SPAWN! A look back at an award-winning collection of graded slabs. 10 10

[Ryan.]

On 2/1/2024 at 6:09 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 265 RED SKETCH EDITION (BLANK COVER) - CUSTOM COMMISSION - ASH GONZALEZ 

I don't have the latest on this guy, but he was putting out straight fire back in the day! Honestly, Ash Gonzalez, out of Houston, is one of the best comic artists I've ever seen. If I remember correctly, he was not employed by any comic company. Last I heard, he was working in Hollywood. 

His agent is (was?) a regular here on the boards. You can find all sorts of examples of his work posted over in the signature series section of the boards. He has done many blank commissions, and I've NEVER seen one I didn't drool over. Unfortunately, I don't think he is doing commissions anymore. 

Man. I ed up bad when I sold this! BAD! 

I'd absolutely love to buy this one back again! Hopefully someone will see this and help hook it up for me. 

As with Tan, I gave Gonzalez a choice of characters from the Spawn universe. After some back and forth, I gave the green light for Gunslinger on the front and Angel Spawn on the back. 

SICK SICK SICK SICK! 

This may very well be my favorite book of the collection. One of a kind! 

Books like this are the reason why I firmly believe there will NEVER be another Spawn collection that will touch it. 

 

Woahhhh

[captainzombie]

On 2/1/2024 at 5:09 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 265 RED SKETCH EDITION (BLANK COVER) - CUSTOM COMMISSION - ASH GONZALEZ 

I don't have the latest on this guy, but he was putting out straight fire back in the day! Honestly, Ash Gonzalez, out of Houston, is one of the best comic artists I've ever seen. If I remember correctly, he was not employed by any comic company. Last I heard, he was working in Hollywood. 

His agent is (was?) a regular here on the boards. You can find all sorts of examples of his work posted over in the signature series section of the boards. He has done many blank commissions, and I've NEVER seen one I didn't drool over. Unfortunately, I don't think he is doing commissions anymore. 

Man. I ed up bad when I sold this! BAD! 

I'd absolutely love to buy this one back again! Hopefully someone will see this and help hook it up for me. 

As with Tan, I gave Gonzalez a choice of characters from the Spawn universe. After some back and forth, I gave the green light for Gunslinger on the front and Angel Spawn on the back. 

SICK SICK SICK SICK! 

This may very well be my favorite book of the collection. One of a kind! 

Books like this are the reason why I firmly believe there will NEVER be another Spawn collection that will touch it. 

 

WOW! Gunslinger looks so lifelike on that cover. I can only imagine what this is going for now, but such a beautiful piece of art.

[pmpknface]

Um... I thought you said this was a SKETCH cover?  Dayum that's full-on madness right there, times 2!  The Angel is nice, but that Gunslinger is just sick.  I don't even understand what he did there.  And it's still a 9.8?  Wow.  You could have framed those 2 on the wall if not for back cover action.  Well done sir. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 267 - CGC 9.8 

I forgot about this one! I love it! 

Rafael did some great cover work for Spawn! Feels like we're home again with a book that actually looks like a Spawn book. 

 

Edited February 3 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 267 VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

Jordan Butler cover art. 

I prefer the "regular" cover over this one. 

 

Edited February 3 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 268 - CGC 9.8 

Spawn in Punisher cosplay? 

On a serious note, this is a proper Spawn cover. Should be dark and brooding. 

It should NOT look like bad to mid Japanime (Jonboy Meyers) or a Saturday morning cartoon or the doodling on a middle schooler's spiral notebook (Erik Larsen). 

I don't know much at all about the cover artist here, but I was happy to see the cover art revert back to some level of authenticity and honesty when it comes to the character. Unfortunately, I had already made a firm resolution to stop at issue 275. 

 

Edited February 4 by newshane

[Qalyar]

On 2/4/2024 at 3:55 PM, newshane said:

I don't know much at all about the cover artist here

Iranian-born Faraz Shanyar didn't do very much work for the comic book industry, which is unfortunate because he's quite talented; here's his portfolio spotlight at Fable Hatch. These days he's in Sweden, working as senior concept artist for the video game company Machinegames.

[newshane]

SPAWN 268 SKETCH COVER - CGC 9.8 

Thank you, Qalyar, for the insight on Shanyar. It's a shame we didn't see more of him! 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 269 - CGC 9.8 

Another artist with whom I'm unfamiliar...

Hicham Hibachi? 

...and I have no idea why this wasn't a 9.9. 

There are many issues that make me wonder. 

Although I had well over a dozen "mint" comics in the collection, I never subbed one myself. 

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 2/6/2024 at 3:31 PM, newshane said:

...and I have no idea why this wasn't a 9.9. 

There are many issues that make me wonder. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 269 VARIANT COVER - CGC 9.8 

 

Edited February 8 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 270 - CGC 9.8

My first child was born when this issue came out. 

We all know what that meant! Less money for comics! 

It was almost quitting time...

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 270 VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

 

[D2]

On 2/9/2024 at 6:37 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 270 VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

 

Although I never understood the whole, Guns guns and more guns with a character that is essentially magic based…

But this cover, and the sketch cover in particular, is absolutely breathtaking. 

[newshane]

On 2/10/2024 at 1:33 AM, D2 said:

Although I never understood the whole, Guns guns and more guns with a character that is essentially magic based…

 

Well, the idea with the guns is that it saves him from using his magic, which is finite. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 271 - CGC 9.8 

Ashley Wood back in the house! 

Nice to see some proper atmosphere after a few years of poorly drawn Saturday morning cartoons. 

 

[Qalyar]

On 2/6/2024 at 5:31 PM, newshane said:

Another artist with whom I'm unfamiliar...

Hicham Hibachi?

So, first things first, CGC has miscredited these covers, because this artist's name is Hicham Habchi. He is not, in fact, named after teppanyaki cooking.

He's Moroccan-born, although I believe he's been in the US for most of his life. He did a little bit more comics-industry stuff than Faraz Shanyar did. Beyond a couple of Spawn covers, he's done some Batman covers, and apparently some work for Marvel although I'm not sure what offhand. Like Shanyar, he's largely found a career in the video game industry. His biggest successes have been doing concept art for Riot Games. I believe he's also done some work for Netflix animated projects.

[newshane]

SPAWN 271 VARIANT - CGC 9.8 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 272 - CGC 9.8 

First appearance of The Soul Crusher. 

Really dig this cover. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 272 VARIANT - CGC 9.8