Meet new Spawns and delve deeply into the cast and characters of the regular series Spawn mythos as well. The Best of Curse of the Spawn features 23 handpicked issues of this series written by popular author of the Spawn movie, Allen McElroy. Featuring the stunning artwork of industry favorites Dwayne Turner and Danny Miki. A great addition to any Spawn fan's collection.
Alan B. McElroy is an American writer of film, television, comic books, and video games. He is best known for his collaborations with Todd McFarlane on the Spawn franchise, and for penning horror films such as Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Wrong Turn.
As you will notice from the title, this review is not like my others. I will be discussing a collection of comic books from the Curse of the Spawn, a spin-off series of the comic series Spawn, which have been compiled into a ‘best of’.
Spawn is neither Marvel nor DC, and is not as widely known as, for example, Spider-Man or Superman, yet is still relatively famous amongst comic book nerds. I think the reason for this is, not only the smaller frame of it, i.e. fewer characters, fewer comics, etc. but because of the potential fan base. With a typical superhero comic, you are able to adapt characters and settings to fit any role you wish, however, Spawn targets and appeals to horror and supernatural fans, almost exclusively. The comics seem aimed towards a male demographic. Almost each of the stories contains a central, stereotyped sexually attractive female character. As a matter of fact, the artwork is heavily based on character stereotypes – a fat blob of a detective, a large but stupid henchman, and so on. They almost borderline cliché.
The artwork is brilliant yet messy. It uses a sketchy style, relying heavily on lines and shading. I believe this is done purposefully to match the genre, story, and style of the series – dystopian, supernatural, and inherently evil comics. While making it harder to discern the layout, the monochrome print suits well the dark quality and theme. The main themes set the basis for the story – crime, the supernatural, death and apocalypse, judgment and retribution. You can see a lot of research has gone into the series – the characters, the religious aspects, the background of the story and course of events, and the supernatural law of the universe. The graphic content, mature themes, and intelligent vocabulary are but a few factors which make Spawn more appealing to an older audience than what Marvel or DC produce.
The bulks of speech and text are unusual for comic books and can be viewed as both a good different and bad different. On one hand, it slows the pace of the comic, and sometimes prevents that flash-quick reading you’d expect. On the other hand, it provides great detail which you won’t often receive and brings something new to many readers of the form.
While there is diversity amongst characters, backstories, and settings, a lot of the individual stories revolve around a similar plot. Plots that are both interesting and intricate – they are, nonetheless, repetitive.
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons. I definitely suggest reading this. However, I would recommend it more to teenage readers and above, and to people who enjoy a darker piece of reading. Despite it being aimed towards a male demographic, it is, of course, equally enjoyable for both sexes.
This was not what I expected and so it disappointed me. I thought I was getting a collection of Spawn comics. Instead I started reading about a second Spawn born after the apocalypse. Then realize that the entire thing isn't even about him, it's a bunch of short stories set in the universe. Also, the size of the collection made the book feel like a chore to get through. The stories were interesting, some parts really cool others less so, and I really liked the themes. In particular, the social consciousness will be good for the audiences that might read this. The artwork is very detailed though lacking color and maybe a little overdone on the gore. It was enjoyable enough.
"The worst things in the world are what we do to each other." -Said about a rape scene.
As a huge fan of Spawn, this series was a big disappointment.
The Curse of the Spawn had so much potential — a darker, more apocalyptic take on the Spawn universe, with new Hellspawn characters and side stories that could expand the mythos. But instead, it ended up being a mess of weak writing, unrelatable characters, and a painfully edgy tone that felt forced rather than meaningful.
The main storyline (with Daniel Llanso) tried to mix biblical themes, dystopian settings, and extreme violence — but none of it landed. The dialogue is clunky, the pacing is chaotic, and the emotional beats feel hollow. It tries very hard to be gritty and mature, but it comes off as shallow and grimdark for the sake of it.
Even the art, while competent in places, doesn’t save it. It lacks the polish and dynamic storytelling that made early Spawn issues so iconic under Todd McFarlane’s touch.
I appreciate the attempt to explore other corners of Hell and the Spawn mythos, but this just didn’t work. It lacks the heart, the atmosphere, and the depth that makes Spawn what it is. If you’re a completionist, fine — but otherwise, this one is skippable.
Curiosamente "Lo mejor" excluye adrede varios números protagonizados por cierta angelita pelirroja. Aun así, son 22 issues variados (#1-8, #12-16, #20-29) que amplían el universo Spawn de manera interesante.