SPAWN! A look back at an award-winning collection of graded slabs. 11 11

[newshane]

SPAWN 161 - CGC 9.8 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 162 - CGC 9.8 

Stunning cover. One of my favorites from the entire series. A beautiful book held in hand. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 163 - CGC 9.8 

I think it might be interesting for me, and hopefully entertaining for you, if I compiled a list of my favorites - books that I will one day buy and own again. 

This one would definitely be on there! 

Out of all the darkness - a claw glows green with necroplasm! 

Seriously. In hand, it makes you feel like it's glowing. Hard to capture the effect of some of this art through scans alone. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 164 - CGC 9.8 

Another one of my favorites. There are some serious bangers in the 150s and 160s! Tan was on fire, and every now and then Capullo would come back to drop something awesome for the cover. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 165 - CGC 9.8 

Yeah. I'd say 150-170 is probably my favorite stretch, overall. 

This cover is beautiful and so clean! Another must have! The demand is a bit higher for this issue, so it may command a premium on the market. First appearance of Mandarin Spawn. Really cool story as well! 

 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 166 - CGC 9.8 

They started to experiment here with the layout, using the left margin of the cover for various information. Not a fan. 

 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 166 - CGC 9.8 - VARIANT COVER 

I've always used some sort of source when discussing print runs. Even so, I've been called out about the veracity of my sources. I'm just an avid collector working with the information available to me. With that disclaimer out of the way...

This is a very tough book, and the print run was relatively low. And I mean low. 

Lot's of people overlook this book when compiling runs of the series.

Any premium for this book is well deserved. 

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 7/8/2023 at 12:54 PM, newshane said:

Someone got cocky about finding one several years ago (I know you're reading this, and you know who you are), but he has yet to come through. STILL WAITING! 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 167 - CGC 9.8 

Brian Haberlin is the new cover artist here. Enter the era of digital art! EDIT - Capullo's cover art. 

Have you noticed how often the creative team changes during this era? I think the series was really struggling to establish a solid identity at the time. 

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 168 - CGC 9.8

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 169 - CGC 9.8 - SIGNATURE SERIES - SIGNED BY BRAIN HABERLIN 

Has it been 9 years already? 

Signed at SDCC 2014. 

Not a signature you see every day! I love the way this one turned out. I windowed the book so he would sign vertically. 

Digital cover by Haberlin. I love Spawn lurking in the background! 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 170 - CGC 9.8 

I just want to note that I hate the new logo. It's almost as bad as when Metallica changed their logo. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 171 - CGC 9.9 - MINT

You know what is exceedingly rare? 

A CGC 9.9 comic. 

This copy is STILL the single highest graded. 

Another rarely seen signature will be posted tomorrow! 

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 172 - CGC 9.8 - SIGNATURE SERIES - SIGNED BY DAVID HINE

Not too many Hine signatures out there. I just checked eBay out of curiosity. Not a single sig. . 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by newshane

[pmpknface]

On 7/24/2023 at 12:45 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 170 - CGC 9.8 

I just want to note that I hate the new logo. It's almost as bad as when Metallica changed their logo. 

 

I'm with you on the logo, and this may be the worst cover so far.

[newshane]

On 7/26/2023 at 9:31 PM, pmpknface said:

,,,,and this may be the worst cover so far.

It's certainly in the bottom rung, at best. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 173 - CGC 9.8 

 

[pmpknface]

On 7/27/2023 at 11:44 AM, newshane said:

SPAWN 173 - CGC 9.8 

 

Ok, I'd like to offer up some observations on this one...

I believe Capullo did this, but it really doesn't look like him.  I think it's the coloring and not having someone like Miki inking it.  Did he color this as well?  I looked, and https://www.spawnworld.com/books/ongoing/ongoing173.htm didn't say anyone else had a hand in it, just Andy Troy (I'm not familiar with him) colored the book.  

I'm not into the white border on the left either.  I get why they may have tried it. Likely to try to appeal to the dealers that stack their books over each other on a shelf (mine does this) so they can be seen when the "standard" titles are covered.  But this one is different, where the image is behind the banner and it isn't just the white with the "bug" print.  I'm wondering if it was supposed to be moved over like the previous covers but it got shifted.  I know his sig is off the the right, and maybe that's why they went it with this way but like that couldn't be moved.  

There's also so much dead space for no real reason, I'm not a fan.  I'm ok with it where it makes sense but it doesn't work here.  I wonder if this was meant to look more like this (pardon my weak photoshopping skills):

Thoughts?

[newshane]

On 7/27/2023 at 2:04 PM, pmpknface said:

 

I believe Capullo did this, but it really doesn't look like him.  I think it's the coloring and not having someone like Miki inking it.  Did he color this as well?  I looked, and https://www.spawnworld.com/books/ongoing/ongoing173.htm didn't say anyone else had a hand in it, just Andy Troy (I'm not familiar with him) colored the book.  

Thoughts?

 

I'm not saying this with absolute authority, but my guess is that Capullo provided the pencils for the cover. The art was scanned and "inks" were applied digitally by Haberlin, probably at the same time as the colors. 

[pmpknface]

On 7/27/2023 at 8:24 PM, newshane said:

I'm not saying this with absolute authority, but my guess is that Capullo provided the pencils for the cover. The art was scanned and "inks" were applied digitally by Haberlin, probably at the same time as the colors. 

I'd buy that too.  Something to that effect.