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| Slot: |
Malibu Sun 13 |
| Item: |
Malibu Sun #13 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1110458002
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Owner Comments
TITLE: The Malibu Sun
ISSUE: 13
DATE: 5/92
WRITER: n/a
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover)
NOTES OF INTEREST: The cover is a preview of the cover for Spawn #1 and predates the character's debut in the Image Universe.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: This is a simply a solicitation magazine. It does, however, feature three black and white pin-ups of Spawn by Todd McFarlane.
REFLECTIONS: I remember getting this comic as a "freebie" at the local comic shop. I thought it was worthless so I tossed it in the garbage.
Imagine my horror years later when I learned that the book I had thrown away was the first actual appearance of Spawn! This book is hard to find in top condition because thousands of other people felt the same way I did and ended up trashing this comic.
It is a challenge to find this comic in top condition.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 1 |
| Item: |
Spawn #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.9 |
| Cert #: |
0004564005
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 1
DATE: 5/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Ken Steacy (cover paint)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Jack Kirby
NOTES OF INTEREST: This is the standard edition of the issue. This issue holds the comic sales record for independent comic book publishers. Most sources indicate that over 1.7 million copies were printed. This issue marks the first appearance of Al Simmons as Spawn, the first appearance of Sam and Twitch, the first appearance of Malebolgia, the first appearance of Jason Wynn, and the first appearance of Wanda Blake. This issue also contained a pin-up of the Pitt character created by Dale Keown and a pin-up poster of Spawn created by George Perez.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Questions (part 1 of 4)
Al Simmons rose from the grave five years after his death. The tortured hero made a deal with the devil in order to return to Wanda - his beloved wife. The details of his resurrection are as mysterious as the extent of his newly found powers, which are soon put to the test as he springs into action in order to save a woman from being raped. As Spawn struggles to remember his past, another otherworldly being arrives to terrorize the mob.
REFLECTIONS: I entered the world of comic collecting at the peak of madness during the early 1990s. I was 13 years-old when Spawn hit the shelves of my local comic store - Where Adventures Begin. At that time, Spawn was one of the hottest books on the market due to the great speculation bubble of the early 1990s. Almost everyone bought multiple copies of this book; however, one was good enough for me. I read the book once, and then I put it away for years.
A few decades later, my Spawn books were among the first of my submissions to the CGC. As a "newbie" I was shocked at the results - a 9.2? You've got to be kidding me.
Fortunately, I found a mint example on eBay for a reasonable price. Thanks to the level of sentimentality I attach to this book, nothing less than the best example will do. Even though I am proud of the gorgeous example you see pictured in my collection, I look forward to eventually tracking down a gem mint copy. In my mind, this comic is inextricably linked to my start in this hobby.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 1 Black & White Edition |
| Item: |
Spawn #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0972481040
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 1
VARIANT: Black and White Edition
DATE: 9/97
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Todd Broeker (cover paint)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
NOTES OF INTEREST: This is the black and white edition of Spawn 1 and was offered as a 1:50 dealer incentive for Spawn 65. This reprint of Spawn 1, featuring new cover art by McFarlane, was produced over five years after the series debuted. This issue marks the first appearance of Al Simmons as Spawn, the first appearance of Sam and Twitch, the first appearance of Malebolgia, the first appearance of Jason Wynn, and the first appearance of Wanda Blake.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Questions (part 1 of 4)
Al Simmons rose from the grave five years after his death. The tortured hero made a deal with the devil in order to return to Wanda - his beloved wife. The details of his resurrection are as mysterious as the extent of his newly found powers, which are soon put to the test as he springs into action in order to save a woman from being raped. As Spawn struggles to remember his past, another otherworldly being arrives to terrorize the mob.
REFLECTIONS: In the early days of my collecting habit, my access to incentive issues was pretty much non-existent. Fortunately, my present situation is much different and I was able to track down a copy of this variant at a good price.
High grade representatives of books with black covers are relatively hard to find and this book is no exception. However, I don't think this particular book is as rare as some people believe. The following quote may support my assertion:
"This was a retailer incentive for Spawn #65 with each LCS getting 1 for every 50 ordered, hence any LCS ordering between 50 and 99 would get one; 100-149 two etc. Spawn #65 had a total print run (world-wide, including News Stand sales) of well over 200,000, with around 180,000 pre-orders to comic shops world-wide. Not every LCS would have ordered exact blocks of 50 hence the actual number of Spawn #1 Black & White variants includes a little guess work."
-recalledcomics.com
Regardless, demand for this book remains high at reasonable prices.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 2 |
| Item: |
Spawn #2 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0940737004
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 2
DATE: 7/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Ken Steacy (cover paint)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Steve Ditko
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Violator, the Clown, and Jim Downing. This comic also featured pin-ups by Rick Leonardi and Scott Williams.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Questions (part 2 of 4)
Even though he fears her reaction, Spawn immediately sets out to find Wanda. Coping to master his new powers proves to be a difficult task as the hero unsuccessfully attempts to change his ravaged appearance. Spawn collapses from exhaustion, only to be awakened by the obscene taunts of a foul-mouthed dwarf in clown makeup. Meanwhile, the Violator grows weary of attacking the mob. In search of a new challenge, the demon decides to confront Spawn.
REFLECTIONS: Even though they don't represent the finest of McFarlane's artistic acheivements, the first year's worth of Spawn comic all featured covers that left an impression. As a teen, I was attracted to the darker aspects of the book which are captured by the cover. The Violator is also an interesting character from a visual standpoint and is fun to draw.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 3 |
| Item: |
Spawn #3 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0194492001
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 3
DATE: 8/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Kiko Taganashi (cover paint)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Jerry "The Joker" Robinson
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Terry Fitzgerald as well as the first appearance of Cyan.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Questions (part 3 of 4)
Many things can happen in five years. Spawn discovers that Wanda married his best friend, Terry Fitzgerald. To make things even more painful, Terry was able to give Wanda the one thing Simmons could not – a daughter. The devastated hero was in such anguish that he found himself defenseless upon the return of the ugly clown, who promptly transformed into the Violator and successfully tore the beating heart out of Spawn’s chest.
REFLECTIONS: I remember drawing copies of this cover and learning a great deal about how to make a cape look really cool! I think this cover also proves that Spawn is strongly reminiscent of Batman from a visual regard.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 4 |
| Item: |
Spawn #4 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.9 |
| Cert #: |
0004673007
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 4
DATE: 11/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Abel Mouton (cover paint)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Joe Shuster
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue shipped with a coupon for Image #0 - a comic made available to those who sent in a series of coupons from various Image comic books. Image #0 features short stories by different Image creators including Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen and others. This particular example of Spawn #4, in stunning mint condition, is complete with the coupon still intact. It is important to note that newsstand editions did not contain the coupon or poster.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Questions (part 4 of 4)
Violator and Spawn engage in savage combat, only to discover they are both invincible. The battle is interrupted by their master, Malebolgia, who scolds both of them before explaining their roles as his minions in a battle against heaven. Violator is punished for his spontaneous killing spree; he is sentenced to remain locked into his form as a clown.
REFLECTIONS: This is by far my favorite Spawn cover from the early days. Copies of this issue with the coupon intact were in high demand shortly after hitting the shelves and this issue also suffered tremendously from the speculation bubble.
I am fortunate to have a mint copy of this book because it was one of my very favorites as an early collector. Perfect copies are hard to find due to the black cover, which tends to highlight flaws.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 5 |
| Item: |
Spawn #5 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0977503002
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 5
DATE: 10/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Kiko Taganashi (cover color)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (colors)
DEDICATION: Will Eisner
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Billy Kincaid. Also, Cerebus makes a cameo as a stuffed animal on the first page of the comic. This issue contains the first Spawn Mobile pull-out poster. UPC coded editions do not have the folder.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Justice
Posing as the friendly neighborhood ice cream man, Billy Kincaid would lure children into the interior of his truck. His unsuspecting victims would never live to see the sunshine again. Even though the police were finally successful in tracking the killer, the courts were unable to serve proper justice due to a legal technicality and Kincaid’s sentence was overturned. Upon hearing the news, Spawn is able to remember that Al Simmons had once been hired to kill Kincaid but was unable to finish the job as local law enforcement descended upon the murderer. Now that he is Spawn, Simmons no longer fears the repercussions of exacted revenge and is determined to prevent the monster from striking again.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 6 |
| Item: |
Spawn #6 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0942488002
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 6
DATE: 11/92
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Stan Lee
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Antonio Twistelli and Overtkill.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Payback (part 1 of 4)
The losses dealt by Violator have hit the mob hard and they long for revenge. Their intelligence, however, points to Spawn as the culprit and hit men are dispatched to terminate him. After their initial attack fails, the mob recruits a cyborg known as Overtkill to assassinate Spawn. After initially being overpowered, Spawn flees the battle to arm himself with advanced firepower from a secret armory.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 7 |
| Item: |
Spawn #7 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0194492002
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 7
DATE: 1/93
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Rob Liefeld - the co-creator of Overtkill
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Bobby. This issue contains the second Spawn Mobile pull-out poster. This issue also contains the first published artwork of Randy Queen.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Payback (part 2 of 2)
Even as he deals with powerful flashbacks of his own death, Spawn begins to view the alleys as his home and decides to protect the homeless who have become his new family. After arming himself with heavy weaponry, Spawn visits mob consigliere Antonio Twistelli and tells him that a rematch with Overtkill is welcomed. The cyborg meets Spawn at midnight and the two battle to a standstill. Finally, Spawn pulls out the heavy weaponry and defeats Overtkill through the use of powerful ordnance.
REFLECTIONS: This is probably my favorite early Spawn cover. Quite a few characters in the Image Universe were toting ridiculously oversized guns at the time and Spawn was to be no exception. The character is beginning to realize that his powers are finite. He's paranoid about draining the tank, so to speak. As a result, he picks up the heavy weaponry to deal with an extremely robust foe. He manages to destroy Overtkill while saving his energy for another day.
I often wonder if arming Spawn wasn't Todd McFarlane's way of purposefully distancing the character from comparisons with Batman, who famously spent a good portion of his career fighting crime using non-lethal means.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 8 |
| Item: |
Spawn #8 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0194492003
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 8
DATE: 3/93
WRITER: Alan Moore
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Don and Maggie Thompson
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Vindicator and features a poster by Frank Miller. The indicia lists an erroneous publication date of 3/93.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - In Heaven
After being killed by Spawn, Billy Kincaid finds himself in hell with a number of other sinners. The crowd moves towards a great tower and the company falls one by one to the terrors of perdition. Finally, Kincaid is left alone with a small child. After Kincaid attacks, the child sheds her skin and reveals the Vindicator, who assists Kincaid as he bonds with a Myrlu symbiote and morphs into a new Spawn.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 9 |
| Item: |
Spawn #9 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0957920015
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 9
DATE: 3/93
WRITER: Neil Gaiman
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: To the memory of Harvey Kurtzman
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Angela, Medieval Spawn, Cogliostro, and Gabrielle. This issue was the cause of much legal contention between the creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane, and the author of this particular issue, Neil Gaiman. At first, McFarlane paid Gaiman royalties for helping to create the character Angela. Years passed and McFarlane stopped his payments to Gaiman. McFarlane also used copyright laws in an effort to gain full rights as the creator of the characters introduced in this book. Gaiman sued and McFarlane counter-sued. In the end, the courts sided with Gaiman and McFarlane was ordered to pay a sizable amount to Gaiman. An appeal by McFarlane in 2003 was struck down by the courts. Gaiman's rights as co-creator and co-owner of Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn are now fully respected.
The following announcement was made by Comicvine in late March of 2013:
"It turns out there's another secret they've kept under wraps but this apparently doesn't deal with the ending. This morning in the New York Times it was revealed that not only was Neil Gaiman making his return to Marvel Comics, he's also bringing his character, the angel Angela , first seen in Todd McFarlane's SPAWN comic.
Despite appearing in SPAWN, Gaiman was the copyright holder for several characters that appeared in the issue he wrote. It was in 2012 McFarlane and Gaiman reached a confidential settlement over the ownership and royalties owed to Gaiman for the characters he created. With full ownership awarded to Gaiman, the plans are to now bring her into the Marvel Universe.
It's mentioned that the plans for Angela to crossover to the Marvel Universe have been underway for "quite some time." It was decided that AGE OF ULTRON would be a good "entry point" for the character."
Despite an enormous print run, the value of this book rose sharply as speculators rushed to the market. As of early 2013, the long term significance of Gaiman's character in the Marvel Universe has yet to be clearly defined.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Angela
The otherworld employs angels to hunt Spawn. Angela, the most prolific huntress of all, disguised herself as a damsel in distress during the middle ages and lured the medieval Spawn into a cave, where he was promptly killed. Her mission continues 800 years later as she attacks the modern Spawn, who hands Angela her first defeat. Before his impending battle, Spawn meets Cagliostro – a mysterious old man who claims to hold the key the hero’s origin.
REFLECTIONS: I would like to one day have this issue signed by both Gaiman and McFarlane. This is a major key issue for the title.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 10 |
| Item: |
Spawn #10 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0942593020
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 10
DATE: 5/93
WRITER: David Sim
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Don Heck
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue is usually not reprinted due to an agreement with writer David Sim.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Crossing Over
Following the battle with Angela, Spawn is transported to a nightmarish world after attempting to examine the angel’s abandoned weaponry. Led by Cerebus, Spawn tours the seventh layer of hell and encounters a number of strange visions which metaphorically describe the real life difficulties concerning creator’s rights and ownership.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 11 |
| Item: |
Spawn #11 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0942593024
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 11
DATE: 6/93
WRITER: Frank Miller
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Kiko Taganashi (cover color)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Gil Kane
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Bootsy. Also, for the first time, Spawn reconfigures reality by returning home from Erebus. This issue also contains a poster by Geoff Darrow.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Home Story
Spawn awakens to find himself in the midst of two clashing gangs – the Nerds and the Creeps. After attempting to rescue an innocent bystander, Spawn grows determined to end the ongoing conflict for the benefit of the back alleys that are now his home. An enforcer for the Nerds known as Byron survives the initial assault and faces off against Spawn in a fight to the death. Finding no answer against Byron’s impenetrable armor, Spawn decides to teleport himself inside of Byron’s body and literally tears his way out of the gangster’s torso. The homeless who serve as Spawn’s new family are safe…for now.
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| Slot: |
Spawn 12 |
| Item: |
Spawn #12 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0194492007
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 12
DATE: 7/93
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
DEDICATION: Shel Dorf
NOTES OF INTEREST: This issue marks the first appearance of Granny Blake. Spawn reveals his identity to Granny Blake. This issue also features a poster of the Blood Wulf - a character created by Rob Liefeld.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Flashback (part 1 of 2)
Celebrating their newfound safety, the back alley bums look in terror as one of their own is nearly suffocated after innocently trying on the mask of Spawn while the hero was recovering. Fortunately, Spawn is there to stop the tragedy once again and subsequently marvels at the apparent independence of his costume.
Meanwhile, Simmons’ former boss, CIA chief Jason Wynn, begins to investigate the missing weapons used by Spawn to dispatch Overtkill. The trail of information leads to Terry Fitzgerald, who is accused of compiling damning evidence against his bosses. As a result, Terry quickly discovers that his family is now in serious, immediate danger.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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| Slot: |
Spawn 13 |
| Item: |
Spawn #13 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0166356017
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Owner Comments
TITLE: Spawn
ISSUE: 13
DATE: 8/93
WRITER: Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane (cover, pencils, and inks)
ARTIST: Tom Orzechowski (letters)
ARTISTS: Steve Oliff and Reuben Rude (color)
ARTIST: Marie Rude (cover color)
DEDICATION: George Perez
NOTES OF INTEREST: Spawn reveals himself to Chapel. This issue features an appearance by Youngblood. Also included is a Spawn poster by Walt Simonson.
ISSUE SYNOPSIS: - Flashback (part 2 of 2)
Psychologically ravaged by persistent flashbacks, Spawn is now convinced he knows the identity of his killer and sets out to even the score. Spawn infiltrates the Youngblood headquarters and manages to kidnap Chapel – a government assassin just like himself. The enemies are teleported together to Botswana, where a fearless Chapel boasts of his abilities to kill Spawn all over again. Unfortunately for Chapel, the otherworldly powers bestowed upon the resurrected spirit of Al Simmons have tipped the scales of balance and Spawn succeeds in giving the destroyer a scar he’ll never forget.
CENSUS REPORT: Tied for top census copy as of 6/13
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