2025 has seen some wild crossovers in the world of comics. Batman and Deadpool will cross paths twice. Sonic the Hedgehog literally ran into the Justice League. The Marvel Universe is weathering assaults from Godzilla and multiple Predators. But Rogue Sun #30 might have them all beat, especially since it’s pulling from one of Image’s oldest franchises with the appearance of Medieval Spawn.
On paper, though, it makes sense: Spawn and Rogue Sun both fight demons. Both have a fiery motif going on, though the former’s is connected to hell while the latter’s is the result of mysticism. They also have a long legacy stretching back years, especially in medieval times where Rogue Sun #30 takes place. Sir John of York, the Medieval Spawn, is approached by Caleb Hawthorne, aka the Knight Sun, for a quest of sorts: a noblewoman has made a demonic bargain with the mysterious Mourningstar, becoming the demon known as the Withered. To save the Withered’s subjects, Caleb and Sir John join forces.
Throughout Rogue Sun #30, Ryan Parrott and Nick Cotton draw clear parallels between Sir John and Caleb. Though he’s sold his soul to Malebogia, Sir John fights to defend the innocent while preferring his solitude. Caleb, on the other hand, treats his servant Augustine as little more than a pack mule, while also leaping into every fight he can. Parrott and Cotton even dig into the differences between the duo during their obligatory “fighting before joining forces” sequence, which also hints at the man that Caleb becomes in Rogue Sun‘s prime timeline.
Image
Main series artist Abel delivers on the high-octane action that Image fans would expect from a Spawn and Rogue Sun crossover, especially when it comes to drawing the title characters. Medieval Spawn is every bit the hulking, armored badass that’s been a major presence in the Spawn comics, and Becca Carey even nails the signature gray-lined word balloons that accompany every Spawn – not to mention text that truly feels medieval. Caleb’s flaming armor still retains its knight motif, though Abel draws him a little younger than how he first appeared in Rogue Sun.
The true standout of the comic is the Withered. She is an absolutely horrifying figure: while her flowing red hair and pale skin may seem attractive at first, her blood red eyes and her left arm, which is a twisted mass of dead wood and roses, betray her demonic nature. So do the colors from Natalia Marques, which shroud everything in foreboding grays and blacks. The bargain she struck with Mourningstar also leaves her holding a beating heart in her hand, which is every bit as gross as you’d imagine. Abel hasn’t shied away from horror imagery when drawing Rogue Sun, he takes it to another level in this issue.
Rogue Sun #30 delivers one of the most surprising yet interesting crossovers of the year, as it introduces Medieval Spawn into the Massiveverse. The ending promises that more crossovers like this might be in store, which I love for two reasons. The first is that it harkens back to Image’s early days, only this time the idea of a shared universe could actually work. The second is because the idea of more Spawn is never a bad idea, at least to a major Spawn fan like myself.
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