As a Spawn fan, I’ve seen many characters inhabit Al Simmons’ world. Most of them are fellow Hellspawns, including Sir John of York – the Medieval Spawn who appeared back in Spawn #9. Medieval Spawn is a pretty cool concept: a Spawn who was also a knight and fought everything from dragons to demons? That was begging to be explored, and Image finally digs into Sir John’s past with Medieval Spawn #1.
Medieval Spawn #1 takes place in 1443, where Sir John and his fellow knights stumble upon a young boy named Richard. Richard tells them that a mysterious affliction has befallen his village, which John thinks is connected to Geoffrey Fitzroy, a knight who stole a cursed amulet, spreading a trail of death and destruction. Little does John know that Fitzroy’s quest is meant to release a dark god from his prison, or that taking Richard under his wing will lead to death and destruction.
A major draw of Medieval Spawn #1 is that it’s written by Rory McConville, who had a lengthy run on the main Spawn title. McConville slowly builds out the world that John inhabits, showcasing that like any Spawn, he ran into a number of threats. The only downside is that some of John’s statements tend to be a bit forward, especially when it comes to Richard. It’s one thing to think that things are going to go wrong for your protagonist, but to fully spell them out is another thing entirely.
Regardless of how much of its story is telegraphed, Medieval Spawn #1 looks gorgeous thanks to Marco Itri’s artwork. Itri makes sure that John is the center of attention on every page that he’s on, and it’s not hard to see how he stands out. His entire design takes the red and black color scheme of a Hellspawn and paints it across medieval style armor, cutting an imposing figure that looms over friend and foe alike. Itri also doesn’t hold back on the horror elements, either; Phillip’s village turns out to be overrun by demons that bear a resemblance to skinless Xenomorphs. And yeah, that’s as disturbing as it sounds.
Longtime Spawn colorist Ulises Arreola brings a foreboding hue to Medieval Spawn #1. That’s to be expected, since most of the action takes place in the winter; the sky is a unwelcoming bluish gray, and the pure white snow soon gives way to blood-soaked horror. Taking a page from Itri’s book, Arreola makes sure that Sir John’s armor is the standout on every page, which adds extra oomph to scenes where he’s cleaving demons in half.
Medieval Spawn #1 delivers a solid start to the story of another fan-favorite character, and makes sure he’s the focus in more ways than one. It’s also proof that the Spawn Universe has many more stories to tell across time.
