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Spawn Universe
Spawn: Blood and Salvation
Spawn Blood and Salvation Special.
56 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 1999
32 people want to read
About the author
Alan McElroy
49 books2 followersAlan B. McElroy is an American writer of film, television, comic books, and video games. He is best known for his collaborations with Todd McFarlane on the Spawn franchise, and for penning horror films such as Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Wrong Turn.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2015
In my seek for interesting graphic novels I followed my husbands advice and picked up the 2 Spawn comics we have at home, this being the first I chose to read. What both have in common and intrigued me the most were the absolutely gorgeous and fascinating illustrations by Ashley Wood, other than that I was a bit skeptic since I know nothing of Spawn (not sure I am so much better informed after reading these).
So, I want to say it again, the look is beautiful, "Blood and Salvation" is kept in black, white and grey shades which goes well with the post-apocalyptic setting of the story. As for the storytelling, we get bible quotes mixed with very strong, dark writing. I was a bit surprised and ultimately taken aback when I realized how religious this one was, though maybe I shouldn't since with a character referred to as Hell Spawn religious motives ought to come up. I don't mind religion per se but in here it does a get on the preachy side.
The story itself I often found confusing and a not so easy to follow, the fore mentioned illustrations were not a big help, they are atmospheric yet it was hard to decipher what's going on sometimes.
Maybe this one was not a good first jump into the Spawn universe, this installment left me rather lost and confused, the design is very intriguing to me though. I will see if I like the other one, "Blood and Shadows", more.
So, I want to say it again, the look is beautiful, "Blood and Salvation" is kept in black, white and grey shades which goes well with the post-apocalyptic setting of the story. As for the storytelling, we get bible quotes mixed with very strong, dark writing. I was a bit surprised and ultimately taken aback when I realized how religious this one was, though maybe I shouldn't since with a character referred to as Hell Spawn religious motives ought to come up. I don't mind religion per se but in here it does a get on the preachy side.
The story itself I often found confusing and a not so easy to follow, the fore mentioned illustrations were not a big help, they are atmospheric yet it was hard to decipher what's going on sometimes.
Maybe this one was not a good first jump into the Spawn universe, this installment left me rather lost and confused, the design is very intriguing to me though. I will see if I like the other one, "Blood and Shadows", more.
December 6, 2018
I've been making my way through the Spawn graphic novels again since I hadn't read them since release (some more than 20 years ago!), to see which are actually good, and which are only good in my memory.
So far, this is the first one that was actually good.
The cover art is what you'll find inside, so I won't say too much about it. Atmospheric, creepy, beautiful. Ashley Wood's specialties.
The story revolves around a group of survivors of the apocalypse trying to live, and maybe fight back, in this hellscape. I should say that the art, and writing, give the impression that there is naught left on the face of the earth but these people, the distant screams of others, the smell of burning flesh, and the blanketing ash of those that found no mercy at the hands of hell's hoards. Uplifting stuff.
Spawn doesn't get too much page-time, but that's alright! His role is minor, and it suits the story.
The writing is good, if not a little moody and abstract, and momentum is kept by pertinent bible quotes spliced into the scenes. I really loved this aspect.
If you're looking for 'superhero Spawn', leave this one where you found it, but if you're looking for 'boogeyman Spawn', here he is.
So far, this is the first one that was actually good.
The cover art is what you'll find inside, so I won't say too much about it. Atmospheric, creepy, beautiful. Ashley Wood's specialties.
The story revolves around a group of survivors of the apocalypse trying to live, and maybe fight back, in this hellscape. I should say that the art, and writing, give the impression that there is naught left on the face of the earth but these people, the distant screams of others, the smell of burning flesh, and the blanketing ash of those that found no mercy at the hands of hell's hoards. Uplifting stuff.
Spawn doesn't get too much page-time, but that's alright! His role is minor, and it suits the story.
The writing is good, if not a little moody and abstract, and momentum is kept by pertinent bible quotes spliced into the scenes. I really loved this aspect.
If you're looking for 'superhero Spawn', leave this one where you found it, but if you're looking for 'boogeyman Spawn', here he is.
October 15, 2019
Meh. Another Spawn annual drawn by Ashley Wood (who is a fascinating artist) but the story does not keep up with the artwork. Written by Alan McElroy, the plot takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape featuring a remnant of survivors within humanity. The hellspawn, Daniel, lurks around and the storyline becomes hard to follow as it bounces around. A cool thing about this graphic novel is that McElroy uses a lot of Scripture quotations from Revelation. I love the Bible being quoted in this work but sometimes the Scripture distracts from the plot. What exactly is McElroy trying to say?
May 28, 2021
Way too many bible references and smudgy art. Nothing was ok in this one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews