SPAWN #149 - Discussion Thread!!!

[Jon Goff]

SPAWN #149...
http://www.spawn.com/comics/SPAWN/monthly/images/spawn_comic_cover_149_cl.jpg
...is ON SALE NOW!!!

"Spawn sifts through the rubble of his life -- broken shards of memory and lost pieces of the past -- in a desperate attempt to find a terrible secret that the fallen angel Mammon has hidden inside of him. As the Hellspawn's searching leads him into unexpected quarters and face-to-face with enemies old and new, he can't shake the feeling that no matter what he does, no matter which path he chooses, he is doing precisely what Mammon wants."

This is it! The final issue before the titanic event of SPAWN #150.

Let's hear your thoughts...

[spawn5061]

1st, haven't gotten it yet. going this weekend.

[rpgguy_1o1]

gaaaah, i forgot it came out today and bought smokes instead, so i was poor by the time i realized

[magusraven]

I got it, its ok.

The fight isnt all that great, its almost exactly like their previous fight in 73. In that Spawn is transported by the heap again. Also Mammons true goal of taking over the throne of heaven is revealed. Also it appears Al is gonna rip **** up nest issue, the last page gives that impression.

[Think Geek]

::sigh:: I thought spawn was moving away from this. It seems every issue of spawn deals with the same exact thing. its getting so repetitive. Yes Spawn is tormented. Yes he's a pawn in a big chess game. How many times has that cliche line been tossed around? Yea we get it, his life is a chess game! Whats this a war between heaven and hell? No way I haven't seen that before.Each issue just repeats the basic story line of the book itself. Beating you over the head with the same retoric. We get it, heaven and hell are both bad. They use souls. More useless villains appear, spawn fights them. It turns into a smack feast with jumbled senseless art and two things hitting each other. I really hope after 150, spawn can get turned around and start on something fresh.:mad:

[mikec8785]

I agree that it does some that there are pieces of plot being repeated. However, i thought there were some major insights into how the plot is thickening in this issue. That is if i'm reading it correctly. They say the throne of heaven is unoccupied. God is nowhere to be found. The war being fought is useless because there is no God. If this is the case it is a huge event in the story. This is the secret Mammon has learned. The fight with the Heap was almost exactly like the previous one, but i expected that. I think that this issue was a decent build-up to i. 150. There could have been more plot revealed though.

[Matt the Undead]

if 149 was this late who knows when 150 will come out? november? december?

[94081]

Umm, if it's so repetitive, why don't just Todd stop the regular Spawn comic and create one shots?
Like what J. Scott Campbell did with Danger Girl...

Is he trying to repeat the way of DC and Marvel by flogging the same heroes and villains over
and over again for like 70 years and counting now.....

[SONICobra]

if 149 was this late who knows when 150 will come out? november? december?
its suppose to only be a couple of weeks i think.

[Born_2_Die]

Getting it later today.
Will post my review of this late issue then.
Don't know why, but the fact that it's 10 pages bigger than the usual book has got me a bit excited.

[m84j]

im getting it this weekend! cannot wait!

if only there was a comic store where i am now :mad:

[Darknet]

I didn't have high expectations for this issue because it is setting up a huge thing.

So let me get this straight: Mammon steals Spawn's memories of Wanda in order to break him. Once hes broken down, he would convince Spawn to open the gates of Heaven. A holy war between Heaven and Hell would break out and cause the universe to implode. Meanwhile, somehow, Mammon got rid of God in the process and took the Seat of Creation and created a new universe to his liking. Right?

[mikec8785]

I think some of that is true. Yes Mammon stole Spawn's memories to break him and so he could have Spawn open the gates of Heaven and start the war. However, I think God is already gone. It says the seat of creation is empty and heaven is trying to cover that up. But, Mammon has found this out and that's why he's using Spawn: he wants the throne. The part about Mammon creating a new universe is what the Greenworld was saying will happen. The Greenworld played out the situation as it would happen if, I'm guessing, Spawn wasn't given back his memories by them. That's how I saw it at least.

[DragonVileHater]

I see Angel's art hasn't been bashed yet...

[in_the_grave]

Just finished reading it.

Yeah, it was pretty much nothing new. 150 is gonna be good....

Did anyone else not want Al to remember Wanda again?

[DragonVileHater]

Also it appears Al is gonna rip **** up nest issue, the last page gives that impression.

I liked that...Can't wait. Hope the hype ain't 100 % bull****. 150 better be Effin' good.

[Master Gundam]

Nothing really new in this issue. I thought the fact that there is noone in Heaven was already established a while ago. When Al had that dream that he was in Heaven and Mammon was on the Throne, at least thats what I got from it. I guess Mammon was using Spawn to get into Heaven only due to the fact that Spawn was redeemed in issue 100. I also think having such an awesome character design such as the heap return in such a minor way was pretty lame. I mean it was only for narration's sake, I think Green World could have reached him without being aggressively confrontational since they only wanted to talk. The graveyard sceen was nice art-wise, especially the last page with the detailed fingers, which was pretty much Medina getting his last word in. Other than that pretty typical sceen. Other things on art is I hope Brian Haberlin does'nt keep using such awkward light colors which he did a lot of on Medina's Spawn run; which can be seen on the first two page where Spawn gets hit by the Heap. Though I really like the red he used on Spawn when he was at his Grave. The reason why we're revisting the whole Spawn and wanda thing is because of the up coming Image hard cover, which is spose to reslove the love triangle. What I like most about the issue was the return of the pin-ups. It gives Spawn a nice feel to it, showing that other people still care about this character and that Spawns still a relevent part of the comic world. I hope we continue to get more pin-ups. I really can't wait for the new team and 150, in two weeks!!

[Darknet]

Just finished reading it.

Yeah, it was pretty much nothing new. 150 is gonna be good....

Did anyone else not want Al to remember Wanda again?

At first I wanted Wanda out of the picture too. But, as the Greenworld said in the latest issue, Wanda is the last part of Al's humaity and that is important to his character. His love for Wanda has given him hope and the longing to protect the Earth. Think about it: if Wanda wasn't in Al's life, could he find a reason to protect the Earth?

[Dragnilar]

.......So where did God go? This had to be one of the weirdest things yet in the comic, if you ask me.

I kind of wanted Wanda to go away since she kind of grounds Al to Earth... but then again she's been such a crucial character, it would probably be sensless at this point. Oh well...

[DragonVileHater]

.......So where did God go? This had to be one of the weirdest things yet in the comic, if you ask me.


You made me laugh when I read that.. but anyway, where indeed?
P.S. So that's what Angel thinks Heaven would look like, huh?

[Born_2_Die]

What's Good:

1) Mammon's plans: He wants to steal God's throne and give the universe a makeover while he's away?? What'll he do if God comes back from his vacation????
2) Angel's Art: Angel leaves us with a servicable issue with a fight scene which is really clear for his standards.

What's Bad:

1) Deja Vu: This whole issue was an almost complete rip from the Heap's first apperance. Is this even the same Heap as the dude who got infected with Spawn's necroplasm so long ago? Couldn't Brian come up with someone else to remind Al of Wanda?
2) Quick Foreplay: Mammon took Al's memory of Wanda 5 issues ago and he's already gotten it back. If losing Wanda was supposed to turn Al into some bad@ss of a demon, we should've gotten some sample of it. But it seems so rushed and ill-conceived when looked at the promised events to come. Again, Brian and/or Todd lets me down.
3)Flashback: What was up with that memory of Al as a kid playing Batman and Mammon as his dad? Did that have any significance at all or were Brian and Angel trying to fill up pages and leave?

Verdict: A typical issue fraught with disappointments and letdowns when compared to what could have been. Hopefully this'll be a forgotten sense once David and Phillip take over. 5/10 :spawnorb:

[DarthNagrul]

I picked up this issue yesterday and I thought that the art was okay, the end of the issue showed a lot of promise when Al picked up his wedding ring that said Al and Wanda Forever, that goes to show you that there is something really big that is going to happen in the future issues of the Spawn title. I can't wait until issue 150 comes out in two weeks.

[Master Gundam]

Did anyone catch how I said the Wanda thing is back in the story because of the upcoming Image hard cover? Which is spose to solve the love triangle (yes Terry counts too). Or was everyone putt off by how much I wrote? Either way I think that is the reason why we're hearing about Wanda now.

[rpgguy_1o1]

.......So where did God go? This had to be one of the weirdest things yet in the comic, if you ask me.


i thought it was weird too...

the first time i read it....

in preacher...

decent issue tho, i loved that it had pinups.

[Jon Self]

This issue didn't really do much for me. Let's just get to 151 please.

[in_the_grave]

Couple of quick thoughts before I ship off to work-

-This issue doesn't actually state that Al will get his memories back. It shows him holding his ring, so we inadvertantly assume he's back to square one. Well....
Say he remembers everything based off picking up the ring. Then we laugh and say bad story plot and it's pretty well over.
BUT-- I think he could go on now knowing why he returned to Earth, but doesn't regain his memories. It makes more sense this way, that he would be able to just sort of shrug it off, say "Yeah, so she's why, but now that I don't know her...."
Anyone else see what I'm rushing to say?

QUOTE:.......So where did God go? END QUOTE

God is a rollerhockey fan, remember?
(Dogma reference ;)

[Think Geek]

This issue didn't really do much for me. Let's just get to 151 please.
thoroughly agreed

[Dragnilar]

i thought it was weird too...

the first time i read it....

in preacher...

decent issue tho, i loved that it had pinups.


Heh; the idea itself isn't original. I just never expected this since older issues of Spawn had God in them.

[Matt the Undead]

the flashback-interludes with Mammon:

135: Al returns from basic training (?) to find Mammon in his house : Invasion

142: Al enters "heaven" to find Mammon on the throne : Invasion

144: Mammon gains control of Spawn

149: Mammon poses as Al's father : Natural

----

Wanda reappeared in 146 as part of the Ordeal so his memories of Wanda are at least latent. He hasn't been completely and fully stripped of them.

[hazzah]

i think he probably wont just come out of his amnesia (or whatever you want to call it) but he will be given a purpose instead of wandering around aimlessly, now he will want to find 1. who wanda is to gain further insight or memories, and 2. to find mammon..eventually..

i was put off as well on how they decided to use the heap, almost pointless. the art was fair, im not sure i like that new glow effect they added to spawns eyes, i like the old version better, but i have high hopes for 150 and on

[Avatar_of_Chaos]

to be honest, returning the memories of Wanda works in 2 main ways...

1) it returns to Spawn that which was lost to him, and based on it's importance fuels an even more ferocious rage in him than before.

2) it focuses that rage on Mammon and will now set Spawn in a postition to see all the strings and be able to strike back at the puppetmaster in an attempt to foil the plans that were so carefully laid and partially executed while al was a pawn.

[nabraxan]

i havent bought 149 yet but will do soon.

Has anyone noticed the references to al's/spawn's parentage?

i dont have the issues at hand to remind you, but it seems they are becoming quite frequent.

which leads me to think, is this tied to the dissapearance of god?

now im not saying that god will announce himself as his father in some sort of star wars cliche, but why are they drawing more attention to this issue?

in fact if you look right back at the beginning of spawn even the violator (or possibly malebolgia) said that he was selected when (or was it before)he was (my quotation sucks when i use my memory but it's something like...)

"merely dna soup in your mommas crotch"

And on a slightly different note, also consider what mammon said to spawn which i think was in the issue where spawn rescues major forsberg, and he has some sort of flashback to when he was younger and he visits home to find mammon sitting in a chair and his parents nowhere to be seen.
doesnt mammon say something like,

"something so terrible happened here, how could you forget something like that?"

[curselet]

got the issue today.pretty cool. heres my theory on the whole ammon being spawns dad dream thing.mamon is trying to mold the universe into his image.and hes also molding spawn in his image right?so in movies the stereotypical dad always tries to mold their son in their image.and you can se where im going.just a theory

[Matt the Undead]

i personally saw it as mammon insinuating himself further into al.

[curselet]

i guess i can see what you mean.didnt think of that

[cuzz85]

the art was great, I really like the last page.

[anarchycow]

anyone got a pic of the last page?

[Darknet]

anyone got a pic of the last page?

I could scan it. Want me to?

[neo_violator]

i think this issue was really good. 1 of the best issues ive seen of spawn in a long time. good lead into 150.

[DragonVileHater]

What about the child Bootsy said to look to?!?! Remember Mammon was implyed to have impregnated Wanda? The twins? And that other issue where Mammon claims to be not only Spawn's father, but Cyan's? (wasn't it 100?) I wanna see what's up with the twins.

[Matt the Undead]

There was a kid Spawn saved in the 70-90 era that had some sort of brand on him.

There was barely a hint at who impregnated Wanda but we know theyre gonna act up in 153.

[BJC the GHOST]

I flipped through it since I plan to get 150 and give the new creative team a chance.

Different verse, same as the first. Holguin ran out of ideas thirty issues ago and he's been running in circles ever since. Spawn's angry. Spawn's depressed. Spawn fights a monster that seems somehow less significant than the last time he appeared. Nobody wins, nobody learns anything, and we're RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED LESS THAN A YEAR AGO. What in the HELL was the point of taking Spawn's memory of Wanda away from him if he's only going to get it back a few short issues later? This absolutely SMACKS of Todd and David Hine telling him to undo the cluster f'k of a storyline he's set up so they can tell their own story, which I assume (read: Hope) will include Wanda in some significant way (it may even tie into Todd's story in the Image Comics hardcover, who knows.).

The ONLY promising thing to come out of this issue was the throne of Heaven being empty, and even that, as previously stated, was done right the first time in Preacher.

And Medina's Heap looks, I'm sorry to say, piss poor. Capullo's at least looked like a mound of flaking, rotting garbage. Medina's looks like nothing more than a mound of mud.

If this was the last hurrah for these guys, the new team has their work cut out for them.

muchlove

[Matt the Undead]

Holguin ran out of ideas thirty issues ago and he's been running in circles ever since.

How true.

A few things I'm wondering about for issue 150:

1. Who is the Disciple? Could it be the original Redeemer, Phil Timper, who disappeared 120 issues ago?

2. What exactly happens to Mammon? 150 seems like an absolute shift from Mammon to Disciple/Thamuz. I hope there is an appropriate wrap-up to the Mammon arc.

3. What happens to Spawn? Does he return to his charred state or does he remain Al?

4. Whats Grand Inquisitor Thamuz's deal? I believe Avatar said that he is practically the patron demon of the Spanish Inquisition, hence his title.

10 days! (hopefully)

[snk-freak]

@darknet: yes, please^^

[spawn5061]

The ONLY promising thing to come out of this issue was the throne of Heaven being empty, and even that, as previously stated, was done right the first time in Preacher.




what in the holy f uck is Preacher.

[spawn5061]

and i thought it was good. angel's art was better than past issues. i'm glad to see Spawn finally getting through this Mammon s hit, i can tell you that. 10 DAYS TILL 150, HELL YEA! got to get $20 by then

[BJC the GHOST]

what in the holy f uck is Preacher.

One of the best mature readers comic book series of the entire 1990s, if not of all time, that explored religious and anti-religious overtones in it's 66 issue run in ways that Spawn hasn't even come close to in it's 150.

Check it out...you might learn something.

muchlove

[TrAvisTy.]

yeah, so is someone gonna post the last page of i.149 that is being ranted about? id love to see it.

[rpgguy_1o1]

it's not that super great or anything.
just buy the issue.

and yeah, spawn doesnt come close to touching preacher in terms of writing.
i urge everyone to read it.
i still need to find issues 1-12, anyone wanna part with em?

[TrAvisTy.]

i wish i was somewhere close so i could get the issue. having been relocated in vermont...there aint sh.t aound! i dont even know where the closet comic store is! ive searched, oooh how ive searched. depression is overcoming as 150 draws closer and i know i wont get it for probably another good month or two. : (

[SONICobra]

i just got it yesterday, i thought it was pretty good. i was pleased with the length, it was a good amount of pages and no ads whatsoever! the art was pretty good, i think the thing that i dont like about angels work is how he does human faces like mammons and als etc. i think he draws spawn pretty good, chains and that cape are tough to get and i think he nails it. but the way he draws human faces, i dunno, just looks weird sometimes. i was disappointed i didnt see more of the heap in monster form instead of a faceless wave of mush, but whatever. im dying to get my hands on 150!

[spawn5061]

i'm gld they brought back the pinups. i hope they bring back the fan art. those were cool. hey did any one eles notice that spawning ground wasn't in this issue.

[SONICobra]

yeah, i thought that was kinda weird.

[Matt the Undead]

here is the final page of 149.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/insomniacdream21/Spawn/1afb8f37.jpg

[curselet]

the cape and graveyard are the best parts of that

[Destroyer]

Yeah. That's great.

[snk-freak]

whats the release of issue 150? hope that its out in 10 days...

[Born_2_Die]

No more Angel.
No more Holguin.
No more frustrations.

Contributing to the hype? Yeah, but i really don't care anymore.

[m84j]

I'm happy that Medina'a leaving, but I am also VERY happy that he's getting to work with Spiderman.

[Moonlight]

Yeah, Medina's style lends itself much better to Spider-manish titles. I thought that this issue was more set up than anything else. My gripes with this issue are that, once again, Spawn is portrayed as a sissy. He's been in quite a few battles now; how the heck could he have lost to the Heap again? Sure he's weaker now, but he still has some hell powers. Last issue made him look like he was ready for a fight and yet here he's just slashing away like a novice. He should have teleported or set the Heap on fire or something. I also didn't much like how he got his memories back. Didn't Mammon DESTROY them? As in, they no longer even exist? How would the Greenworld possibly have access to them? I'm really hoping that Spawn regaining his memories of Wanda result in a change in his personality. I want Spawn to be focused and pissed. He seemed nice and angry after the whole Nyx thing but he quickly forgot about revenge on Violator, Nyx, Mammon, etc.

New writer, new artist, hopefully new direction. Spawn was once considered to be one of the big badasses of comics, I long to see him regain that kind of a title.

[rpgguy_1o1]

yeah it would be cool if spawn was popular again

[curselet]

spawn needs to get pissed and go on a killind spree

[Matt the Undead]

I also didn't much like how he got his memories back. Didn't Mammon DESTROY them? As in, they no longer even exist?

That doesn't seem to be the case. Remember in i. 146, during The Ordeal, Wanda materialzes in front of Spawn, which tells me that the memories are still a part of Spawn that can never be completely removed. The Greenworld merely accessed them, since Spawn and The Greenworld have some sort of "natural affinity."

[rpgguy_1o1]

it's not like his memory was wiped clean either, mammon just took his memories of Wanda.
and she was obviously a massive part of his memory, so that would leave some mighty big holes in his memory. These holes are gunna **** with the memories he still has, as they would certainly be intertwined. I think him seeing the wedding ring will be enough of a spark fill some of those holes, and make his memory whole (not a pun, i swear) again

[DragonVileHater]

So, it's been 10 days already....when is 150 coming out? I was looking forward to today. Hopefully it comes out tomorrow.

[Think Geek]

I hate Angel, but I gotta give him credit, that was a really nice last page. The way he holds the gleaming ring among the graveyard looks so cool

[rpgguy_1o1]

So, it's been 10 days already....when is 150 coming out? I was looking forward to today. Hopefully it comes out tomorrow.

new comics basically always come out on wednesdays.
its scheduled for the 12th

[spawnonfire]

it was, okay

[m84j]

frankly, i'd gladly wait another month for 150.

STOKED!!!

[DragonVileHater]

So, it's been 10 days already....when is 150 coming out? I was looking forward to today. Hopefully it comes out tomorrow. Yea, I was trippin anyways, it hasn't even been 10 days yet. Or has it? I don't even know anymore...

[spawn5061]

it will be ten days on wensday october the 12th

[Sarcophilus Satanicus 1.2]

3. What happens to Spawn? Does he return to his charred state or does he remain Al?



I sure hope so. I liked Spawn better when he had his burned "hamburgerface". It made Spawn different than other Superhero's. Spawn didn't have an alter ego, he really looked like that. He was some kind of monster / zombie. Now that he has his old normal Al Simmons look he is just a "typical hero"(although he isn't running around and saving the world everyday) . He walks arond just as every man, but if he stumbles on someone in trouble he "puts on" his suit and saves him / her.

So I really hope that he gets his burned "zombie" look back. That'll make Spawn Spawn again.

[Think Geek]

so 150 comes out on the 12th? Its not on the shipping lists...

[Matt the Undead]

i kinda like the way tan draws zombie-spawn

[Moonlight]

If Spawn is to have his burnt body back it should be done in a very dramatic fashion. Perhaps he could meet up with Wanda (assuming all his memories are back) in some public place, be extremely happy for a few, precious moments, and then have whoever feels like being a jerk from hell turn him back to his good old burnt form, just to humiliate him. Of couse, then I'd like to see Spawn rip that guy to pieces. I mean, really, what's stopping Spawn from running back into Hell and kicking the crap out of Mammon?

[spawn5061]

so 150 comes out on the 12th? Its not on the shipping lists...

well neither was 149 untill it shiped.

[SleazyD23]

Alright I just got the issue today and I thought it was good and leaves off for a great beggining in issue #150. The whole heap coming back idea didn't impress me too much though and neither did the art, but I can't wait till ISSUE #150 AND BEYOND...

[Beefy Boy]

did anyone else get a misprinted 149 my dealers copies all had only the first half of the comic then it had the same cover and first half of the comic again where the second half should have been

[1sharpdagga]

The vacant throne in Heaven? Mommons plans as prophysied by the heep? The rebirth of hope for Spawn? This storyline is so opened ended I think we will all be suprised.

[m84j]

I'm a little disappointed, but still stoked. why am i a little disappointed? because this almost exact same storyline is like the movie Dogma. yknow that movie about 2 angels trying to get back into heaven by walking into a church, but since god cannot be proved wrong, it undose existence. whats similar about this is the fact that God is nowhere to be seen, and that existence is at risk.

any1 see that flick? funny movie :)

[spawn5061]

check the hospitles around places with skee ball. maybee spawn will find god their.

[Matt the Undead]

thats actually not a bad idea.

[DragonVileHater]

did anyone else get a misprinted 149 my dealers copies all had only the first half of the comic then it had the same cover and first half of the comic again where the second half should have beenWoa. Cool.

[Beefy Boy]

na dude its pretty lame, im kind of ticked cause i cant seem to get a good copy of 149 they were supposed to send new copies this week but didnt

[rpgguy_1o1]

yeah, but youll be able to sell it to some fanboy

[SpawnSC]

this issue was ... kinda bleh lets just get to 150 please.. soon