Comics
Review: ‘Spawn’ #221
It pains me to say that I have not kept up to date in the world of Spawn. As a youth this book was a big deal in the mainstream with movies, games and action figures filling our shelves and toy boxes (I know you had one too!). I’m a child of the 90s and Image’s “new” take on “Spawn” makes me see the error of my ways. Spawn is one of the most bad ass “heroes” of our generation and its refreshing to see that the story has evolved from the classical hell spawn we all know and love. Upon finishing this book, nostalgia may have you in her grips, and you’ll realize now is as good a time as any to make a run to the friendly neighbourhood comic shop and play catch up!
WRITTEN BY: Todd McFarlane
ART BY: Szymon Kudranski
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
RELEASE: July 4th
This story has taken a spin on the “Spawn” realm as Mr. Jim Downing has gained a celebrity status as opposed to the symbiotic hells spawn’s predecessor Al Simmons, which adds a certain level of intrigue to the story line; can you say action figures and calendars? On the matter of pace, this book is a slow one; not to say there isn’t quality content brought by Todd McFarlane. This instalment adds to the backdrop of who Jim is, which equates to a hefty amount of dialogue and a lack of ass-kicking. The book does end on a high note when Jim is caught unaware in a dark alley by stranger from his past who he cannot recall due to memory loss.
Szymon Kurdranski’s art holds true to my own vision of how “Spawn” should be drawn. Very clean lines but with an air of sketchiness that embodies the whole “Spawn” ideology. The fact that the art has a very realistic structure to it also adds to the comics image, this isn’t the generic standard comic art but a more evolved form of art, which suits the evolution of Spawn itself. I was equally in awe of the first few pages of the book, with the internal struggle between good and evil being depicted in an array of bright colours that leads into the dark side of the colour spectrum as Spawn takes over.
As I am a returning “Spawn” fanatic and I suggest for anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with “Spawn” should quickly get caught up! This issue was slow as I said but as the saying goes, there’s a calm before the storm.
3/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – GreenBaster
IDW Dark and Paramount recently joined forces to launch limited comic book tales set in the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place, and we’ve learned today that they’ll continue hanging around in those franchise universes with two brand new limited series tales.
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively revealed this afternoon that IDW Dark’s Any Given Smile debuts in September, while A Quiet Place: Rising Tides arrives in November.
First up, from writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo Collar, Any Given Smile puts a football-themed twist on Parker Finn’s successful Smile movie franchise.
The five-part limited series is “set in January 1995, during the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The rising superstar of the Sharks, backup quarterback Dupree, is feeling the pressure from his teammates, the fans, and also the city’s gambling underworld, to whom he owes a considerable debt. Meanwhile, a sports journalist investigates a string of suicides that may be connected to the big game. At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.”
From writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides will also be a five-issue limited story. The comic book tale “brings the creatures to the Florida Keys, where a father-daughter duo attempt to survive on water in a houseboat.”
EW further details, “This tense family reunion coincides with the arrival of the vicious creatures that hunt through sound. Grace and her dad find safety on the open ocean, but she’ll have to make landfall sooner or later; the father’s oxygen tank and their supplies are running low, while a hurricane swiftly approaches.”
Learn more about both comic books over on Entertainment Weekly.
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