Monday, March 30, 2015

Booknote: Spawn: Shadows of Spawn, Volume 1

Juzo Tokoro, Spawn: Shadows of Spawn, Volume 1. Berkeley, CA: Image Comics, 2005. ISBN: 1-58240-571-9.

Genre: Manga
Subgenre: Superheroes, horror (light)
Format: Paperback.
Source: Part of a three volume set I found at Half Price Books (I will be reviewing the other two later). 


This is not just a manga treatment of Spawn. The manga presents a new Spawn character. Ken Kurosawa, a thug for hire and martial artist, lives to care for his ailing sister. A car bomb kills him, and his dying wish is to be at his sister's side and to be there for her birthday. But beware what you for. Seven years later, he returns to Earth as a Hell Spawn, taunted and guided (somewhat) by Clown and a faerie-like demon named Beelzebub. It's a familiar tale, yet it is new as well with a new Spawn and a new setting.

The manga art on this is really good. Tokoro makes Spawn look great. My only wish is that the manga had been in color, but it was well done overall. The story moves along well as Spawn struggles to figure out his new powers, rediscover his old memories, and trying to see his sister again.

The book was a nice and light entertaining read. It was one I really liked that even gave a little nod to the original Spawn, Al Simmons.

4 out of 5 stars.

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