Gunslinger Spawn #26 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist & Inker: Dexter Soy

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Ze Carlos; Gabriel Gomez

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: November 22, 2023

 

Men came after Javier. He couldn’t kill them all. They tortured him and killed his sister. Why? Let’s leap into Gunslinger Spawn #26 and find out!

 

Story

Javier fashions his unique bullets, intent on killing his torturers and his sister's murderers. Like him, they now live among us. While Javier's thoughts return to the past, Taylor awakens in Waya’s home. He suffers as his body changes. Waya worries about them both. The 19^th Century Gunslinger and the gangly young man need each other.

 

In Gunslinger Spawn #26, Todd McFarlane salts Javier’s past with clues. As the men tortured him, they wanted to know his sister’s last words. They sought the source of his strength. We also learn the name of one assailant. Yet McFarlane leaves the reader demanding more. What did Javier do at his ranch that drew the men’s interest? And what about the uniforms they wore? Were the men sent on an official mission? Or were their uniforms merely disguises?

 

Art

Time and torture burnished Javier’s memories. He hung from a tree as knives pierced his flesh, arrows thudded into his chest, and bullets riddled his body. Left for dead in the grass, Javier lay staring at the sky. The burning sun echoed the fire blazing inside him. Ivan Nunes colors Javier's memories in yellow, orange, brown, and red. Dexter Soy's heavy inks threaten to leave us with silhouettes. Panels evoke sepia-toned photographs that last longer—and impart more warmth and color—than their Black and White cousins.

 

Dexter Soy focuses on foregrounds in Gunslinger Spawn #26. Detail and texture are everything to him. As Javier prepares for his next mission, Soy's panels seem photorealistic. Backgrounds blur away. Yet when Javier summons Dakota's gift, he roars away on a different type of steed. Backgrounds glow with blue, yellow, orange, and red. They swirl like colored liquids of different viscosities in a fish tank. The city rises behind him. The miles fall away. As Javier rides toward his revenge, his mask ripples like liquid metal and transforms his features.

 

Black uppercase words inhabit light yellow narrative boxes. As Todd McFarlane’s words guide us through Gunslinger Spawn #26, Tom Orzechowski outlines these boxes with gray. White dialogue balloons rarely intrude upon this grim tale, where turquoise sound effects match the wings of the insects that feast upon Javier's scarred and bleeding flesh. Dialogue balloons surprise on the final page with a color granted to another character in a recent issue. Does this signal that person’s return? Or something else?

 

Thanks to Image for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

As Javier rides toward his next victim, remembering the blackest day of his life, Taylor suffers, and changes threaten both men in Gunslinger Spawn #26.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

For another dazzling cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Gunslinger Spawn #25 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Dexter Soy

Inker: Adelso Corona

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Dan Panosian; Kevin Keane

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: October 25, 2023

 

Gunslinger hungers for vengeance, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Who's his latest target? Let’s leap into Gunslinger Spawn #25 and find out!

 

Story

Truckers work nights for little pay. They’re tireless and loyal, but why? A flaming steed brings one eighteen-wheeler to a halt. When Gunslinger questions him, the trucker admits the truth. He knew what he was transporting.

 

Javier's next target? The depot. Gunslinger slips inside the warehouse and tosses something on the boss's desk. The object startles the man, giving Gunslinger time to garrot him. Or at least question him. But then footsteps sound. So the hellspawn leaves to attend to the man’s workers. But don’t worry, Boss Man! Gunslinger will return!

 

Gunslinger Spawn #25 unreels at a furious pace. Those who hurt his sister Amy will pay. Forsaking his friend Taylor and his shaman Waya, Javier treads a dark road. Yet the darkness doesn’t drown the hellspawn’s soul. Gunslinger uses brains more than weapons to achieve his ends. The guilty must pay. Yet—for the most part—it's by their own hands.

 

Gunslinger Spawn Figure available at McFarlane.com

 

 

Art

Dexter Soy and Adelso Corona avoid double-page spreads and splash pages, delivering detailed, photorealistic art. Changing camera angles captures the energy without jarring the reader. Javier crouches in the shadows while an overweight boss strongarms someone on the phone. Panels focus on the action: knives thud into wood and flesh, feet race down hallways, Javier pulls his gun, and his eyes glow as he says, "I'll be back." Be warned. If King Spawn #26 got your pulse racing three weeks ago, Gunslinger #25 could push your galloping heart into the danger zone!

 

Gunslinger's knife gleams. Every ripple and skull on the hellspawn’s outfit shows. Wherever Javier's boots take him—inside the dark cab, into the dim warehouse, or inside the illuminated Boss Man’s office—Ivan Nunes' shading and highlighting get there first. Darkness and silhouettes enhance drama and tone down the flying blood. Even the details—Post-It Notes on a filing cabinet, books on a floating shelf, a slice of pizza in a cardboard box, or a can of soda—breathe life into this deadly tale,

 

Tom Orzechowski delivers easy-to-read dialogue in stylized balloons in Gunslinger Spawn #25. While the yellow words in brown boxes are slightly smaller, Todd McFarlane's concise narrative won't tax readers. Sparse sound effects accentuate the action as Javier evens the scales. But will achieving his revenge sate Javier's hunger?

 

Final Thoughts

While Javier bathes his gloves in blood, Gunslinger Spawn #25 puts those who treat our planet callously in the crosshairs.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Gunslinger Spawn #24 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Brett Booth

Inker: Adelso Corona

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Mike Deodato Jr.; Kael Ngu

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: September 20, 2023

 

Taylor’s haunted by nightmare visions. Gunslinger wakes him, then tells him they’re Splitsville. Wait? Is the scarred hellspawn breaking up the team? Let’s fall into Gunslinger Spawn #24 and find out!

 

Story

Taylor suffered while growing up due to his less-than-human heritage. He struggled to fit in because his father never explained he didn’t belong. This reminder of his past makes Taylor notice Javier's scars. Taylor's pity reminds his hellspawn friend of unfinished business.

 

Javier abandons Taylor to visit his shaman. Waya reminds Gunslinger of his obligations to the boy. But Javier hasn't had time to train the boy or help Taylor fight the infection poisoning him. After dealing with the angels that pursued him and battling Clown and Violator on Omega Island, Gunslinger wants revenge on the people who hurt him and his sister. He’s waited long enough: it’s time to settle the score.

 

Gunslinger Spawn #24 reminds us of Taylor’s parentage and ups the stakes for his survival. Javier suffers from a similar sickness, but we haven’t seen how his angelic affliction affects him since Waya aided him in issue #18. The friends should go to school with each other. But Javier's tired of running. Make Do and Mend must do until he's balanced the scales. Watch out, villains! If Gunslinger's serving up revenge, it'll be a dish best served scorching hot!

 

Gunslinger Spawn figure available at Amazon.com

 

 

Art

Brett Booth and Adelso Corona open with a double-page spread of Taylor’s hellish suffering. While it doesn’t explain Taylor’s confusion, Dakota’s mention of giving Javier a steed makes more sense when Gunslinger pulls the tiny dinosaur from his pocket. The shape it assumes suggests its owner influences its transformation. Javier’s new ride--and the modern weapons Spawn supplied in issue #19--contrast with the ancient weapons and modern transportation Gunslinger used in this series debut. Two minor quibbles with Booth's otherwise excellent contributions would be the tiny panels that limit the expressiveness of Sharon's boyfriend and don’t show what Javier did to his adversary’s car.

 

Ivan Nunes loads his palette with vibrant colors that provide contrast and a touch of gray in Gunslinger Spawn #24. The fire surrounding Javier’s new steed burns red hot in the verdant forest. Smoky candles provide ambiance to Gunslinger’s sepia-toned scenes with Waya. Forelorn Sharon’s blue-green eyes dazzle, and Gunslinger’s red scarf and green eyes enhance the ferocity of his attack. Yet what lingers is the blood that pervades Taylor's torture.

 

Tom Orzechowski delivers dialogue in stylized balloons in Gunslinger Spawn #24. While the yellow words in brown narrative boxes are usually easy to read, longer sentences reduce the letter size in this issue. Sparse sound effects accentuate the action as Javier charts a new path.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Gunslinger Spawn #24 ponders the hunger for revenge, the universal nature of human suffering, and our responsibility to care for those in need.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Gunslinger Spawn #23 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Brett Booth

Inker: Adelso Corona & Corey King

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Fede Mele; Kevin Keane

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: August 9, 2023

 

When we last saw our heroes, Violator had gored Gunslinger, and Clown kicked his daughter Dakota into a chasm. Can either survive? Let’s fall into Gunslinger Spawn #23 and find out! 

 

 

Clown & Violator in Spawn #14 (1993)

 

 

Story

Todd McFarlane enlightens us on how the pit on Omega Island relates to Clown's nemesis Cogliostro, aka Sinn. He also reminds us why Clown wants to tick Gunslinger off Spawn's list of allies. His aims are tactical but also personal and harken back to a Banquet Gone Wrong earlier in this series.

 

On the surface, Violator slings Gunslinger off his tusks before leading a charge against the suffering spawn. Javier's friend Taylor arrives to claim a piece of the action. Yet the heart of this story beats in the dark pit: a battle of wills between a Machiavellian father and his headstrong child. 

 

Violator toy available at McFarlane.com

 

 

While family drama slashes through the pit in Gunslinger Spawn #23,  some dialogue and narrative need sharpening. The sentence "Dakota and her catch near their descent" induces head-scratching. A Clown balloon tells us: "I need won't you anymore." When Dakota gets personal, she talks about choosing. Then in the next panel, she says she went without choosing her destination. Taylor got on Gunslinger's case in issue #21 because the illiterate cowboy from ages past had never heard of dinosaurs. Yet, when Dakota suggests to Gunslinger that one of her tiny dinosaurs can transform into a steed, Taylor asks, "You're saying that thing turns into a horse?"

 

"Um, Taylor? What'd you ride in on, buddy?"

 

Still, there's much more to like than dislike in Gunslinger Spawn #23, such as Taylor's return, Gunslinger's rejuvenation, and Dakota's aching hunger for familial affection. My favorite sentence compares shrieking to the baying of injured dogs, which relates to one of Gunslinger's abilities. Best of all: fans learn how darling Dakota forged her affinity with dinosaurs. That alone is worth the price of admission for Mr. Clown's Wild Ride!

 

 

Todd McFarlane shares Dakota's First Appearance

 

 

Art

Brett Booth conveys realism and roughness to Gunslinger Spawn #23. Aided by inkers Adelso Corona & Corey King, dinosaurs and the Violator ignite the big-budget thrills of the Jurassic Park movies. Claws slash, gunfire flashes, blood flies, and hellspawn eyes burn. Momentous action shakes the compound on Omega Island, while at the bottom of the "near-bottomless" pit, light transfixes Dakota from a crack in the wall.

 

A few moments don't quite gel with the narrative. After hitting the bottom of the pit head-first, Clown stands, unbothered, in the next panel. Then Dakota hurls him to the floor again. Although he's struck from a far less height, this fall elicits a pained response. Up top, the narrator claims the minions are in a frenzy. While their eyes glow and innumerable incisors glisten, they're just peering into the pit. Later, the narrator states they surround Gunslinger, yet all we see are individual close-ups. The end—when they see the sun through openings in walls, doesn't marry with the poster-worthy double-page opening battle of issue #21. Hopefully, the next issue will finally unleash the clash of the spawn-titans. 

 

 

Gunslinger Spawn Figure available at McFarlane.com

 

 

 

As this review's length has tested your patience, I'll forego a detailed analysis of coloring and lettering. Ivan Nunes' vivid and luminous photorealism elevates Gunslinger Spawn #23, while Tom Orzechowski ensures that dialogue balloons and narrative boxes are pleasing to the eye and easy to read. Sound effects help you feel the energy coursing through this prehistoric and hellish adventure. One final shout-out: Dakota relates her dinosaur-handling origins via narrative boxes colored somewhere between magenta and brown. It's an eye-catching shade that sets the white letters off beautifully.

 

Final Thoughts

Amid the battle that rocks Omega Island, Gunslinger Spawn #23 examines the tragedy of dysfunctional families. Ironically, a monster’s unexpected act of caring has the final word.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To view another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

Gunslinger Spawn #21 Review

 

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Brett Booth

Inker: Adelso Corona

Colorist: Ivan Nunes

Letterer: Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artists: Chris Stevens & Brett Booth

Publisher: Image

Price: 2.99

Release Date: June 14, 2023

 

Taylor and Gunslinger--aided by Dakota and her dinosaurs--battle Clown, his minions, and the Violator. How did we get to this epic battle? Let’s charge into Gunslinger Spawn #21 and find out!

 

Story

After four pages filled with Spawns, dinosaurs, and Taylor wielding a sword, we travel back in time. Like us, Taylor wants answers, but Gunslinger wants a snooze. For the best of reasons, Gunslinger blew up his life. Now they're living on the run and teaming up with a woman he doesn't trust.

 

Dakota tries to find common ground with Taylor by explaining they’ve both had terrible fathers. She hopes to capture Clown and bring him to Spawn. Taking him and Violator out of action will benefit the good guys in this war Gaia has unleashed. But Taylor keeps confusing Gunslinger, so the 19th Century hellspawn finally asks, "Dinosaurs? What are dinosaurs?

 

Art

Predatory dinosaurs charge across Omega Island. Taylor rides one wielding a sword. Gunslinger leaps through the air, firing the modern weapons Spawn gave him. Can Violator's tusks, multiple rows of teeth, and fierce claws take on Dakota's dinosaurs? The monster's red-hot eyes suggest he's burning to try. Aside from his minions, which look like miniature versions of himself, Big And Tall Clown stands indomitable. He lifts his sombrero-wearing daughter by the neck like Darth Vader questions rebel leaders and punches away with his other fist. Gunslinger hits a robot or an armored soldier. The broken bodies of similar soldiers litter the ground, along with fallen dinosaurs. Whether their armored humans, spawns, or robots, green liquid bursts forth when Gunslinger shoots them.

 

Vibrant and electrifying colors heighten the action in Gunslinger Spawn #21. Gunslinger's red cap (with an Image logo) and trench coat stand out against his black shirt, boots, and gray pants. The tiny purple dinosaur sprawled on his chest looks like it belongs there. Taylor's orange-red hair reminds me of the color Gunslinger's coat often turns in battle. Sunlight bleaches black-masked Dakota when she grabs Taylor from behind, pushing the freaked-out young man to the forefront. Yet she shines with color when the purple dinosaur leaps onto her shoulders. Do its claws dig into her maroon jacket? While weapons hang from holsters, her black top, exposed midriff, and blue pants suggest she's as vulnerable as Taylor.

 

Brown narrative boxes feature yellow upper-case letters. Black uppercase letters ride through Gunslinger Spawn #21 in white dialogue balloons. Blocky yellow sound effects help us hear Dakota try to knock some sense into Taylor, the click of Gunslinger pulling the trigger when Taylor calls him dumb, and the reports when the hellspawn cowboy shoots robots, minions, and monsters. White lowercase letters in black narrative boxes provide helpful links to related events in previous issues.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Gunslinger Spawn #21 is a fast and furious team-up with links to recent events in The Scorched. It features dinosaurs, the Clown and his minions, and Violator. It's frustrating that it starts with such an epic battle, goes back in time to show the planning stages, and ends before events in the opening pages. Still, all the Spawn books are frustrating, as they always leave you wanting to know more.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To see Brett Booth's exhilarating Cover A see my review at Comic Book Dispatch

 

Spawn Unwanted Violence #2 Review

 

Spawn Unwanted Violence #2 Review

Writer: Todd McFarlane

Artist: Mike Del Mundo

Colorist: Mike Del Mundo & Marco D’Alfanso

Letterer: Andworld Design & Tom Orzechowski

Cover Artist: Mike Del Mundo

Publisher: Image

Price: 4.99

Release Date: February 22, 2023

 

A police horse injures a black girl. Spawn defies police orders to clear the scene. Meanwhile, the Freak hunts for clues to the deaths of children. Will virtue and truth emerge, or will chaos reign on Earth? Let’s dive into Spawn Unwanted Violence #2 and find out!

 

Story

In the first of these two interwoven stories, the Spawn causes the authorities no end of grief. The police wish to clear the scene. Spawn's televised passive resistance sparks protests nationwide. As the forces of Law and Order grow increasingly frustrated, their efforts become more and more extreme. They can't relent. They can't back down. Yet Spawn is an unmovable force. One of their attempts may remind readers of a humorous scene in Kenneth Branaugh’s Thor movie. A later move reminded me of the tragedy underlying the Bruce Willis movie The Siege. When does common sense give way to madness? The reader wonders as this story plays out.

 

Meanwhile, Freak searches for answers. The animated mummy ignores the law as he pilfers secret files and interrogates a government employee. Are agents of Heaven and Hell behind the poisoning and deaths of children? Sadly, no introduction or helpful footnotes help readers understand the scope of Freak's investigation in Spawn Unwanted Violence #2.

 

Art

Upper-and-lower case letters in black narrative boxes guide us through Spawn’s story. The narrator's voice seems intrigued and even amused by how events escalate. Lights spear through the early morning darkness, creating a colorful haze. What's so interesting is how light and color play upon the participants. At times, richly colored panels suggest a comic painted rather than drawn. At others, light suffuses scenes, leaving characters and objects flat. Bold upper-case letters in white dialogue balloons indicate intonation. Shouts make letters grow and turn red. Sound effects—when they arrive—merge with the art. They slice through the panel like a knife or fill the background with large, colorful letters. The mixture of styles and techniques in this issue reminds me of C.O.W.L., another Image series that muses how superheroes and traditional authorities sometimes clash as they attempt to keep the peace in troubled inner-city neighborhoods.

 

Compared with the luminous and atmospheric art of the first plot, we follow more traditional horror art as the Freak pursues his investigation. Darkness surrounds the skeletal detective; little light and limited colors paint rooms and corridors. Scrawls suggest wisps of hair. Are the circles on his skull injuries that never healed? The mummy uses pins and string to connect photographs and documents. Black upper-case letters in yellow dialogue balloons are unevenly spaced and don't quite line up. His posture and movements suggest dogged determination. Yet when—as Anakin Skywalker might say—he opts for aggressive interrogation—his swift movements stun, shock. There are reasons never to venture down dark alleys: the Freak is one.

 

Final Thoughts

At times, the Spawn narrative seemed excessive. The Freak story seemed overly violent, not directly related to Spawn’s actions, and poorly explained. Yet long after I read it, the two strands in Spawn Unwanted Violence #2 played through my mind as they merged, each building upon and emphasizing the other.

 

Clad in the robes of Black Lives Matter, this issue speaks to the mystery of government. We invest power in others for our protection. Yet we are shocked when they chose legalities over common sense and The Rule Of Law over safeguarding people. If only there were easy answers in the constant battle to reforming, maintaining, and preserving fair government for all.

 

Moody, atmospheric, haunting: Spawn Unwanted Violence #2 will live with you long after you read it.

 

Rating: 8.5/10

 

To view the virgin art for this cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch