Set Description:
The late Copper Age was a good time for Marvel Comics. By the early 1990s, the company had formed an impressive pool of artistic talent. One of the most talented young artists at the time was Todd McFarlane, who had gained a significant amount of popularity after working on The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spiderman. Unfortunately for Marvel Comics, McFarlane was just one of several artists who had grown tired of corporate policy, especially in regards to ownership, creator’s rights, and…you guessed it…royalties. Simply put, being an artist “for hire” simply wasn’t good enough anymore. As a result, McFarlane rebelled and joined his friends in order to help create Image Comics.
Even though many collectors are beginning to identify this landmark event with the collapse of the Copper Age and the birth of the Modern Age, some collectors blame the great speculation bubble that was beginning to swell around the same period of time. Admittedly, this was also the same time that I started to collect comics. I was only 13 years-old in 1992, and my only experience with comics came from the limited exposure I’d receive when hanging out with certain friends or from the EC Reprints (Gladstone Publishing) that I would read at the grocery store as my mother shopped. At the time, I wasn’t quite educated enough to realize the dynamics of collecting comics for profit. Like many others at the time, I began to purchase every inaugural issue I could afford at my local comic shop; they were all too happy to indulge my tastes.
While the speculation bubble of the early 1990s drew me into collecting comics, it wasn’t enough to keep me there. Throughout that time, only one character from the Image Universe – Spawn – managed to hold my attention. Spawn had a dark element that appealed to my morbid teenage sensitivities. I appreciated the aesthetic of McFarlane’s artwork. I also appreciated how Spawn, at least during that particular period of time, managed to outsell nearly every other comic despite bucking the trend of cover gimmicks or variant issues. Finally, I was addicted to the cover art. I couldn’t wait to see what the next issue would bring.
As an adult, I’ve learned to appreciate Spawn on a variety of levels. If you strip the story of all the action and wizardry, it’s easy to see that Spawn is a simple story of love, sacrifice, betrayal, and doubt. Al Simmons, a former CIA agent, is murdered by a fellow mercenary. Sent to hell for living a life of violence, Simmons encounters Malebolgia – a demonic analogue of Satan – who offers him one final chance to see his wife. Simmons hastily agrees to accept the powers of the Hellspawn in order to return to the land of the living. Unfortunately, Simmons finds that years have passed and his wife is now married to his best friend. Moreover, the couple is raising the child from the pregnancy that Simmons could never give his wife. All the while, Spawn is being tailed by Malebolgia’s servant – a demon known as the Violator, a vicious creature who transforms into a clown before walking the streets of the land of the living.
Even as the spirit of Simmons struggles with the emotional aspect of his situation, the shell in which he operates, Spawn, is struggling to tame his own immense power, which is based on the idea of necroplasm - a dense substance that grant him superhuman strength, weight, stamina, and healing. Other powers come from the resulting necromagic, which grants a variety of supernatural powers including teleportation, phasing, biological manipulation, the ability to resurrect the dead, the ability to project massive energy blasts, and much more. Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that his powers are finite. Spawn can only use so much necroplasm before he is returned to hell. As a result, Spawn results to other trickery in order to increase his lifespan. In addition to resorting to traditional weaponry, he also learns how to feed off the energy of the world’s “dark” creatures, such as rats, bats, roaches, worms, insects, wolves, and snakes. He also discovers that his costume is sentient and can be partially controlled in a way that prevents the use of necroplasm. In spite of his immense power, Spawn feels helpless in his situation and knows that one day he shall be returned to hell.
I no longer collect Spawn to make a financial profit. Having such expectations would be foolish. Instead, I collect this title because I love the character. I associate Spawn with the beginning of my love for the traditional superhero action comic and I’ll never forget how I became so fascinated with the universe. I also appreciate the challenge of collecting this title. Many collectors underestimate the level of difficulty inherent in putting together a full top-quality run of this title. Declining sales, increasing numbers of variant editions, and the physical challenges of keeping the dark covers in flawless condition all add to the difficulty level of collecting Spawn.
For each comic in this set, you will find a wealth of publication information in addition to high resolution front and back scans of every listed book. Everyone on the art team is listed and dedications are provided. You will also find the date of publication, sales figure estimates (where available), the census status of each book, and a detailed synopsis of events. I’ve also included personal reflections on many of the issues which have impacted me the most. One of my goals with the registry is to provide a tool for people interested in researching this title. I also seek to preserve the books to the greatest possible extent; I plan on owning these books for a long time. In the end, I hope you enjoy the set and learn more about Spawn in the process.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION USED DURING THE COMPLETION OF THIS SET:
Comichron.com
The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 42nd edition, 2012-13
Spawn.com
Spawnworld.com
Various Spawn comics
Wikipedia
SET HIGHLIGHTS:
14 slabs in 9.9 (mint condition)
Signatures from: Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Dave Sim, Greg Capullo, Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silverstri, Rob Liefeld, David Hine, Mike Grell, Steve Niles, Angel Medina, Danny Miki, Michael Golden, David Finch, Jonathan David Goff, Mike Mignola, Brian Haberlin, Skottie Young, Robert Kirkman, Jock, Philip Tan, Sean Murphy, Alex Ross, Gerardo Sandoval, Grant Morrison, Erik Larsen, Paul Jenkins, Jonboy Meyers, John Leguizamo, Kevin Conrad, and Ash Gonzalez,
SPECIAL THANKS: To my wonderful wife Jenny for the encouragement and understanding and to all of the fine collectors who’ve assisted me in putting together this set. You know who you are!
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