strong mix of the noir style that the story takes on and the pulp crime aesthetic that fits the characters and their lifestyles. It fits the story perfectly, and it brings to mind the painted artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Maleev, and Dave McKean. The dialogue and plot structure are a bit simplistic, but that seems to be part of the charm. This is a story about a character who originally formed in the mind of a teenager in the 1970s, an era with movies like The French Connection, Mean Streets, and Chinatown as influences.

The first issue introduces a lot, from Eddie’s situation and reasons for pretending to be Spawn to the trouble he is about to find himself in when both a mass murderer known as Mr. Black and a supernatural being known as Venator start hunting him down. In the end, Spawn 77 is an interesting start to some new Spawn mythology, and it is even more intriguing for anyone who has followed McFarlane’s career since his original breakout.

Spawn 77 #1 goes on sale September 9th from Image Comics.

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