Originally Posted by
HellsRider
Okay so I had a chance to read the last 4 issues of Spawn, but before I get to that going back to the last issue I wrote, 244, I had a few things that scratched my head. First, why is Clown still doing the doctor guise? The purpose for Clown to do this was to move the angel from Endgame, Victoria, into a secure facility so he can make a deal to gain information on who helped Al do what he did. Bludd tainted that so she's no use at this point so why keep the charade. Second, when Jim poured the dirt of the Dead Zone on Clown eliminating all of his powers why does Clown still have the ability to transform to another being mere seconds after Jim leaves? That should have ended his doctor schtick. Anyways, on to the other issues.
245 - A ridiculous amount of filler here. Only the last 3 pages or so are worthwhile as Jim finds out that Marc's contacts died because of the wedding photo, Jim reveals Spawn to Marc, and something is up with Sara. The rest is drawn out - the conversation of Jim/Sara (which I find so time wasting) and the useless pages of the two guys in the cafe and Jim in the cab. My biggest problem with this issue is Marc having a photo of Spawn. Up to this point, we know that Marc's sole contact in the CIA is Terry Fitzgerald. So why would Terry give that photo to Marc with Terry knowing full well what Spawn is and capable of on top of the fact that he would think its Al. If the CIA believes Jim's connected to Spawn, shouldn't that prompt a more aggressive action towards Jim and plan to attack him or something.
246 - "When today started, it had been my best since waking from my coma." Really Jim? The day you woke up you were attacked by a super villain, the hospital you were in was bombed, you turned into a demonic creature, went to multiple hospitals, met up with Sara again, and turned into said demonic creature again to kill some random thugs. But best day ever before this issue right. Anyways this was a decent issue with Jim confiding in Marc what he's been keeping from him and how best to handle the CIA situation. Additionally Sara being possessed served as a reminder of the lesson Cog taught Jim and Jim uses the big cross Redeemer 3 left behind in issue 197 to dispel the possession for a bit. Not sure what to make of apparently Al coming through Jim while holding the cross. Also is their a reason why Kudranski couldn't finish this issue? Just odd that he couldn't do the last 2 pages and Todd had to step in. Probably related to him getting the call for Superman Doomed #2?
247 - So we find that the crap has the hit the fan as Jim apparently had sex with Sara in between the end of 244 and the beginning of 245 and that just turned everything upside down because with Sara having gone through "The Black" and Jim having sex with her after saving her, a piece of the symbiote is now within Sara. One of the doctors works for Bludd and tells Jim that he must give up a blood sample and they won't kill Sara to which Jim agrees. Meanwhile Clown tells Hel to become crazy powerful by simply touching Jim a lot which would drain his powers and Father Kilgore looks to have a conversation with Marc. While it seems like a lot happened more could have been done. Todd uses way too many words and has a number of useless scenes of the most minutiae of detail that instead could be moving the story more (the doctor details and two reporter pages for example). Marc flips out because he's been through his dad in a coma before, but everyone else should be more pissed off because you know, Jim is supposed to be the miracle worker so if he can't cure Sara what chance do regular doctors have considering what the foundation has been preaching. Kinda meh issue with a useless Spawn scene that was completely unnecessary.
248 - The ebola page was unnecessary. Anyways, Marc goes back to the Clarion to research Ramus/Bludd when he meets Father Kilgore who tells Marc that Spawn has his final test coming up and must win, that Jim & the costume have been spreading a disease and not curing people, and for Marc to look to Wanda Blake for answers. Meanwhile, Bludd is attacked by Jim (in Wings of Redemption mode then later his angelic mode) and looks for answers on Sara to which Jim's plan is for the symbiote to seep into Bludd so Jim can get answers on saving Sara though of course he doesn't know if this will work. Oh and I think Jim revealed he's a vampire too because why the hell not. Decent issue however those wondering about Haunt will be disappointed in knowing that their is only one page of him that was completely unnecessary. Kilgore transforms into Haunt during his conversation with Marc for no reason and Marc apparently has no reaction to seeing this transformation. So close to 250 we still don't know how Haunt knows about Spawn, Al, and what he is really trying to do or how he knows what he knows. On top of that, so many forces need to be touched on such as all the heavenly forces - the Vatican/Medieval Spawn, Redeemer, Solomon Pure and heavenly vampires, the albinos, what Cog is up to, Sam & Twitch's investigation, and Rowand and the CIA if they ever will do anything.
The letters column of this issue also has Todd having a few answers on why the new team was picked and on Haunt too.
On Brian Wood:
On Jonboy Meyers:
On Haunt:
My biggest problem in all of this is that I don't care about the Sara plot because I have no idea why she was taken in the first place about 8 months ago. That was glossed over and while Jim may know why the reader doesn't so its tough to care about what happens to Sara. Additionally the villains are all acting reactionary to what Jim is doing and not the other way around. For example, how would Bludd have obtained Jim's blood, which Bludd didn't plot, if this didn't happen and why wait till now to have now Clown reveal that Hel could have gotten stronger this entire time by simply touching Jim and draining his powers which I thought was what Clown wanted in the first place to weaken Jim and the symbiote. Because they sit around and plot all the time and not do anything to Jim their is no sense of threat outside of the symbiote itself and if that is supposed to be some huge threat and everyone vying for it why is no one doing anything about it.