KING SPAWN #25, from Image Comics on 8/23/23, finds Clown confronting Spawn to form a partnership to stop Cogliosotro. Will Spawn take the offer?
The Details
- Written by: Todd McFarlane
- Art by: Javi Fernandez
- Colors by: Ivan Nunes
- Letters by: AndWorld Design
- Cover art by: Fede Mele (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $2.99
- Release date: August 23, 2023
Is It Good?
Is there ever a scenario where a deal with the Devil is a good idea? That’s the very dilemma Spawn finds himself in when Clown offers a partnership to stop a greater evil from taking over Hell’s throne. While Todd McFarlane’s latest chapter doesn’t make great strides toward furthering the plot, he does present Spawn with a moral dilemma with no easy answer.
When last we left Spawn, he put Exodus out of business for good, leaving the remaining Exodus allies running for the hills. When Spawn’s situation started to look up, Clown arrived with bad news. Now, Clown offers Spawn a partnership to stop Cogliostro (now called Sinn)from claiming Hell’s throne lest he become too powerful to stop.
If you’re keeping score in the Heaven/Hell war currently raging down below. This issue sits firmly somewhere in the middle of the ongoing battle, but it’s not clear where it fits in the timeline since Spawn is already collecting alt-Spawns for an army to fight Sinn. That said, this issue does feel like this issue takes place earlier in the war.
What’s great about this comic? We like comics that clearly establish one big idea, and KING SPAWN #25, successfully lays out that idea with huge stakes – is it better to help Clown take Hell’s throne than let Sinn take over? No Spawn villain means as much to Al Simmons as Clown, so this issue is the moral dilemma equivalent of asking you to cut off your arm to survive a disaster, knowing it’s a temporary reprieve. The conversation ends, and Spawn makes his choice, but it’s a sure bet that the discussion is far from over.
What’s not so great about this comic? The wonkiness of the timeline is starting to get confusing. How can Spawn be uncertain about fighting Sinn in one comic and gathering an army of Spawns to fight Sinn in another comic? Yes, we should be used to out-of-order timelines with the Big 2, but that doesn’t mean you should like it.
Also, this issue is effectively one conversation between Clown and Spawn. It’s a meaningful conversation, but if you were hoping for the arc to get a little pep in its step, you’ll have to wait.
How’s the art? Naturally, it’s gorgeous. McFarlane wouldn’t put anyone on a Spawn title that couldn’t deliver Grade A work, and Javie Fernandez does just that. Fernandez presents the trademark McFarlane style with enough of a personal twist to keep his style recognizable, and it looks great.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our KING SPAWN #24 review to find out how Exodus was defeated.
We begin with Clown extending a simple offer to Spawn – team up to stop Cogliostro. With his allies backing him up, including Yoko and Terry, Spawn leaps to attack Clown. However, Clown’s recent upgrades give him more power than Spawn realized, and as a show of his seriousness, Clown kills Yoko.
To save everyone else’s life, Spawn sends everyone else away. Clown repeats the offer but admits that defeating Cogliostro means Clwon would take Hell’s throne for himself. Yes, he would be more powerful, but Clown claims he doesn’t care about Earth, and Spawn would have decades to prepare for a reckoning.
We conclude the issue with the suit’s true master, Spawn’s display of strength, and a choice.
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Final Thoughts
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KING SPAWN #25 puts the brakes on the plot development but amps up the dramatic tension by putting Spawn at the center of a moral dilemma with no easy way out. McFarlane’s dialog is outstanding, and the Fernandez’a art is top-tier, but the plot progression feels slower and out of sync with the greater Heaven/Hell war.
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