Spawn #226 Review


An old villain gets the spotlight in this latest issue, but does he really deserve it? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

“DE-PROGRAMMED,” Part Two

The SECRET ORIGIN of the PROGRAM!

The RISE of Jason Wynn!

NEW TODD MCFARLANE cover!

Jason Wynn, Al Simmons’ old mentor and superior, and one of the Spawn universe’s greatest villains, returns to shed light on the dark realities of Jim’s past. But Wynn, ever the puppet master, has motivations beyond simply filling in the blurred gaps in Jim’s memory. What happens when Wynn finds himself to be nothing more than another pawn in the endless war between Heaven and Hell? Witness the early days of Wynn’s rise to power, and the unbridled ambition that made him one of the most powerful men on the planet as “DE-PROGRAMMED” continues with this special two-part chapter entitled, “The Life and Death of Jason Wynn!”

Spawn has been a long lasting franchise that has endured its share of creative bumps in the road but the latest string of stories have taken this tale to a whole new level.  The creative team continues to succeed by offering concepts that may not be completely fresh but they find the right way to deliver them as they lead the audience down some fascinating roads.

If one was to give credit to the jump in narrative quality you need to look no further than Todd McFarlane. The series creator and current scribe has brought forth heavy dialogue as his scripts continue to be nothing less than a fascinating literary exercise.  This latest jaunt takes the time to examine Jason Wynn and to any devoted fans glee the author fills in some blanks while raising some questions.   Despite that though there are times where the pace of the book is severely bogged down by extended exposition.

The words are very strong on their own but the art by Szymon Kudranski easily raises the overall quality by imbuing this saga with a very distinct personality. Realistic pencil strokes wrapped in deep shadows create a well-defined atmosphere that easily sells some of the more outlandish concepts.  Overall this is how a book staring these types of characters should look.

Spawn #226 is another really good issue that fills in some blanks while illuminating where this arc might just be going.  Highly recommended.

4.5/5

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