Saturday, July 31, 2010

Spawn #198 and #199 - Image

I was going to wait until September to start this, but . . the current issue of Spawn, #199 just came out this week, so . . I thought I'd include it in this post. Plus, it's been a few months since the last issue came out, so . . this'll get us all caught up. Right? Anyways, Todd's weaving one heck of a story leading up to issue #200 here. We start out with the organization that Spawn inadvertantly crippled. Basically it's a group that hires out villains. They had sent their best 'hitter' after Jim Downing, but . . he never returned. In fact, he was splattered all over the walls. So now they want him even more because they want to find out what he did and what he's capable of. So they send in another agent. But not just any agent. Like Jim, once called 'Patient 47', this guy was called 'Patient 46'. So although he's reluctant . . this makes it kind of personal. After watching other people who were experimented on die, or worse . . he was promised that he would be the last. So he also wants to find out who, or what, 'Patient 47' is, and shut it down. Unfortunately he confronts him right outside of his apartment. And . . Marc has shown up, with a whole slew of reporters right behind him. Suffice it to say . . there's a huge battle. The 2 combatants bring and entire building down on top of them. But then, as the media is watching . . the rubble parts, and Jim comes walking out completely unscathed. Issue #198 ends in a media frenzy. In #199, Sam and Twitch are brought back into the story. They're just coming in, and are reluctantly ready to start at the bottom with the doctors from St Anthony's. But that's when they're called into maelstrom with the destruction of the building close by. As they approach they see Jim walking off . . through the air. Twitch is shortly pulled away, into the alley, as he sees the Clown standing there. Somehow Twitch is mixed up in all of this and the Clown tries to intimidate him as the Violator. When that doesn't work . . he gives Sam a massive coronary. This issue ends with a showdown between Spawn, Jim Downing, the Clown and the pasty faced freak. The pasty faced guy also seems to have an Omega-Spawn in his employ. Apparently he's the one that fought the heroes in Image United. I'm not sure how that story is related to this one, because . . I didn't read it. Anyways, I think the pasty faced guy is actually the Redeemer, after the Violater killed him and he went to Hell. Something down there changed him, and this is how he's returned. I may be wrong though, because that's the mystery that ends this issue. 'Look into my eyes! Both of you! It's time to show you who I REALLY AM!!' Could it be Al? I thought this was a heck of an issue and it really sets us up for the masterpiece that should be #200. Todd wrote both issue, with Khary Randolph doing the art on #198, and Erik Larsen doing the art on #199. Todd did the inks on both so they both had a kind of similar look. And of course the covers are by Greg Capullo. Well . . now that I'm caught up I want to find out what happens in issue #200. That should be an extravaganza. It's hard to believe that we're finally here. After almost 20 years. Whadathunkit?

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