Broken Frontier

Spawn is undergoing a relaunch of sorts with tomorrow’s Spawn #166. It almost had to, considering that when we last left the title, the world was destroyed and everyone who lived in it was killed.

Okay, okay, the world didn’t stay dead long. Luckily, Spawn possessed godlike powers at the time and simply re-created the Earth from scratch, with one major difference—no more evil.

Or at least, that’s what he thought. But he was wrong. There was a crack in the image of Spawn’s perfect world, a crack big enough for evil to slip back in. Spawn thought his work was done, but now finds that the battle against evil must start anew.

When Spawn became Todd McFarlane’s entry into the newly formed Image, I doubted that the series would last more than a few years. Not that I thought the quality was bad, just that I thought McFarlane was setting it up that way. After all, when the character first appeared, he had a finite amount of power. Each time he used them, his time on Earth would come that much closer to ending.

But instead, Spawn is only one of the two remaining launch titles still being published to this day (the other is Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon). The property has crossed over into movies, television, toys and video games. It has become the closest thing Image has to a Superman or Spider-Man, a franchise that even non-comics fans recognize.

The reason for this longevity? Well, there are a number, though the main one lies in the way the strong original concept has been tweaked, re-worked and reinterpreted in its 15 years of existence.

Al Simmons, sentenced to Hell for his life as a government assassin, made a deal with the Devil to come back to Earth. He agreed to be a Hellspawn, an agent for the Devil in the world of the living. When he got back, Simmons reneged on the deal and used his hell-given powers to fight crime.

That paragraph contains several avenues creators can go down in dealing with the character. They can use Al Simmons’ time as a black-ops operative and write stories based on that. Or they can use his dedication to ridding the Earth of evil or the metaphysical conflict of Heaven and Hell to craft tales. Or they can use a combination of all three. And each “avenue” contains almost limitless creative possibilities. This also gives creators an easy opportunity to take the title in new directions when warranted.

Revamps have become common place in comics today. Whenever companies want to improve readership, shake off creative doldrums, or allow new creators to put their own stamp on a character, they craft these creative reboots.  Some work, some don’t. Some go on to redefine a character for a new generation, others are forgotten and ignored.

In this case, it might be more of the former than the latter. What David Hine and Brian Haberlin have done is create a revamp without it really being a revamp. It’s more a rededication than a complete reboot. It returns Spawn to it roots, to the fundamental basis of its original concept, without simply hitting a reset button.

       

While it holds a lot of the same qualities of a revamp—old characters come back in new ways, a new status quo, a new direction—it doesn’t erase the last 165 issues of development for the Spawn character. This is still a continuation of the story Todd McFarlane started in Spawn #1, not a rehash of it.

But will it generate excitement for the title? Will it bring new readers in, reunite old fans with the book, and still satisfy the long-time faithful? We’ll find that out tomorrow. But the creators should be commended for providing us with a new take on the revamp idea.  

Also out this week:

• Wonder Woman #6

Are we in a new era of comics? For the last several years, the biggest names in Movie and TV writing have left their creative mark on comics. But a new trend has been starting. More and more novelists have been trying their hand at comics. Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, and, to a great amount of publicity, Stephen King have come over. This list is joined tomorrow by successful novelist Jodi Picoult.

If you haven’t heard of Picoult, odds are you are in the minority. Her latest novel, Nineteen Minutes, debuted this week on the New York Times Best Sellers list at #1. Her previous novel, The Tenth Circle, featured heavy references to comics and even pages from a faux graphic novel as chapters in the book.

Picoult will not only bring a strong female voice to the grand dame of comics, but possibly an influx of female readership too, something comics and the character both need. 

Jodi Picoult (W), Drew Johnson & Ray Snyder (A), DC Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Heroes for Hire #8

Picoult is not the only writer to take over an existing book mid-stream this week. Shortly after the Heroes for Hire series began, its writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics. This meant that fans of their writing on the series would only have a short time to enjoy it before the creators left.

Well, the Palmiotti/Gray era on Heroes for Hire is now over. Starting this issue, new writer Zeb Wells takes the reigns. Wells showed he could a good job mixing action with humor during a brief run on Peter Parker: Spider-Man, so he should be a good match to the similar style Palmiotti and Gray exhibited on this title. 

Zeb Wells (W), Al Rio & Tom Palmer (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Fables #59

This issue is a special gift for the long time fans of the series (not to say new readers couldn’t join on here as well). Over the span of the series, many questions arose that fans wanted answers for. Well, we’re in luck, because those questions will be answered in this issue.

Keeping true to the series title, the answers will come in the form of short stories illustrated by some of the best and the brightest comicdom has to offer. The creators range from the indie-centric Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze) to the mainstream-friendly Barry Kitson (Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes), just to name two.

So, has there been anything you’ve been dying to know about the world of Fables? Pick up this issue, and you just might find out.

Bill Willingham (W), Various (A), DC/Vertigo Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Texas Strangers #1

This title is an interesting mixture of genres, coming out with something fresh and original. It combines westerns, fantasy, and kid-friendly story types together in a unique way that hasn’t been thought of before.

The wild west has gotten a little bit wilder with the introduction of sorcery. When an ancient magic threatens the world as we know it, only one thing can stop it—twin teenagers Wyatt and Madara. But saving the world isn’t easy when you are facing danger at every turn. They might not even make it past their first task of stopping notorious outlaw Black Bart from bringing down a town of magicians.

This series seems to be the perfect comic for any kid who loves playing cowboys and indians or reading the Harry Potter books. At the same time, it looks entertaining and intelligent enough that adults won’t be ashamed to be caught reading it.

Antony Johnston & Dan Evans III (W), Mario Boon (A), Image Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Gamekeeper #1

Before he became known as Madonna’s husband, Guy Ritchie directed two great movies—Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Both movies mixed humor and violence in a way that brought Ritchie comparisons to Tarantino. Now, it looks like he’s bringing a similar outlook to comics. He is the latest big name to join Virgin’s roster with a comic based on his ideas.

The book tells the story of Brock, a recluse with a dark past. He works as a gamekeeper at a sprawling British estate. When a team of killers coming looking for answers from him, they get more than they bargained for. They find out that they are now being hunted by their prey, a prey now more in touch with the natural world than his own humanity.

Andy Diggle (W), Mukesh Singh (A), Virgin Comics, $2.99. Five-Issue Miniseries.

• Fathom: Kiani #1

The Fathom Universe continues on in this title, which spins off from the Fathom Volume 2 series. The warrior known as Kiani struggles with life amidst the death and destruction in the wake of a costly war. The threat of annihilation by the humans has been averted, allowing Kiani to start a journey of self discovery. But what she finds might change the world of Fathom forever.

Aspen Comics started in 2003 based on the popularity of Fathom during its Image incarnation and the franchise continues to be the flagship of the company four years later. Certainly, its loyal fan base is looking forward to this series, while new readers might be able to use the title as a jumping on point.

Vince Hernandez (W), Marcus To (A), Aspen Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.  

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software.