Posted in: Comics, Image | Tagged: brett booth, spawn, todd mcfarlane

Humanity Got The Truth About Heaven & Hell In Todd McFarlane's Spawn

Humanity got the truth about Heaven and Hell ahead of Todd McFarlane's Spawn #375... and nothing will ever be the same again, etc (Spoilers)

Spawn is the longest-running creator-owned comic book out there, approaching issue 400, currently written by creator Todd McFarlane and drawn by Brett Booth, giving us his most nineties of styles. Big action sequences, panels at all manner of angles, close-ups of eyes, teeth, claws, chains, blood and energy blasts. But also, in recent months, telling a new story for Spawn that will change every other story to be told in the run-up to #400 and beyond. Spawn has, since day one, told the story of the fight between heaven and hell, with Earth as the middle man and staging ground for those battles. But it has consistently happened in the shadows, with the public kept unaware of what's going on, with everything reduced to rumours, conspiracies and cover-ups. But in recent issues, that has all changed.

It began in Spawn #363 by Todd McFarlane and Brett Booth, as Nyx, magician, former lover of Al Simmons and the new Queen Of Hell, placed there by Spawn, ina regretful moment, kicked things off without concern for the consequences, in an attempt to gain more power, and conquer both Heaven and Hell without regard for the rules of engagement. And releasing the kaiju of a hellbeast on the Earth, and beginning the Hell Hath Arisen storyline in the main Spawn title.

With other supernatural leaders, The Wrath Of God, and Gaia – Mother Of Nature, taking note and realising that the game had changed. Basically, this is Putin invading Ukraine. And everyone making decisions as Hell Hath Arisen kicked off its first chapter in Spawn #364, again by Todd McFarlane and Brett Booth.

And the many and various Spawn characters had to react, just as the beast was out in the open and coming to Oregon, so they had to expose themselves to the daylight to defeat it. And people started to notice.

And the Spawn comic book realises what a big moment this is for the series, as it approaches its 400th issue, and its thirty-fifth year…

It's the Civil War moment when Spider-Man unmasks, it's the spaceship landing in The Man Who Came To Earth, or the opening of the first meteor on War Of The Worlds…

And even as this battle begins, the comic book looks to the future, putting this scene in context of history. As a major change for the comic book being acknowledged on a narrative level.

Not just the fact that there are superheroes, monsters, angels, demons and gods, proof over faith, but that the faith might not match up with what's written in the holy texts, something that was a point that Alan Moore raised in his single issue, when the Soul Trapper came for the gospel choir singer back in Spawn #8…

Of course, that wasn't in public. And that little girl who knew everything was The Violator in disguise…

More on that in a minute. Even as the future boils in pain and confusion, the present is all about the necessary fight to save humanity, even as the very battle itself may change humanity…

First, the military's response…

And a recognition of the Spawn ensemble of characters as a potential asset to them, albeit one they can't control. As well as the media sitting up and taking notice.

Since the very first issue, the reaction of the media, the same media, has been a recurring feature of the comic book. Before Jonathan Hickman was even considering the text page, Todd McFarlane wrote the media commentary throughout the series, putting the comic book in context and showing how the world interpreted the events unfolding in the Spawn comic, as well as setting up the world events that Spawn could react to.

Over the years, the characters changed, moved networks, and were replaced. Although one seemed to have a darker secret, in Spawn #299, the shock jock Brock Fennel was revealed to be a Violator-related demon all along.

But anyway, where were we? Oh yes, the present day… as Spawn #365 sees the Beast make it from the boiling seas to the United States Of America. And as a brief precis of what's going on…

And both the motivation for, and the costs of, the big change that has hit the Spawn Universe.

And while the US military does its best to deal with the situation…

It's nowhere near enough to deal with the supernatural forces in this conflict.

And as Spawn's heroes, villains, and those in between join forces to try to tackle this threat to them all, the news spreads across media outlets that Todd McFarlane has been preparing for almost 35 years for just such an event.

They don't quite realise that they are living in a comic book, but do realise that the rules have changed… all apart from Brock, who has just been grifting this whole time and has always known the truth…

And the media properly sits up and takes notice of both the monster and of those turning up to fight it… as more and more players on both sides get involved…

The death and destruction are accompanied by a new way of life for everyone. And a new grift for Brock to shill. ISIS Monsters…

And a new army for Spawn to lead against everything that NYX's Hellmonster managed to uncover when lifting up the rock…

And Spawn underlining this all. Yup, they really mean it, if you haven't worked it out from the various Spawn sledgehammers. Things will never be the same…

And from Spawn's perspective, maybe this is no bad thing. And it may have been a long time coming.

Of course, you don't trust anyone. And as Spawn tried to mediate the situation, She-Spawn is not having it.

But to be fair, that's going to happen anyway now, as she is getting her own series. And we are given reason to back that up almost immediately, as one of the players, the souoped up, armoured Cogliostro, has already made their retreat and is planning to take advantage of the new reality…

The genie is out of the bottle, Pandora's box has opened, and as we know, you can't put the frog back in the box. Spawn is now telling a new story…

And humanity is going forward, taking them into account. Working with them, against them, capturing them, killing them, celebrating them, worshipping them, condemning them, it's all to play for.

In the end, it all comes down to the media…

And as Spawn makes new allies with the vampires…

All the warring factions go a little more public than they once were…

With Spawn himself willing to be seen more on the streets, taking care of business in broad daylight…

As we see the return of the Big Bad… okay, maybe the Normal-Sized Bad…

The media get to lose it one more time, in a mess of confusion, concern, worry, and even ennui at it all… comparing it all to the dark days of the Cold War of the sixties… just now with demons and monsters ready to drop rather than atom bombs.

If anyone is scared and confused by the way of the world right now, with wars, missiles, assassinations, spiralling prices, job losses, drone attacks, and everything going to hell in a handcart, well… Spawn seems to be going right there with you. And Spawn #375 is next, by Todd McFarlane, Brett Booth and Image Comics, for the 6th of May, the Wednesday after Free Comic Book Day… oh, and it looks like God might be getting involved now as well. It's about time…

• SPAWN #375
  (W) Todd McFarlane (A) Brett Booth (CA) Harvey Tolibao
  Sinn's plan to resurrect Malebolgia comes one step closer when he discovers a remnant of the Demon Lord's essence hidden in the strangest of places.
  $3.99 5/6/2026
• SPAWN #376
  (W) Todd McFarlane (A) Brett Booth (CA) Don Aguillo
  Spawn has been beaten, bloodied, and left for dead. But unfortunately for Spawn's attacker, all that did was make him mad.
  $3.99 6/3/2026
• SPAWN #377
  (W) Todd McFarlane (A) Brett Booth (CA) Mirko Colak
  Heaven has had enough. The Lord God has made a new pronouncement—Death to all Hellspawns!
  $3.99 7/1/2026
• SPAWN #378
  (W) Todd McFarlane (A) Brett Booth (CA) Don Aguillo
  Angelic forces have Spawn pinned down in a small town. They have chosen a scorched-earth policy. No one leaves, and no one survives. But a surprising ally arrives that might just help tip the scales in Spawn's favor.
  $3.99 7/29/2026

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