REVIEW: ‘King Spawn,’ Issue #3

King Spawn #3 is published by Image Comics in association with Todd McFarlane Productions. The issue is written by Sean Lewis (with Todd McFarlane providing additional edits), illustrated by Javier Fernandez, colored by FCO Plascencia, and lettered by Andworld Design. Following his confrontation with Billy Kincaid’s minions in the second issue, Spawn is determined to stop Kincaid from harming more children. The hellish antihero confronts Kincaid at his base of operations while his allies— including Jessica Priest/She-Spawn and Medieval Spawn—face Kincaid’s acolytes.

I mentioned in my review of King Spawn‘s first issue that the series leaned into Al Simmons’ military skills, and that’s entirely on display here. While Spawn’s old friend Terry Fitzgerald handles communications between the members of Spawn’s team, Spawn dispatches his fellow Hellspawns to various locations to hit Kincaid’s forces hard and fast. Seeing this teamwork in action only whets my anticipation for the upcoming Spawn team-up book The Scorched, which Lewis will also pen. Lewis also delves deep into Spawn’s rage, which is stoked into a raging inferno now that he knows Kincaid is corrupting and killing children. This rage is borne out of a fear that Cyan—the daughter of his late wife Wanda—could be Kincaid’s next target; it’s a fear that adult readers may sympathize with and makes Spawn more human.

Fernandez’s art shows off the full extent of Spawn’s rage when he confronts Kincaid and his acolytes in a two-page spread; Spawn’s chains unspool from his body, ripping through flesh as he roars “THEY WERE CHILDREN!” The end result, including Spawn’s face twisted in a furious snarl, is horrifying to watch—yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. Another horrifying sequence features Kincaid being ripped in half by Spawn and STILL being able to function, his organs spilling out of the abyss in his flesh. What makes this truly disturbing is that the soul of a young boy named Simon is trapped and bearing witness to all of this, holding a crown and looking for a “king” in Spawn or Kincaid.

And, of course, one has to acknowledge Plascencia’s color art, which gives off plenty of horror vibes. Spawn is almost always depicted in shadows, with the only source of light coming from his glowing green eyes. The battleground where he fights against Kincaid is basked in warm yellow light, which only draws one’s eyes to the carnage on display. And the caption boxes are colored in a dark brown with golden letters, making things easier to read. I also have to applaud Lewis for sticking to the same narration style that McFarlane utilizes in the main Spawn title.

King Spawn #3 pits the hellish antihero against one of his oldest foes, leaning all the way into its war and horror elements. This book continues to expand the world of Spawn in the best way, and I recommend it to both Spawn fans and newcomers to the character. Like Mel Brooks said: “It’s good to be the King.”

King Spawn #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.