The latest arc kicks off here but following the revelations about Jim Downing is he still an interesting protagonist?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

“COLLATERAL DAMAGE”

DEATH! BETRYAL! PARANOIA! THE CURSE OF THE SPAWN SPREADS!

As Jim Downing has violently sought answers to the many mysteries surrounding his work with The Program, those closest to him have gone about their lives. And while the darkness within Jim continues to grow, he is not the only one haunted by the curse of the Spawn.

Witness the dark realities of those whose lives have been touched by Jim’s rebirth, as the shadows of damnationbegin to take hold. Changing lives. Threatening lives. Taking lives!

When dealing with a longstanding franchise it can be difficult to find new or creative ways to make a world and its storied characters fresh enough to keep a dedicated audience entertained.  If the latest slew of issues are any indication than the people behind this current barrage of Spawn are more than up to that task.

Todd McFarlane once again takes the franchise he created and continues to peel away at the world around our hero by revisiting old scenarios while still making them unique enough to not feel like unnecessary retreading of already covered ground. From the first page to the cliffhanger the author absolutely knows how he wants to tell his story and it shows through out this literary jaunt.  With that there were some rockier moments toward the beginning of this book but overall the inherent good far outweighed any minor missteps.

The art by Szymon Kudranski continues to impress.  This saga from its original inception has always had detailed art that would easily allow itself to rival the big two companies and this latest slew of illustrations from the little Hellspawn that could are no different.  The lines are delicate and finely tuned as they produce an atmosphere that simply embraces the horror tendencies associated with this storied franchise.

Spawn #228 is another really good issue that further proves that there’s plenty of life left in this green-eyed anti-hero.  Recommended.

4/5