Spawn #303

Recap
“HELL HUNT,” Part Two The aftermath of SPAWN #301 continues in this great jumping-on point for new readers! Spawn, Reaper, and She-Spawn fight their way to the catacombs beneath the Vatican to free Medieval Spawn! But is he friend or foe? Meanwhile, Clown’s Hellhounds have other plans, as they move to stop Spawn from gathering his new army of heroes. JOIN THE HUNT!
Review
Who would’ve thought that Spawn would be such a good catalyst for classic vigilante stories? The world continues to grow in Spawn #303 as new Hellspawns continue to pop up and we finally see Al team up with Jessica. It might be a dark path forward, but team Spawn is growing and it couldn’t be more exciting.
When the epic record breaking Spawn #300 dropped, it was hard to imagine how to follow up on such an impactful story. However, it seems McFarlane has finally embraced the vigilante roots of the character to pursue a narrative that falls more in line with traditional superhero comics rather than dark horror. It’s a refreshing change of pace that helps to develop new and interesting elements for the story while keeping the pacing both consistent and coherent.
Let’s just face it, Jessica as She-Spawn steals the spotlight on every single panel she’s featured in. Jason Shawn Alexander’s iconic artwork translated into this new character is simply magnificent. When she reveals her identity and newfound powers to Marc I couldn’t help but immediately want a spinoff comic series focused on her. She just has that powerful of a presence.
The story unfolding will certainly take readers to places the series has never gone before. With all these new Hellspawn popping up, including one badass medieval Spawn, it was only a matter of time before ol’ Cog shows up. This is really where I found my only complaint regarding the issue though. It’s structured in a way that we basically have two separate but concurrent stories ongoing. It would have been more pleasing to read if these stories were woven together a bit more intricately to make up one singular story rather than piecing it together. I’m not sure how I’ll enjoy this format over the next few issues but hopefully it effectively sheds some light on what’s happening.
While Spawn #303 isn’t the most eventful issue, it does move the chess pieces at play in some interesting ways. It’s important to note that this arc isn’t just setting up some climactic conclusion, it’s building an entire world populated with Hellspawn and twisted agendas that can be built upon for many issues to come. It’s an important step in the Spawn series that is being handled remarkably well. I honestly can’t wait for what’s to come.
Final Thoughts
Spawn #303 is an interesting step forward in this increasingly important arc, expanding on the world with some intriguing developments that will have new and longtime fans alike truly excited.
Spawn #303: They Don’t Make Demon Babies Like They Used To
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10