Oliver Davis reviews Spawn #237…
“Al Simmons’ old mentor returns to guide Jim in his journey to control the vast powers that haunt him. But Cog has already betrayed one Spawn. Is he sinister enough to do it again, or is there more to his motivations than simple greed?”
Spawn #237 begins where the previous issue left us, on an almost literal cliffhanger – Jim Downing dangling his foot off the side of a bridge, contemplating suicide in a desperate attempt to rid himself of the Spawn symbiote.
He hits the water in a stunning, Image-style two-page spread. He transformed into Spawn on descent, and now his threads and cape blur in the river, chains in the foreground and distance similarly out of focus. The only clear object is Spawn’s head and outstretched left arm. It adds a dynamism to Szymon Kudranski’s art, as though the motion is real and Hell’s greatest warrior will soon explode out of the bottom-right corner of page 7.
As energetic as the picture is, Jim’s attempt at separating from the suit fails. Instead, he’s revived by a man named Cogliostro, a former Spawn himself. His job in this issue is to provide wisdom and training to the still inexperienced Downing. Imagine him as a bearded, homeless-looking, human version of Yoda.
So just a human version of Yoda, then.
Unfortunately, from here the story sometimes sags with exposition, that isn’t helped by the seemingly compulsory ‘last few pages reveal’ of some ominous new threat which won’t be addressed or explained for a few more months. Last issue it was ‘The Redeemer’. This time it’s a small patch of ground. Which is actually much cooler than it sounds. Here’s a quote for proof:
“THE ‘DEAD ZONE’…IS THE REASON ALL THE WARS IN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN FOUGHT.”
Kudos to Tom Orzechowski here for making the lettering on ‘DEAD ZONE’ look so ‘1950s B-Movie.’ It adds an element of campy fun to what is an otherwise seriously toned book.
As does the issue’s front cover, which also deserves a mention. Drawn by writer Todd McFarlane, the art is almost Deadpoolian (Deadpool would enjoy that word) in its nostalgic simplicity.
So, even when Spawn isn’t at its best, there’s still plenty to enjoy.
Oliver Davis is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors. You can follow him on Twitter @OliDavis.
Originally published November 6, 2013. Updated November 28, 2022.
