Spawn #1

[Sep 1997]. Cover price £2.00.
52 pages. Full colour contents.
Titan Magazines.

Edited by Marcus Hearn.

Cover p: Todd McFarlane, i: Ken Steacy, coloured by Olyoptics.
r: cover from Spawn (Image Comics) #08 (Feb 1993).

Contents:

 2 The Beginning... text introduction (uncredited).

 3 Spawn Questions, part one, w:/a: Todd McFarlane, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, coloured by Steve Oliff.

r: Spawn (Image Comics) #01 (May 1992).

25 The Casting Call text feature by Todd McFarlane.

27 Spawn Questions, part two, w:/a: Todd McFarlane, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, coloured by Steve Oliff & Reuben Rude.

r: Spawn (Image Comics) #02 (Jun 1992).

49 The Official Tie-In to Spawn's Big Screen Deal with the Devil! in-house advertisement for Spawn: The Making of the Movie and graphic novels.

50 Music from the Darkside competition to win Spawn soundtracks.

51 Next Next issue information.

52 Forbidden Planet advertisement.

From award-winning writer/artist Todd McFarlane comes the newest, darkest hero of them all - SPAWN!

Spawn is Lt. Colonel Al Simmons, a former government agent altered beyond all recognition and possessed of dark and unearthly powers. No longer quite human, Spawn patrols the night-time streets of New York, driven by a love that knows no bounds and a terrible secret that may just cost him his very soul!

Join us as we begin our journey through Spawn's world... the very adventures that inspired this year's most exciting film!

Spawn feels weighty and impressive, helped by a slick card cover and beautiful, sharp printing throughout - I would go so far as to state that this is more impressive than the US edition. Unfortunately, this lavish attention is squandered on a tie-in to an epic turkey of a movie. The comic shouldn't, of course, be judged by association, as it represents far better value for money than a cinema ticket.

Casting Call reveals the difficulties faced in gathering a cast for the film, already green lit for production commencing in August 1996. While it is understandable that casting problems were inevitable, it is still difficult to understand some of the choices. Photographs from the production highlight one of the problems which was inescapable - Spawn is so very, very nineties. While some properties are able to slip into an almost timeless setting, there's no disputing the era which the character belongs to.

Spawn is the best the character has ever looked in print.