ANGELA #3 - February 1995

Angela Part Three

Credits: Neil Gaiman (story), Greg Capullo (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Tom Orzechowski (letters), Todd Broeker & Fierce Colorgraphics (colors)

Summary: The demon Smut discovers Spawn and Angela in the darkness, which is revealed to be a section of Hell. Spawn and Angela fight their way through a demon war to reach a dimensional gate. Spawn visualizes Earth after reaching the gate, and is transported to the American suburbs. Angela rematerializes in Elysium, where she’s reunited with her friends. She visits Gabrielle, who confesses to framing Angela, unaware she’s being taped. Later, an older angel arrives to replace Gabrielle, as Angela decides to live as a freelance ex-angel.

Spawntinuity: Gabrielle reveals that Angela’s lance disappeared after Spawn touched it, along with any record of her mission on Earth (which gave Gabrielle the opportunity to frame her). Gabrielle speculates that Spawn somehow reshaped reality to escape the other plane the lance sent him to. I’m assuming this ties in to the hints McFarlane used to drop that Spawn was “special’ in some way.

Review: After an indeterminate amount of time alone in the dark together, Spawn and Angela are now bickering like an old married couple. In-between their fight with a horde of demons, they do the classic sitcom shtick of refusing to speak directly to one another, so another character has to be their emissary. In this case, it’s Smut, the cutesy demon who looks like a housecat (and later the star of a Gaiman/Capullo story for a CBLDF benefit comic). This is pretty funny, and Capullo, whose art has been stellar throughout the miniseries, is given a lot of ogres and monsters to draw. Gaiman isn’t treating the Spawn universe as fancifully as Alan Moore did, but he does realize that this material can’t be taken too seriously and he knows when to introduce humor into the story.

At the conclusion, Angela abandons her career as an angel and, with the subtlety of a punch to the throat, declares that “you don’t have to work for the big two…there are alternatives.” I can’t imagine to what she’s referring. I hope this was just a cute in-joke, because if we’re supposed to retroactively view the entire story as a statement on the comic book industry, that means we have dangerous spitfire Todd McFarlane escaping from the treacherous ranks of Marvel-Heaven. Surely, Angel Todd wouldn’t engage in any of the business practices used by mean ol’ Marvel-Heaven.

ANGELA #2 - January 1995

Angela Part Two

Credits: Neil Gaiman (story), Greg Capullo (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Tom Orzechowski (letters), Steve Oliff & Olyoptics (colors)

Summary: Kuan Yin and Anahita take Spawn to Elysium to testify on Angela’s behalf. After Spawn drops his disguise and is revealed in court, he’s immediately attacked by the angels. Feeling that she has nothing to lose, Angela joins Spawn in the fight. After crashing out of a window, Angela orders Spawn to use his cloak to teleport them away. As the cloak envelopes them, Surielle blasts it. Spawn and Angela emerge in darkness. They have a conversation, as Angela moves closer to Spawn for warmth.

Spawntinuity: Spawn’s costume has a violent reaction to being in Elysium. However, when he was previously summoned to Heaven, his costume didn’t react. Elysium is described as “heaven-ish,” so perhaps that’s enough for an Image No-Prize. After getting blasted by Surielle, Spawn’s cape, now near-death, is left in Elysium. Angela tells Spawn that she knows why Malebolgia selected him, but doesn’t give any details. During the trial, Spawn changes into the only human form he can take, the blonde white guy he transformed into in the early issues of his series. It’s my understanding that after many, many years, McFarlane has finally begun to address who the blonde guy is in the current issues of Spawn.

Review: I think Gaiman once said that there was a lot of “running around” in the early Image comics he saw, so I’m not shocked he’s worked in a chase/escape sequence. Teaming Angela with Spawn works out well, as the characters do share some chemistry together. Spawn’s utterly clueless about any of the supernatural elements of his new life, which sets him up for numerous arrogant, dismissive putdowns from Angela. The ending is a little vague about what exactly Spawn and Angela are doing in the dark, but later stories clarify that the two really did do what every teenage boy assumed they did (plus, they’re surrounded by a heart on the cover, which is a pretty big clue). Angela’s really the aggressor in this, and I guess it fits the character Gaiman’s created to give her a stereotypically male libido. However, if we’re supposed to believe Spawn’s so deeply in love with his wife, having him hook up with another female doesn’t cast him in the best light. Maybe McFarlane realized this, because even though future stories could’ve played off the demon/angel romance angle, the idea’s dropped very quickly. Gaiman’s also introduced the idea that Spawn can channel previous Hellspawns in his dreams, which is another vehicle for new stories I don’t think McFarlane ever explored.

ANGELA #1 - December 1994

Angela Part One

Credits: Neil Gaiman (story), Greg Capullo (art), Tom Orzechowski (letters), Todd Broeker & Fierce Colorgraphics (colors)

Summary: While hunting a dragon, Angela is arrested by a host of angels. The angel Surielle removes Angela’s trophy earrings as she places her in prison. Angela’s friends, Kuan Yin and Anahita, refuse to believe the charges against her. They discover Gabrielle’s testimony, which falsely claims Angela hunted Spawn on Earth without a permit. Kuan Yin and Anahita travel to Earth and confront Spawn.

Spawntinuity: Angela claims that this is her hundred thousandth birthday, and that she’s killed over thirty Hellspawn. The angels are currently searching for her missing lance, which was left on Earth after her encounter with Spawn in issue #9.

Spawn vs. Lawyers: I know there was a trade reprint of this miniseries, but I imagine the Gaiman lawsuit has kept it out of print.

Review: Look at that cover. It certainly fits the criteria for a Boob War comic, doesn’t it? This, of course, isn’t mindless T&A and violence, although Gaiman isn’t shying away from those elements. Gaiman always said he did this work to impress his teenage son, but the story doesn’t read as if he’s only pandering to a juvenile audience. There’s a lot of action and scantily clad angels, but Angela is given a distinct personality (she’s arrogant, reckless, and quick to make enemies), a few literary references are thrown in, and most of the dialogue is pretty clever. Spawn’s introduced with a two-page sequence that has him reviewing how pathetic his life is and declaring that he has to stop obsessing over his wife. Yeah, like that’ll happen any decade soon.

SPAWN #26 - December 1994

The Dark

Credits: Todd McFarlane (story), Neil Gaiman (story assist, uncredited), Todd McFarlane & Greg Capullo (art), Tom Orzechowski (copy editor & letterer), Steve Oliff & Olyoptics (colors)

Summary: Fred Barnett’s adopted daughter is returned to foster care after he is no longer able to provide for her. One of his friends is a homeless associate of Spawn’s. Fred asks Spawn for help, but he scoffs at the idea of creating money. Cagliostro visits Spawn and reviews his current predicament, as Malebolgia speaks to his followers in Hell. Suddenly, Spawn is transported to Heaven, where the angel Gabrielle asks questions about his encounter with Angela. She returns him to the alleys after they drink wine and talk. Later, Spawn learns that Fred committed suicide.

Spawntinuity: Cagliostro (referred to as “the Count” for most of the issue) returns for the first time since #9. His giddy personality is gone, as he now does what he’ll do for the next hundred issues -- drop ominous hints about a future apocalypse and tease Spawn about a possible “better way.” Gabrielle claims that Heaven is a “dimensional umbrella,” and Cagliostro says that Heaven is kept in different time continuums. Before Spawn learns about Fred’s fate, he boasts to his friends that Violator actually kept his word and returned his powers after Violator #3.

Spawn vs. Lawyers: Neil Gaiman wrote at least three pages of this issue (it has to be the Spawn/Gabrielle scene). Gaiman says the material came from a partial script McFarlane used, and as a result of his lawsuit, McFarlane apparently has to credit Gaiman as co-writer whenever this story is reprinted.

Review: One part human-interest story, one part origin recap, and one part tease for the Angela miniseries. At least it’s not another toy commercial. McFarlane’s verbose narration has now turned its sights on the horrors of greed, in an issue later cited in a lawsuit against him for stealing intellectual property. As puffed up as Fred’s story is (his wife, who apparently couldn’t be bothered with life insurance, is dead and he hasn’t found work in a year), McFarlane avoids some of the clichés in his monologue. As the narration reminds us, we’re all taught that money is evil and greed is destructive, yet lack of this “evil” substance prevents Fred from caring for his adoptive daughter. The state doesn’t care about how much he loves her while the girl lives in a rodent-infested hovel. Spawn’s response to a request to create money is humorous, as he points out that he’s homeless too and wouldn’t be in the alleys if he knew how to make money. Spawn’s dismissal of Fred is very harsh, though, and despite the final page splash of him brooding, he never learns anything from this episode. Spawn goes on to treat his homeless friends poorly, and eventually shuts himself off from society completely. This might’ve been a long-form character arc on McFarlane’s part, but it really only succeeded in making Spawn more unlikable.

Since McFarlane decided not to do an action piece this issue, there’s some space to fill. Once again, “every issue is someone’s first,” so we have another recap of Spawn’s origin. McFarlane tries to add a new angle to it by presenting it from Malebolgia’s point of view, as he brags to his followers about how badly he’s screwed over the latest Spawn. Picking up on Gaiman’s previous work, the story reiterates that if Spawn isn’t successfully trained on Earth, he’ll become food for Malebolgia’s servants in Hell. Through Malebolgia, McFarlane lays out the four options before Spawn, although I can’t tell the difference between a few of them. One is to do nothing, although his powers will eventually fade and he’ll return to Hell. The second is to become a hero, which will force him to act on his instincts and send more souls to Hell. The third is to “choose the path of darkness,” which will send deserving souls to Hell. The fourth is to “despair, and perish through carelessness or desire.” That’s virtually identical to the first option, and I have no idea how options two or three are supposed to be different (I guess the third option is to become an outright villain, which would perhaps result in good and bad people dying). Why exactly Malebolgia wants Spawn to send him souls is a little unclear, since these people will eventually die of something anyway. Is Hell in a hurry? I am glad McFarlane’s finally addressing what exactly Spawn’s supposed to be doing on Earth, although this information doesn’t exactly provide a blueprint for the future.

SPAWN #9 - March 1993

Angela

Credits: Neil Gaiman (writer), Todd McFarlane (art), Tom Orzechowski (letters and editor), Steve Oliff, Reuben Rude, & Olyoptics (colors),

Summary: 800 years in the past, Angela hunts the Medieval Spawn. With her lance, she removes him from this plane of existence. In the present, she arrives in New York to hunt the latest Spawn. Meanwhile, a bum named Cagliostro teaches Spawn how to draw power from his uniform, and drops hints about Spawn’s past. Angela arrives and blasts Spawn with her lance. He emerges from his cape and pulls her inside. She flies away in a flash of light. Spawn picks up the lance she left behind and pushes a button on the side. He suddenly disappears.

Spawntinuity: This is the first appearance of Angela, Medieval Spawn, and Count Nicholas Cagliostro. Angela is the Spawn universe’s version of an angel. She reports to an office building in New York, run by a woman named Gabrielle. According to Angela’s hunting manual, Malebolgia creates a new Spawn approximately every century. It also says that Hellspawn that don’t prove themselves on Earth become food for Malebolgia’s army. Cagliostro disappears for a while, but later becomes a major character in the comics and various Spawn media (he’s also quietly renamed “Cogliostro.”) He teaches Spawn how to create inanimate objects (in this case, a box of wine), which is a power that’s soon ignored. Cagliostro has an informal, casual speech pattern here that’s ignored when he becomes a major character. Neil Gaiman portrays Spawn’s homeless friends as scandalous celebrities, such as Richard Nixon, Jimmy Hoffa, and Elvis. Everyone else ignores this joke.

Spawn vs. Lawyers: Oooookay. Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane appeared to have a good relationship until the late ‘90s, when McFarlane began using Angela in comics not written by Gaiman. I don’t know if this specifically set anything off, but a few years later Gaiman was suing McFarlane over the rights to Angela, Medieval Spawn, and Cogliostro. This dragged on for years, and somehow the rights to Marvelman/Miracelman got tied up in the affair.

The Big Names: Jim Lee draws an Angela poster. Alan Moore is announced as the writer of the upcoming Violator miniseries.

Production Note: The book is now printed on slick, higher quality paper.

Review: It’s the comic that launched a thousand lawsuits. I’m not sure if McFarlane even reprints this issue anymore, but it’s hard to see how he can avoid it since Angela and especially Cogliostro become major characters as the series progresses. Gaiman seems to be having fun with the new universe of Spawn, exploring some of the obvious areas McFarlane hasn’t gotten to yet. If Spawn comes from Hell, who represents Heaven in this world? What were the previous Spawns like? What happens when a Spawn goes back to Hell? (This is one of the holes with the premise McFarlane established early on. Regardless of what Spawn does on Earth, even if he’s proven “worthy” to lead an army, he’s still destined to go back to Hell. What’s worse than already being dead and damned? Gaiman specifies that he’ll become sustenance for Malebolgia’s forces, which means Malebolgia wins either way). Plus, as McFarlane and future writers will learn years later, the idea of a mysterious bum who acts a guide to Spawn is a strong one with a lot of potential. There are a lot of ideas here, even though the structure of the story is a little odd. Most of the story is spent building up to Angela’s confrontation with Spawn, but by the time she reaches him, the comic only has a few pages left. What exactly happens with Spawn disappearing into his cape and then pulling Angela in doesn’t make sense, and then she just disappears. The next page, Spawn disappears, leading into the Dave Sim issue.

Even with the choppy ending, this is still enjoyable. Gaiman doesn’t do much with the current-day Spawn, but he makes Medieval Spawn a sympathetic figure in just a few pages. Angela is a character I’ve always liked, at least when Gaiman writes her. She could be a stereotypical warrior female, but Gaiman gives her a sense of humor, and manages to make her brashness and egotism endearing. Having her hunt Spawns for the thrill of the hunt and not as a zealot is a clever inversion on what you would expect an angel to do in this series. Visually, I wonder if McFarlane based Angela on his interpretation of Mary Jane Watson-Parker (his makeover of the character received a lot of attention at the time). I don’t know that much about his lawsuit with McFarlane, but I wonder if Gaiman demands full rights to Angela. Shouldn’t McFarlane at least be credited as a co-creator for designing her?