Episode 74: “Conflict of Interest” & “Call Her Hel” – Hellspawn #11 & #12
Spawnography
George and Pierce get into another couple of issues of Hellspawn because it is, in fact, the #SummerofHellspawn. No one has used that hastag and no one will again. In these two issues, we're going to finish things up with Cy-Gor, seemingly finishing things up with Mike Moran (?) and see what's in store with Eden, the woman who was left in a bathtub previously. As with many of these episodes, trigger warnings for self harm, forced birth and extreme violence if you read these comics. We won't talk about the violence much but the rest we have to at least mention. This week's...
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Episode 73: “Chains” & “Clash” – Hellspawn #9 & #10
Spawnography
Ben Templesmith joins the fray as the #SummerofHellspawn continues! As with many of the previous episodes, we'd be remiss not to give a trigger warning for some of the content in these issues and the discussion of them surrounding self-harm. That said, Steve Niles is clearly trying to set this book on a slightly different path than its been on to this point while Ashley Wood and Templesmith are seemingly trying to be cognizant about bringing a cohesive look to the book as Wood transitions off of it. But we've got Cy-Gor. We've got Mike Moran. We've got Scary Larry and we've got Spawn so...
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Episode 72: “Shed” & “The Suicide Gate” – Hellspawn #7 & #8
Spawnography
We are halfway through the #SummerofHellspawn! There's a lot to cover in these two issues! Trigger warning abound to for self-harm especially in these two issues! Issue #7 offers a surreal psychological portrait of Spawn’s fractured identity, with dreamlike, unsettling visuals as Sam & Twitch strike a secret deal with Mike Moran and John Damascus tortures a broken Jason Wynn. Then, in issue #8, Spawn confronts a twisted abomination from his past—Cy‑Gor reprogrammed into a killing machine—and also attempts to save Eden, an abused woman who tragically chooses to end her...
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Episode 71: “Selling Fear” & “The Big Leagues” – Hellspawn #5 & #6
Spawnography
Hey there Hellspawn! We're back with another two issues of the 2000s edgiest Spawn spinoff, Hellspawn. Chatrooms are buzzing about the existence of Spawn and George and Pierce will dive deeper into Brian Michael Bendis and Ashley Wood's darker interpratation of the world of Rat City. But how does this fit into the the grand anarrative of the war between Heaven and Hell? Why don't these angels looks like the ones we've seen before? And who is Mike Moran? Is he really Miracleman? (And who the hell is Miracleman anyway? This week's recommendations are to identify something in your life...
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Episode 70: "Hate Me" & "Hate You" - Hellspawn #3 & #4
Spawnography
Summer of Hellspawn continues! And with it, another heavy trigger warning for discussions of selfharm and racism. This week, Brian Michael Bendis and Ashley Wood get a little assist from the legend Bill Sienkiewicz as the creative team dives deeper into the depths of depravity. They finish up the fight against Clown and then investigate the insidious ways that evil persists in our every day lives through pundits with platforms who seek to divide everyday people. Is this just a darker take on the "Spawn Across America" arc? Not quite. Does it improve upon it? George and Pierce will get into it....
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Episode 69: "The Clown" - Hellspawn #1 & #2
Spawnography
The Summer of Hellspawn is here! For the next two months, we will be covering the entirety of Hellspawn by Brian Michael Bendis, Ashley Wood, Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith before returning to our regular Spawn coverage. Before we go any further, we do was to issue a pretty heavy trigger warning for this book and a lighter trigger warning for our discussions of it. If you are affected by depictions and discussions of self-harm, sexual violence and violence against women, you may want to skip these episodes. Hellspawn is definitely more of an R-rated book compared to the main Spawn title's...
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Episode 68: "Retribution Overdrive" - Spawn #105 & #106
Spawnography
Overtkill's back and he's better than ever! For Spawnie this year, Overtkill's here! (^Obviously, that should be sung to the tune of the Hess truck jingle) But Overtkill is back and he's brought along a new writer for a couple of issues, horror aficionado, Steve Niles. You might be familiar with his work on 30 Days of Night, Batman and Kick-Ass but George and Pierce will dig into how well his work fits into the Spawn universe. We'll also take a brief look back at Curse of the Spawn #23 and #24 and how those issues fit into this era. Along the way, diversions include Jonathan Hickman's...
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Episode 67: "Cautionary Tales" - Spawn #102-#104
Spawnography
This week, we've got a trio of stories that aim to refocus the main Spawn title after the events of the #100 milestone. Who and what is Spawn after the death of Malebolgia? What does he stand for? What is his place in the world? Is his humanity just a distant memory? This definitely feels like a retread of similar stories - namely, the "Spawn Across America" arc some 70 issues ago - but with Holguin on board, the stories do have a bit of a different feel. As always, George and Pierce will get into it and along the way, they'll discuss Holguin's exploration of hopelessness in the world of...
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Episode 66: "Spawn: Simony"
Spawnography
Time to take a detour into a weird little artifact in Spawn publishing history, "Spawn: Simony." Originally published in French by the company that put out the main Spawn comics in France, it eventually got an English translation. Is this exactly where it fits in continuity? Uh, sure! Is this some underrated gem? Uh, probably not! But your humble Spawnographers will do their duty while also talking about the similarities to Robocop and the Fifth Element, reminiscing about DC Comics in the EB Games era and which X-Men are queer. This week's recommendations are to carve out some time for your...
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Episode 65: "Aftermath" - Spawn #101
Spawnography
And we are back to our regularly scheduled Spawn programming! Thanks again to Todd McFarlane for joining us last episode! This episode we say goodbye to Greg Capullo and hello to new series regular artist, Angel Medina. Spawn hangs out with Granny Blake to decompress after the recent events of the comic and we get acquainted with the beginnings of this new era of Spawn. We'll get into some personal religious traumas, tried to start a rap beef with Drake - you know, the usual. This week, we have two recommendations. Number one is to listen to music that pumps you up and makes you feel...
info_outlineGeorge and Pierce delve into the Seven-tinged depths of depravity that Brian Holguin brings to these two issues and in the process, they are delighted by the propulsiveness he's brought to the plot. A killer is loose in Spawn's alley and it's up to Spawn to stop them! Bobby is still reeling from the loss of his best bud, Bootsy. Who is Sarah Frost? Twitch is... DEAD?! How many books are there that are called Nevermore and do they have Davy Crockett in them? (And what does that have to do with these issues?)
This week's recommendations are All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told by Douglas Wolk. It is a "the first-ever full reckoning with Marvel Comics’ interconnected, half-million-page story, a revelatory guide to the “epic of epics”—and to the past sixty years of American culture—from a beloved authority on the subject who read all 27,000+ Marvel superhero comics and lived to tell the tale!" Meanwhile, George recommends that our listeners find a way to indulge in life's simple pleasures - for her, one of those pleasures is Athens, GA local coffee shop Sips, home of a damn fine cup of coffee.
Thanks to Freesound (https://freesound.org/) for helping provide some of our intro sound effects.
Thanks to Blake Whitlow for the always useful Spawn Reading Order. (https://tinyurl.com/47pvxj3a)
Thank YOU for listening!