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

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 - CGC 9.8 - FINCH SKETCH VARIANT 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 JIM LEE VARIANT - CGC 9.8 - SIGNATURE SERIES - SIGNED BY JIM LEE 

Arguably the best artist from the entire Image roster. 

This was a great book! Was pumped to get Lee's signature. This won't be the last "Lee variant!" We will take a look at the black and white tomorrow. 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by newshane

[pmpknface]

On 9/17/2023 at 12:15 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 200 JIM LEE VARIANT - CGC 9.8 - SIGNATURE SERIES - SIGNED BY JIM LEE 

Arguably the best artist from the entire Image roster. 

This was a great book! Was pumped to get Lee's signature. This won't be the last "Lee variant!" We will take a look at the black and white tomorrow. 

 

 

Nice!  Jim is a great guy.  I saw him sign a Bud bottle for a guy once  

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 - CGC 9.8 - LEE SKETCH COVER 

Sorry for all these ugly scans. I was doing my best, believe me! Those thick slabs were a beast for my old HP. 

 

[captainzombie]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:31 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 200 - CGC 9.8 - LEE SKETCH COVER 

Sorry for all these ugly scans. I was doing my best, believe me! Those thick slabs were a beast for my old HP. 

 

LOL! Agreed, most of the #200 covers are ugly as hell.

[newshane]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:37 PM, captainzombie said:

LOL! Agreed, most of the #200 covers are ugly as hell.

Well, I was talking about the scans but...

[captainzombie]

On 9/18/2023 at 7:58 PM, newshane said:

Well, I was talking about the scans but...

Hahahaha. Some of the covers to me felt uninspiring. Good thing with Spawn titles, they don't go crazy with the variants like other titles, and usually its just with the bigger numbered issues where they have multiple variants. I feel like variants have not helped the industry at all and made a mess of it.

Seeing all of these Spawn books that you had slabbed has to in some ways bug you at times having gotten rid of them, even though you did it due to a goal in mind.

[newshane]

On 9/18/2023 at 8:14 PM, captainzombie said:

Hahahaha. Some of the covers to me felt uninspiring. Good thing with Spawn titles, they don't go crazy with the variants like other titles, and usually its just with the bigger numbered issues where they have multiple variants. I feel like variants have not helped the industry at all and made a mess of it.

Seeing all of these Spawn books that you had slabbed has to in some ways bug you at times having gotten rid of them, even though you did it due to a goal in mind.

I agree that some of them were uninspiring. 

You will see many, many more variants. There was a long stretch where every single issue had a variant. After a few years of that game, I totally burned out. 

Yeah, it bugs me to have gotten rid of some of them. I'll post a top 20 list soon. ;) 

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 - CGC 9.8 SIGNATURE SERIES - ROB LIEFELD

Rob has taken a lot of flack over the years, and all I would do is pile on, so I'll just move on. 

[captainzombie]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:07 PM, newshane said:

I agree that some of them were uninspiring. 

You will see many, many more variants. There was a long stretch where every single issue had a variant. After a few years of that game, I totally burned out. 

Yeah, it bugs me to have gotten rid of some of them. I'll post a top 20 list soon. ;) 

Which was the final issue number when you had stopped getting the Spawn books slabbed?

This is awesome that you have shared all this with us.

[newshane]

On 9/19/2023 at 9:35 PM, captainzombie said:

Which was the final issue number when you had stopped getting the Spawn books slabbed?

This is awesome that you have shared all this with us.

I called it quits at issue 275. 

No problem! I'm just glad people like you are along for the ride. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 SILVESTRI VARIANT - CGC 9.8 - SIGNED BY MARC SILVESTRI 

One of two Silvestri sigs in this collection. The other was issue 25, which turned out a bit better IMHO. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 200 ASHLEY WOOD VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

He never came to the states back in my heyday of Spawn collecting, so getting Wood's signature was a pipe dream. 

I guess I could have purchased accommodations and a round-trip flight to Australia for my facilitator. 

I know I'm insane, but doing such a thing would bring the paddy wagon and a straightjacket to my front door, and I hear they don't allow comic collecting in psych wards. 

Hard pass. 

I'm super pumped about issue 201 and the artist change. We are about to enter one of the very sickest eras of the run, and a new peak as far as art goes. 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by newshane

[LadyDeath]

185-200 was a considerable improvement after reverting back to the original logo. Cover art was more traditional too.

Shane, did you keep any Spawn slabs or was everything unloaded?

[newshane]

On 9/21/2023 at 6:00 PM, LadyDeath said:

185-200 was a considerable improvement after reverting back to the original logo. Cover art was more traditional too.

Shane, did you keep any Spawn slabs or was everything unloaded?

Got rid of everything but my original raw copies I bought as a kid back in the 90s. 

[captainzombie]

On 9/21/2023 at 5:35 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 200 ASHLEY WOOD VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

He never came to the states back in my heyday of Spawn collecting, so getting Wood's signature was a pipe dream. 

I guess I could have purchased accommodations and a round-trip flight to Australia for my facilitator. 

I know I'm insane, but doing such a thing would bring the paddy wagon and a straightjacket to my front door, and I hear they don't allow comic collecting in psych wards. 

Hard pass. 

I'm super pumped about issue 201 and the artist change. We are about to enter one of the very sickest eras of the run, and a new peak as far as art goes. 

 

Quite a cool cover here and different from the other #200's.

Speaking of #201, mine is currently at CGC. Fingers crossed that it comes back as a 9.8. This is my 3rd copy of #201 and probably the best one yet.

First appearance of Bludd.

[newshane]

SPAWN 201 - CGC 9.8 

For me, this is a key issue. Szymon Kudranski beings as the featured artist. His work is INCREDIBLE. I think I may like his run on the series better than any other! I was a big fan of the Philip Tan era, but I think Kudranski knocks it out of the park. I just love the look. So dark. Very appropriate for the character! 

Also note "Will Carlton" as the new writer. That's a pseudonym used by Todd McFarlane himself. I always wanted to request a Will Carlton signature, but my facilitator was too chicken excrement to ask Todd. To my knowledge, there's never been a Will Carlton signature. 

I think Todd was testing the waters here, wondering if he was a good writer or not. Of course, I'm a notorious cynic. So, who knows? 

Sick cover. Very difficult book, as well. 

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 9/19/2023 at 9:41 PM, newshane said:

I called it quits at issue 275. 

 

I've been thinking of stopping at 350. With the new titles and variants it's a lot. I have 3 short boxes for Spawn 1-299, and filling 5 more since 300. 

[newshane]

On 9/23/2023 at 8:33 AM, oldmilwaukee6er said:

I've been thinking of stopping at 350. With the new titles and variants it's a lot. I have 3 short boxes for Spawn 1-299, and filling 5 more since 300. 

Yeah, the number of variants is out of control, and it’s been that way for too long. But, people keep buying them. 
 

I admired Todd back in the 90s because he avoided all of the gimmick covers. Unfortunately, he made up for it. Sadly, mist of the variants aren’t even that interesting. You will see soon. There is a very long stretch where every issue had a black and white variant. 
 

This, along with the unmanageable size of the collection, was one of the main reasons I sold out. The stress of keeping up was too much. The unannounced “ultra rare” convention variants were the last straw. As vigilant as I was, I wouldn’t even hear about some if them until after the fact…even with all my connections. It was just too much stress to keep up, and it took all the fun out of collecting. 
 

I sold out, bought some truly rare Golden Age, and I’ve never looked back. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 202 - CGC 9.8 - SIGNATURE SERIES - SIGNED BY JOHN LEGUIZAMO 

Not the biggest fan of him anymore, but I thought it would be really cool to get John Leguizamo's signature on this book, which prominently features Clown on the cover. 

If you don't know already, Leguizamo was cast to portray Clown in the Spawn movie. I think he did a PERFECT job, and definitely had the look. His casting was probably one of the only redeemable aspects of the film.