REVIEW: Spawn #286

Todd McFarlane“s Spawn is getting closer and closer to its 300th issue. For the original fans and readers of this Image Comics“ series about a human-turned-hell-spawn taken before his time — and his subsequent journeys through the complexities of hell/hell on earth ”“ the longevity of this series must be remarkable. The genesis of Image is now steeped in the nostalgia of comic book lore, but McFarlane“s Spawn distinguished itself early and often, in both its art and its letters.

That hellish staying power continues to be on display in Spawn #286 as Al Simmons/Spawn finds himself in the bowels of a prison. He finds himself here after a brief stint in solitary confinement and his refusal to use any kind of legal representation. It is worth noting that the United States leads the world in terms of incarceration rates; so a comic story dedicated to the nightmarish reality of the prison industrial complex seems awfully resonant with our current political moment. This is especially true in a week where a reality TV star has successfully lobbied our reality TV star president to commute the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson.

But there is no pardon on the table for Spawn in this issue. He wants to be where he is. He is, as always, on a mission and for all of the anxiety of this issue“s opening pages, Spawn doesn“t appear to ever lose his cool. It“s hard to tell at times since his mask is now irremovable. In fact his face is the only thing that is covered when he is delivered to the “special sector”“ of this dreary prison. The corruption of the criminal justice system is the predicate to the horrors of Spawn #286. But the moody spectacle of a naked black body in a prison is one of the scariest images depicted in comics.

Spawn is more than a horror comic, but Jason Shawn Alexander“s art gives this issue a dark gothic feel that brilliantly captures the horrors of the prison industrial complex and the darker twists of Spawn“s current mission. The look and the feel of Spawn in 2018 is like the prophetic vision of what the comic could be in 1992. McFarlane and company have developed Spawn for over 20 years now. This is an amazing feat given the comic book market then and now. The hellish story worlds that Spawn continues to master continue to matter to comic book fans. 3.5/5.

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(W) Todd McFarlane (A) Jason Shawn Alexander (CA) Todd McFarlane