Spawn 6: Retribution

Spawn (US) #6

by Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo

This sixth "Spawn" collection features a different adversary in the shape of The Curse. Spawn's own alleyways are the battleground, as a new voice holds sway over many of the homeless men and women Spawn watches over, one that preaches divine retribution and has the power to back it up.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Todd McFarlane is a Canadian comic book artist, writer, toy manufacturer/designer, and media entrepreneur who is best known as the creator of the epic occult fantasy series Spawn.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, McFarlane became a comic book superstar due to his work on Marvel Comics' Spider-Man franchise. In 1992, he helped form Image Comics, pulling the occult anti-hero character Spawn from his high school portfolio and updating him for the 1990s. Spawn was one of America's most popular heroes in the 1990's and encouraged a trend in creator-owned comic book properties.

In recent years, McFarlane has illustrated comic books less often, focusing on entrepreneurial efforts, such as McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment, a film and animation studio.

In September, 2006, it was announced that McFarlane will be the Art Director of the newly formed 38 Studios, formerly Green Monster Games, founded by Curt Schilling.

McFarlane used to be co-owner of National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers but sold his shares to Daryl Katz. He's also a high-profile collector of history-making baseballs.

Reviews

[Kapitol Tank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seis capítulos que cerraron esta colección de recopilatorios por más que la serie siguió muchísimo más.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 6.
As Spawn tries to define his role as king of New York's alleys, he finds himself attacked by The Curse, a religious zealot intent on turning the homeless denizens of those alleys against their Hellspawn protector. Spawn is then forced to confront his ex-wife and learn how far from Al Simmons he's fallen before undertaking a road trip across America, dealing out justice to child-beaters and the Ku Klux Klan.

There's definitely some good stuff here, with the themes and narrative of Spawn trying to figure out who he is now that he accepts he can't return of Al Simmons' life being particularly engaging. It's also always nice to see the KKK being shown as fat, stupid and pathetic, with justice and vengeance their just-desserts.

Unfortunately, this book is just far too fragmented in its storytelling, with plotlines that go nowhere and narrative jumps that come out of that self-same nowhere. It certainly doesn't help that these stories have been interwoven with those of other Image Comics series, so that huge chunks of Spawn's story happens elsewhere and we're just left with a brief text box to explain to us things like why the main character is suddenly in Alabama and is badly weakened.
In short, there's no narrative cohesion to this book, so the good elements never get chance to really shine.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Wombo Combo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spawn isn't know for having great writing, but this is the first time that McFarlane's storytelling has been really distracting to me. There are just way too many pointless captions that add nothing. He really needed a good editor back then. Very little happens so this book just feels like filler.
Capullo's art is pretty fantastic though, so that's great.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is where Greg Capullo's art starts to kick in, and where Wanda finally puts together the pieces of who Spawn is. It's progress for a highly uneven and inconsistent series.

[Ribrarian Not · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro de historietas con ISBN propio. Último tomo de esta colección.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this there are the obvious problems of coming in blind onto number 6*. But the artwork and world in which Spawn inhabits is so interesting and dynamic that it's not a problem. The time jumps around at one point but for the most part tells one continuously character driven narrative with excellent pacing.

This probably isn't the best place to start if you want to get into Spawn, but this definitely won't be the last one I read.

Now, I'm sure everyone was waiting for my review before they read it, but now I look forward to more reviews and reading more Spawn.


*Plenty of these pointing to comic issues I've never heard of. But I didn't realise this was issue 6 when I got it.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque este tomo lo leí de la vieja edición mexicana que tenía una traducción espantosa, recuerdo estos capítulos como muy entretenidos y con un nivel de dibujo muy alto. Quizás debería promediarlo para arriba porque tiene algunas de las historias que más me gustaron en su momento.

[Imogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first seven of these kind of lump together in my brain; my review is in Spawn, Book 1.