Spawn, Compendium 2

Spawn Compendium #2

by Todd McFarlane (Writer/Illustrator), Brian Holguin (Writer), Greg Capullo (Illustrator)

ISSUES 51-100 Collected together for the first time.

TODD McFARLANE unleashed his signature creation, SPAWN, in 1992. In doing so, he created the most successful independent comic book in history. Now for the first time Issues 51-100 are collected in FULL Color.

Spawn: Compendium 2 presents the continued tales of Spawn, as he journeys from the back alleys of NYC to the pits of Hell itself. Featuring incredible art from Greg Capullo (Batman) and stories from writers Todd McFarlane and Brian Holguin. Compendium 2 collects issues 51-100.

Collects SPAWN #51-100

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Manga

1084 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

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

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 9
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 10
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 11
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 12
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 13
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 14
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 15
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 16
- Spawn Origins Collection, Volume 17

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can definitely see why folks say it doesn't really get going until issues ~70 - 100. McFarlane definitely took his time with Spawn's hellacious version of "Eat, Pray, Love" to find himself/his way. Did everything need a spinoff as well? I don't know how popular they were at the time but Compendium 1 mentioned an Angela spin off, this one mentions a cop duo spin off. Look Twitch is absolutely my guy but I really don't need/want to read a buddy cop spinoff. I've no real interest in the Angela series either.

All that said, the action is now ramped, the big goal obtained but at what cost, the players and their pawns continue their machinations, and the ball now feels like it is well and truly rolling (FINALLY).

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In review of Spawn compendium 1 I called it mid and I9m still standing by it even though Compendium 2 is better. Why high rating than? Well in little over a week I binged little over 2000 pages of Spawn so there is definitely something that draws me back to it even though I have started series on my tablet that I think are much better like Unwritten, Alita and Hellblazer.

In the words of Homer J. Simpson:˝Barney's movie had heart. But Football in the Groin had a football in the groin.˝

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time I discovered a new kind of comic with a amazing art, it turned out that the perpetrator was one Todd McFarlane whose art already wowed me in the Spiderman comics where he delivered a vastly brilliantly drawn Peter Parker and his alter ego.
Spawn also received a translation hence me getting to know the comic and I believe somewhere in the middle of Compendium 2 which contains #51-100 of the Spawn comics the Dutch translated comics seized to be sold. So I actually enjoyed this instalment with some very new stories and a storyline in which the Spawn finally grows up and stops being a (s)pawn in the war between heaven and hell and leaves the whole system out of balance.
The art is amazing as always and this second collection, to be followed by a third which I have already pre-ordered, is a nice and colourful collection comics that deserve to be read and enjoyed by people trying to catch up in a series well into its plus three hundred instalments.
I do hope they will re-issue the Sam & Twitch comic in a quality issue like this one as they are also well worth the effort.

[Milan Konjevic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Žali bože fenomenalnog Kapulovog crteža, Haberlinovog kolora, prelepe opreme ovog izdanja... kad je Mekferlenov scenario užasan. Ovo izdanje pokriva Spawn od 51. do 100. broja, i malo šta se zaista dešava. Većina epizoda je ista, Spawn kuka nad svojom sudbinom, Kaljostro mu govori da nema pojma ni o čemu, Sem i Tvič su privatni detektivi koji malo šta detektuju i gotovo ništa što se desi u većini epizoda ne vodi nikuda. Stranice su zagušene textom, zatrpane dosadnim dijalozima, dosadnim unutrašnjim monolozima, dosadnim opisima nečega što svakako vidimo u crtežu, tako da je čitanje ovog stripa zapravo probijanje malim pijukom kroz planinski masiv. I potpuno mi je neverovatno koliko ovde ima malo akcionih scena i akcije uopšte... moram nekome odmah da prodam ovo izdanje za fine pare, da mi ne zauzima dragoceno mesto na već prepunim policama.

[Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rereading my favorite comic when I was a kid. It hasn't aged well. The compendium is a good value and the artwork is just as gorgeous as I remember, but good lord the story is so poor. It is highly repetitive as each issue goes over the basic plot lines again and again. Sometimes it does with this huge walls of text like the news broadcasters who say the same thing three different ways. I suppose this was done for new readers who might pick up a random issue, but it does not make for good reading wheb working your way through the series. The sheer repetition means the plot moves at a glacial pace as Spawn spends the first 100 issues stewing and being reactive to events but not much else. He is a maddening character who is too stupid or stubborn to take on valuable information he is provided and thus repeats the same mistakes over and over.

[Shane Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better writing. Inimitable artwork. And deliciously darker. 5⭐️

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

100 issues of Spawn and I've had enough.

Some positives first: There's some standalone issues in this volume, that I've really enjoyed. Spawn judging humans is the high point of this book. Also, Issue #100 feels like a good jump-off point, as it is closing a very long story arc. And let's not forget: The artwork is still amazing.

But there's also a lot of problems: The overarching story often goes nowhere or even worse, entire subplots are dropped and completely forgotten. Then there's repetition over repetition over repetition. Spawn whines about his situation, Spawn is angry, Spawn is impatient and doesn't listen. Rinse and repeat.

The book lacks antagonists, so instead it uses the same 3 bad guys over and over again, taunting Spawn and the reader that they cannot be killed and always will come back. I'm reading almost the exact same story multiple times.

Then there's miniseries, which are not collected here, but do feel essential to read, e.g. Sam & Twitch are suddenly relegated to another book.

Spawn 'dies' multiple times, but since he (like his antagonists) is unkillable, the suspense of having him shot/impaled/decapitated is just not there. In addition he frequently uses new powers (most often only once), suggesting he can do anything and is the most powerful being in the universe.

There is a good story at the core of this book, but it is dragged out into obscurity and clearly, Spawn was never meant to be read in huge 50 issue chunks, which is why I can't recommend these Compendiums.

[Comicas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal.
This volume took everything I liked about the first Spawn Compendium and cranked it up — deeper character work, stronger psychological focus, and an even richer dive into the tortured soul that is Al Simmons.

Here, Spawn truly starts to evolve beyond the angry, vengeful anti-hero and becomes something much more layered. We get to explore his internal conflict in ways that feel raw and honest — his guilt, his isolation, his broken sense of identity. The darkness isn’t just external anymore; it’s inside him, and that’s what makes this volume so gripping.

The writing matures, the pacing improves, and the mythology starts to expand in meaningful ways. The Hell vs. Heaven war, the mystery of Wanda, the constant push and pull between Al’s humanity and his damnation — it all feels more intense, more personal. There are issues here that genuinely hit hard emotionally.

And of course, the art is still top-tier. Whether it’s McFarlane or Capullo or other artists, every page is dripping with mood, energy, and grit. Gothic, grotesque, beautiful.

This volume made me feel for Spawn in a way the first didn’t fully achieve. If Volume 1 laid the groundwork, Volume 2 is where the character really comes alive.

Highly recommended — especially if you’re looking for something that blends supernatural horror with deeply human emotion. A dark, introspective, unforgettable ride.

[Alex Budris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I praised the first omnibus volume for sticking to the meat and potatoes and not getting lost in unnecessary plot digressions, but I fear the fine folks at Spawn took my advice too much so to heart because in this second volume nothing happens at all. Spawn: 400 lbs of necroplasm and lashing chains, lording over the alleyways, brooding darkly on his throne of bones. He encounters a number of evil individuals and they are judged and sentenced harshly. Heaven and Hell seem to be both manipulating Spawn from behind the scenes, but it is all very vague, and much of the same as the previous volume. Until the last ten pages where Spawn defeats Urizen, the God of Negation, and decapitates Malebolgia. All very suddenly. I'm going to go for the third compendium, but if it turns out to be more of the same that may be it for me and Spawn. We'll see. It's worth it for Sam and Twitch.

[Martijn Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quited Spawn (in the origins collection format) somewhere around issue 67. It became to repetetive and fellt to 90's black and white with nowhere to go. Man, did i quit at the wrong time. Giving it a second change in this (much cheaper) compendium collection, collecting issue 51 till 100, it grew on me. Somewhere arond issue 75 they changed to concept enough to be interesting again. Throwing earth and nature into the battle of heaven and hell and repositing Spawn himself from maincharacter to force of "nature" in the background.

Curious where the next 50 issues will take this.

[Brad Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's be honest, McFarlane created a great character in Spawn, and he's a brilliant artist. However, he's not a good writer. This book got amazing when you hit issue 71 and Holguin took over. I am looking forward to reading the 3rd compendium now.

[Gabriel Jair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bastantes números de relleno que no aportan a la línea de la historia principal.
Excelente con la línea principal que va desarrollándose. No se van a arrepentir.
Entiendes cómo se continúa forjando Al pero me gustaría mayores retos. Espero en el compendio 3 tenga más fuerza la trama

[Ricky Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still 6/5 stars. I'll be catching up to not only #367 (current issue), but also every single other Spawn comic/etc. in existence, and following along the ones that continue onward into the future. I won't be reviewing those extras beyond the mainline though... too much of a hassle.

[Sam Judge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the plot-lines and world building to be much more intriguing in this second volume.