GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26, by Image Comics on 11/22/23, takes readers on a trip through Javi’s past when he recalls the torture he endured from a group of soldiers determined to extract information.
The Details
- Written by: Todd McFarlane
- Art by: Dexter Soy
- Colors by: Ivan Nunes
- Letters by: Tom Orzechowski
- Cover art by: Ze Carlos (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $2.99
- Release date: November 22, 2923
Is GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26 Good?
GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26 is an odd issue in that it fits as a follow-up to the stellar issue #25 but isn’t strong enough to stand on its own. It would have made more sense for Todd McFarlane to append issue #26 as an epilogue to issue #25 or at least combine them into a double-sized issue. Where #25 knocked our socks off, #26 serves as a mildly interesting afterthought.
When last we left Javi, he placed Taylor in Shaman Waya’s care and swore off any mystical missions that distracted him from his quest to avenge his sister’s death. Javi then proceeded to kick ass and take names until he picked up leads that pointed to the villains that came forward to the future with him in Spawn’s time portal. Now, Javi reminisces about a time just after his sister’s death when a group of soldiers captured and tortured Javi for information. Their torture failed to extract the knowledge the soldiers were after, but the burning hate of that experience spurs Javi on in the present to finish what he started.
“That’s it?” you might wonder. Yes, that’s it. This issue doesn’t have anything remotely resembling a beginning or an end. It’s a lot of middle but not much else. In fairness, this issue goes a long way toward reinforcing the motivation of hate Javi has for the villains responsible for his sister’s death, but it’s unclear if this issue is additive to his motivation or simply gives it unnecessary depth.
What’s great about GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26? Javi gets strung up, skinned, shot with bullets, pierced with arrows, and more. It’s safe to say Javi feels the worst pain imaginable, which should serve as high-octane motivation fuel for whatever choices he makes in the future.
What’s not so great about GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26? This issue doesn’t appear to have a point. We regularly harp on the notion that every comic, whether a one-shot or another in an ongoing series, needs to have at least one big idea. This issue not only doesn’t have a big idea, it doesn’t do much more than give texture to a story we already know.
How’s the art? The art’s great. Dexter Soy is a valuable get for McFarlane and GunSlinger Spawn, and he does not disappoint. Every panel is immaculate, elevated even more by one of the best colorists around, Ivan Nunes.
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What’s GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our GUNSLINGER SPAWN #25 review to find out how much of a badass Javi can be.
We begin with Javi narrating a memory from the past soon after his sister’s death. A group of soldiers road through the area to capture Javi after he became GunSlinger Spawn, but the hellspawn was too powerful for most of the soldiers. Unfortunately, the numbers were too great, and Javi was captured.
The soldiers tortured him, pierced him with arrows, skinned his flesh, and hung from a tree to get what they wanted. When the soldiers grew tired of torture, they left Javi to die. Now, the burden of his memory over his sister’s murder and those malicious soldiers fills Javi with a burning hate to kill the men responsible.
We conclude the issue with Shaman Waya lecturing Taylor, impatience, and a gut punch.
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Final Thoughts
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GUNSLINGER SPAWN #26 serves an intriguing epilogue to issue #25 as Javi recalls the torture session that created a burning hate within him, but the issue has little point other than to flame the fans of Javi’s already-established motivation. Dexter Soy’s art is outstanding, and McFarlane’s scenes are well done, but this bone doesn’t have much meat.
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