What Fascinates You?

I’m not sure how I can really describe how my love and fascination with SPAWN started.

Spawn is Al Simmons, a former Marine and CIA agent who worked for a top secret covert ops division. During a mission he was murdered by a fellow operative, acting on orders from their superior, and sent to Hell because of his life as an assassin. There the demon Malebolgia made him a deal: if he agreed to lead Hell’s army in a war against Heaven, he would be returned to Earth to see his wife, Wanda, one last time. Simmons accepted without hesitation and was returned to Earth, where he finds himself badly burned, with no memory of what happened, shrouded in a strange living costume and possessing incredible powers. He discovers that five years have passed since his death, and in that time Wanda has remarried to his best friend, Terry Fitzgerald, and they have a daughter named Cyan. Emotionally shattered and feeling betrayed, Simmons withdraws to the alleyways known as Rat City, where he befriends a homeless community and becomes something of a protector. He also meets a diminutive being known as the Clown (the Earth disguise for his true demonic form as the Violator), whose purpose is to guide Hellspawns toward cultivating evil souls on Earth for Hell’s army. Simmons gradually embraces his new identity as Spawn and battles criminal elements in all their forms, including organized crime syndicates, street gangs, rapists, and child murderers. All the while, he is left with the choice of whether or not to fulfill his agreement, which places him in the middle of a tug-of-war between Heaven and Hell.

The thing I loved about Spawn was that he was unlike any other superhero. Whereas Spider-Man, Superman, and even Batman had lines they would never cross, Spawn didn’t. He had no qualms about killing the bad guys. He also didn’t even want to be a hero. He only agreed to Malebolgia’s deal because he loved his wife so much and just wanted to see her again. But when he discovered he’d been tricked, he wanted nothing more than to just live hidden in the shadows of Rat City. He resisted the role of hero and even sometimes refused to help the homeless who came to him with problems. Sometimes he would come around and help, and other times he would only act when his own life was threatened. Whether it was the mob, government agents, or forces from Heaven or Hell, if they invaded his space (and they often did) he would fight for his life. And that’s another thing I liked about the series, its concept of Heaven and Hell. McFarlane came up with a twist on the expectations that I’d never seen before or since, where Heaven can be just as vicious as Hell. Heaven knows Hell wants a war, so it’s going to be just as steadfast and brutal in order to win. As a result, Hell will take the kindest of souls from Earth to use as bait and bargaining chips, while Heaven will also take the wickedest because it knows it has no chance of winning if its army is comprised of only good and innocence. It’s a fascinating story that turns a lot of preconceived notions on its head, and while I can see it offending some, it makes for really great storytelling.

What fascinates you? It can be anything.. I want to know what really catches your eyes.

JOANNE