THE SCORCHED #38 – Review

THE SCORCHED #38, by Image Comics on 2/26/25, brings The Scorched team’s quest to restore Medieval Spawn and defeat the Black Brotherhood to a close.

Credits:

• Writer: John Layman, Todd McFarlane
• Artist: Stephen Segovia
• Colorist: Dinei Ribeiro
• Letterer: AndWorld Design
• Cover Artist: Kevin Keane
• Publisher: Image Comics
• Release Date: February 26, 2025
• Comic Rating: Teen+
• Cover Price: $2.99
• Page Count: 28
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

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Analysis of THE SCORCHED #38:

Plot:

After falling into a trap set by the Black Brotherhood in The Scorched #37, Jessica and the team find themselves at the mercy of the Brotherhood’s magic. Suddenly, the momentum shifts when the Dead Zones surrounding Earth deactivate, restoring the team’s powers. Marc wakes up to find the Brotherhood’s leader about to cut out his brain to get at the sliver of consciousness where Jon of York resides. The hemispherectomy is interrupted before it begins when The Scorched eliminates the Brotherhood and defeats Viscerator… for now.

Artwork and Presentation:

Stephen Segovia gets to flex battle art prowess with a power-packed fight that takes up most of the issue. In particular, Redeemer steps up as the heavy hitter of the group who lays waste to demons, evil priests, and more, which all look great.

Art Samples:

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Character Work:

Redeemer may be the heavy hitter in battle, but Jessica takes center stage for the emotional subtext of the story. John Layman bookends the issue with a reminder that Jessica longs for a normal, happy life with her daughter, but her new status quo as She-Spawn guarantees that life will never happen. Layman leans into Jessica’s longing and regret to emphasize the depth of her pain.

Structure:

Structure-wise, there’s not much meat to the story. The team’s powers return, courtesy of Spawn #360, the team finds, and the team wins. Layman’s plot is as simplistic as it gets.

Strongest Point(s):

The strength of this issue comes from Stephen Segovia’s eye-catching action art. You get everything from decapitations to whipping chains to blasts of Hellfire, all geared to make the Brotherhood’s as satisfying as possible.

Weakest Point(s):

At the risk of sounding picky, Layman’s strong emotional beats and over-the-top action can’t make up for a paper-thin plot. If you consider where the issue starts and ends, the story consists of a brief prologue, one battle, and one epilogue.

Final Thoughts:

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THE SCORCHED #38 is a too-short but still satisfying conclusion to the team’s quest to restore Medieval Spawn. John Layman’s script leans heavily on action and emotion to keep the reader engaged, but the plot is as thin as rice paper.

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