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Title: Payback, Part I
Series: Spawn #6
Author: Todd McFarlane
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comic
Pages: 25
Words: 1K
| Synopsis: |
From Imagecomics.fandom.com
In Sicily, OvertKill takes down a building for the mafia. When the military shows up, he quickly dispatches them after taking several rounds of bullets and explosive damage. He leaves virtually unscathed.
Freddy, a hobo, gives up Spawn’s location in exchange for drugs. However, the mobsters kill him before completing their end of the bargain. The mobsters report back to Antonio Twistelli.
Meanwhile, in the alley several homeless people offer comfort to Spawn. They invite him to sit next to them and share his story. They don’t want Spawn to be afraid of them as he always sits aloof. Spawn tells them his backstory with Wanda and Cyan.
When two mobster start wasting random bums looking for Spawn, Al shows up and takes them out.
At a meeting with the mobsters, Gavino recommends Overtkill to take out Spawn.
That evening, the two square off. While Overtkill easily overpowers him, Spawn does trick him into messing up his robot hand before being rendered near-death. Spawn refuses to use his powers to spare them as long as possible so that he can continue to live on earth and ask questions about his past.
Overtkill walks away, unaware that Spawn is still alive. Spawn heals himself with his Necroplasm and heads to a warehouse to pick up guns and ballistics.
| My Thoughts: |
We’re introduced to a badguy named OvertKill as he takes on the Italian Army and pretty much crushes them singlehandedly. Meanwhile, back in the USA Spawn has been blamed for the deaths of the mafia members that the Violator first killed. The Dons hire OvertKill and he starts killing the homeless until Spawn confronts him. After a few punches thrown, OvertKill is revealed as cyborg and thinks he has killed Spawn. Spawn realizes his powers are limited and as such raids an army base for supplies. He was Special Forces before he died and came back with magic powers and he’s going to fight like the man he used to be.
As a new villain, OvertKill leaves a lot to be desired. His face is wide open to attack and besides being big and brawny and enhanced as a cyborg, I’m not really sure why he’s such a problem. One sniper round would deal with him easily. And the fight between him and Spawn really made me wonder just how far Spawn had fallen. I realize it’s been 5 years, but he fights like a little girl instead of the special forces guy he is. And the ending, where he gets all armed up, talk about show boating. A special forces guy IS the weapon, the guns are just accessories.
Spawn’s chains do something of their own volition but all we get from Spawn is a “Oh, I guess I’ll check on that later”. Welp, on to the next issue.
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
Hmm that sounds disappointing. Is this Spawn the same Spawn that’s in movies?
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I’m pretty sure there was a live action film, that bombed, in late 90’s and there was an animated show that lasted for 18 episodes.
If you’re talking about some other movies, I don’t know.
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Must be the 1997 one I saw a clip of though it looks like they’re doing a remake now.
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A remake does not surprise me. The comic continues to do well and it just recently started branching out. So I’d say it was ripe for another go at the movie medium….
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“One sniper round would deal with him easily.”
Well, in fairness, you could say that about a lot of superheroes. But heroes (and supervillains) have a way of avoiding bullets. In movies too.
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If they can’t take a bullet, then they aren’t super. A real super, even one like Batman, works around such issues like this.
McFarlane is just coming across as lazy here with the character. Mainly so he can have OvertKill and Spawn duke it out hand to hand.
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Well, they can take a flesh wound to the shoulder. One that tears their sleeve off to show off their pipes. The kind of thing you just rub some dirt on and it’ll be fine.
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See, that’s EXACTLY what a super should do 😀
I mean, I do that kind of thing all the time. I go through shirts like nobody’s business, but at least I’m doing my part for the economy, hahahahaa.
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Do you also say things like “I haven’t got time to bleed”? That’s a useful line when you get one of those attractive wounds.
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Nah, I’m more of the “Pain is weakness leaving the body” kind of guy. Especially when I’m the one inflicting the pain 😀
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Any chance you can share a picture of the inside comic art at some point? I always liked the look and grim feel of Spawn, but never picked them up when I was still heavily into comics, would like to know of the art-style appeals before picking some up and diving in.
Although, this one doesn’t sound the greatest!
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Sure. I included some of the art work in the previous volumes (Justice, volume 5 & Questions, Part 4) but I’ll keep that in mind for future volumes as well.
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I shall go digging and see what I can find!
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It’s very confusing, isn’t this whole Spawn universe? But I am a layman, it’s true. If only we all had a sniper round.
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By the way, I did discover this online. Tell me if it’s useful!
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I’ve had that bookmarked for a while. But too many movies, not enough time.
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That’s life for you. This horrible, dystopian world where even Booky is swearing!
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Oh, is “wanker” a swear for you?
I’m learning all sorts of things recently! 😀
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Oh no, wanker is my favourite word in the English language. But you did go on to expand with a few of the others which I shall not mention in this blog, fearing your possible wrath…
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Ahhh yes. gotcha. Discussing profanity as an intellectual idea vs using it are two very different things to me.
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I just bookmarked it. For Michael caine, I will MAKE time…
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Sir,
You are a genius and a true Patriot!
I salute you….
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Finally. Some people are acknowledging it. You don’t get that sort of service of Dix’s blog!
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I don’t find it confusing. One bullet. One kill.
Except when the bleeping author decides that 100 bullets just miss
Then yes, I’m confused as anything.
♪All I want for Christmas is my sniper round♪
♪my sniper round♪
♪See, my sniper round♪
♪Gee, if I could only have my sniper round♪
♪Then I could wish you “Merry Christmas♪
Ahhh, the real spirit of giving……
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I’m not feeling that OvertKill character design 🤔 Imagine trying to tie your shoelaces with those hands!
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I bet he uses velcro shoes 😉
Of course, he might also just give himself a hernia from bending over, hahahahaa….
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He looks like Nappa from Dragon Ball, all ready to scream “IT’S OVER 9000!” hahahah
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Hahahahahaa! That was a great scene, one to live in meme memory forever 🙂
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Spawn was one of the first comics I really got into. Nice review, Mr. Bookstooge.
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How far into the series did you stay?
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I quit following it after about 10 issues, just because I was a teenager with limited funds. But I bought action figures and everything. I didn’t have the attention span that I have now, so it was like a fan teenager thing where seeing the violence was great since my parents raised me in a bubble of sorts. Not complaining, but that is just how we were raised as kids if you get my drift.
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Oh man, action figures cost a bundle, even back then. I was never into them so my money got spent on upgrading my computer, buying video games and Silver Sable comics 😀
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