Spawn was way ahead of it's time. I remember watching the original in the 90's on HBO and loving it. Here we are in 2014 and I'm rewatching it and just loving it...just loving it. Adult all the way, Spawn isn't for the kids. It's, of course, a Faustian tale and a superhero title but at it's core this is horror. The cartoon is very dark, chilling, and gritty. It's ultra-violent, suspenseful, animated beautifully, the voice-acting is precise and quietly subdued. It's as if all it's characters are speaking as shadows. Brilliant stuff here that outshines anything DC is doing currently and DC is the only one really doing anything worth a crud for American comic-book animation. Love Marvel but their animation is pathetic. If you're over 18 and want a good super-hero animation that lives and breathes in the dark...go buy Spawn. Mr. McFarland....please bring this back!

The thing I've always appreciated about Spawn is that the comic book seemingly started a trend of the conflicted hero. It didn't innovate, but a lot more "anti-heroes" started appear after. Thanks to the success and contributions of both the industry and the fans, it led to a TV series adaptation. Luckily, and unluckily, HBO was the home to be for Spawn. First thing first, Spawn grabs our attention through darkness and violence rarely, if ever seen before, in American animated television. We learn Spawn is a conflicted man who used to go by the name of Al Wilson, but now stranger than strange people call him "Spawn," a possible slur against what he's become as opposed to a actual name. He died, but was granted a wish at a cost, his soul. He sold his soul to Malebolgia, the devil, king of hell, just for the chance to see his beloved and beautiful wife, Wanda. When he returns, he finds out horrible things, not only did his best friend, Terry, marry his wife, but they managed to have the child he never could as a result of his impotence. This tears him apart and confuses his emotions greatly. While all this happens, we learn that Spawn is supposedly destined to become the general of hell to lead the final invasion into heaven. Fortunately, Cogliostro is proof that even the dead have control over their destiny. Cogliostro hides a secret which I will keep, see for yourself his dark past. One more thing, hell sends a babysitter to care for Spawn, to make sure he makes all "the right choices." He comes in the form of a obese, disgusting, and promiscuous midget clown who underneath his human skin, is a jealous native of hell, who can never seem to understand why humans are given so much higher prestige as opposed to him and possibly his people.Now let's get to the other side of the show. Sam and Twitch are a couple of straight arrow detectives who both have specialties that mix together well, making for quite a team. Twitch is the best detective New York has to offer, and Sam is the kind of guy who's not afraid to mouth off, and throw his weight around, as much as he has. They make for a fantastic sub- plot of the Spawn story and offer the shows best humor. I love this show because of Spawn himself though. He is so confused about the always thin line of heaven and heel. The seemingly right is now the seemingly wrong. He has to decide his path, and decide what he wants out of his new undead life. If he even wants it. There's a lot that goes on, and within the 3rd season, it seems as though a lot was about to happen. You could say this about Heaven vs Hell, but it shows that everything is capable of good and evil, even the representations of good and evil. As the title suggests, the show ended very prematurely, it had potential to be much more, but was apparently canceled. Todd McFarlane himself, the creator of Spawn, has gone on to say he had big plans for the show, wanting it to have a understandably, steady pace. Giving each season it's own unique flavor. 1st season is truly the origin of a new life, the 2nd season is vengeful rampage, and 3rd season is the beginning of enlightenment to the truth. By all means, pick up a copy of the 10th anniversary edition. It comes with special features and commentary that let you seep into the thoughts of both the creator and the characters. And of course, an often under-rated show, likely due to it's intense gratuity. Remember though, the idea of Spawn is not a pretty one, nor should the world he lives in be candy coated in any way be either. If you pay attention, you'll that a lot of the gratuity applies a lot to the characters mentality, as opposed to simple thrills and chills. One last thing, Todd McFarlane himself does a intro for each and every episode in horror fashion and sets a very nice mood. Other than that, all I can say is enjoy!

Spawn has, for quite some time, being the grounding stone of Image Comics. Image is the third largest retailer in the US and UK. Marvel, the leader, has names such as Spiderman, X-Men, Capt America, Hulk and a never-ending list of other heroes. D.C., the second, has Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a whole load more. And Image has Spawn. There are a few others, but most would not have heard of them. This is just a brief glimpse at the popularity of this single character whose sales in comics alone support the mammoth of a company that Image is.The animation runs over three seasons (also referred to as three feature-length movies) and each season is split into six twenty-five minute episodes. On DVD, the seasons run as individual films. This is a total running time of a little over seven hours, as each film is about two and a half hours. And within these seven hours, is everything one could possibly want from Spawn. Without giving away essential plot points, it is safe to say that the basic, original story of Spawn which is covered over the first couple of dozen comics and the not-so-well-received movie, is covered in the first season. The second and third seasons are also true to the comics, but are a deeper insight into the legend of Spawn.The animations are slightly in manga style (only very slightly, taking the few better elements of manga and mixing it with conventional western cartoons), but are also western enough so as to keep the gritty feel that the original comics generated. There is an abundance of blood (I would say gore, but it is all spurting blood and little guts), plenty of swearing and a whole load of nudity. Now, I am a fan of Justice League which is pure and innocent enough to be shown on day time TV. But if I'm going to go out of my way to watch an evening adult show, I do appreciate it when the makers go all out to MAKE it an adult show. It is not for the pathetic, faint of heart. It is brutal, it is hard core, and I love it to bits.Spawn is voiced by Keith David who had the most brilliant, atmospheric deep voice which captures the purest essences of what Spawn should sound like, and likewise the rest of the voice-casting is outstanding at worst. The voice overs are half what make a show like this, and when they are so precision perfect and so fantastically scripted it's no wonder that watching the film like this draws you deep into the world.And animation is well above par. Not the best I've ever seen, but that is rare and often a sure-fire sign that too much time and money has gone into too specific an aspect of the overall project. The colouring/inking and shadow work are perfect for Spawn. Most of the time the majority of the characters are cast half in shadow, and the more mysterious a character, the less you see. This applies to Spawn too, but we see plenty of him so it's fine.All in all, I can only wish there are more programs like this out there. I do believe that the audience they aim for is quite small considering all the people out there who would rather watch feel-good daytime talk shows and shopping channels than a brilliantly conceived film-noir style animation. So if this is your thing, I cannot recommend it more strongly. And if you are a fan of Spawn, lock yourself in a room with plenty of food and water for a day, because you will not be able to tear yourself away.

I love this show. It is so dark and so brilliant and so GOOD compared to the crap movie that i can't wait for the next season.Which season are they on? 6 I think. Let's recap. At the end of season 5, Jason Wynn has his face burned off by an enchanted mask, but escapes. Jade makes Spawn kill her so the bounty hunters will stop chasing them, and so she won't be sent to hell. The crooked police chief who shot Twitch is confronted in a subway by Twitch's partner, and afterwards he kills himself.There you have it; the genius that is Spawn.Things to watch for: -Terry becomes Lightbringer -Wynn returns -Tony Twist comes back?