Is this really an important release or can fans skip it?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

COGLIOSTRO RETURNS!!!

But is it too late to save Jim Downing from his fate?

Al Simmons’ old mentor returns to guide Jim in his journey to control the vast powers that haunt him. But Cog has already betrayed one Spawn. Is he sinister enough to do it again, or is there more to his motivations than simple greed?

The lessons that will shape Jim’s future BEGIN HERE! Secrets that rest at the very core of the Spawn mythos are set to be revealed

It’s without a doubt a powerful entry that sees plenty of information delved out to an already engrossed, and perhaps, anxious audience.  And to the creative team’s credit they capitalize on that because there’s more than enough subtext to ensure an air of doubt combined with anticipation for whatever comes next.

Todd McFarlane pens the script, and the franchise creator wastes no time jumping headfirst into the mess left over by last month’s cliffhanger.  What makes this jaunt unique is the fact that the author is able to make this interaction feel fresh and foreboding.  The inclusion of the man who once taught then betrayed Al Simmons is interesting, and the way he executes his new level of importance sells the innate connections of this complicated narrative.  There were a couple bits where more text would have helped but to be honest these were few and far between.

The first slew of pages see art with very little dialogue, as Szymon Kurdranski struts his stuff in a visual sense.  I can’t say enough good things about what I see in each panel from beginning to end.  The characters and world are lavishly detailed, to the point that fans who have been following this property since its inception are bound to be pleased.  He handles the renditions of a conversation in a way that builds up the tension and never robs the moment of its horror elements.

Spawn #237 is another great issue that earns praise.  Highly recommended.

4.5/5