Universe building is a tricky business. As any fan of comic book films can see, success is spotty at best. This goes for comics, as well. With the exception of both Marvel and DC in the 1960s, there have been numerous struggles. From start-ups like the Ultraverse and Crossgen, to established properties the New 52, the comics graveyard is full of failed universe endeavors.

So, what makes the Spawn’s Universe one-shot from Image Comics different? First, Spawn has been around for almost 30 years, and the universe isn’t starting from scratch or being rebooted from the beginning. Todd McFarlane takes his 300+-issue property and adds some new elements. He does so by bringing back already established characters and mixes them up with more recent additions to create a “new universe.” The comic does not reinvent the wheel; it adds a tire to it. It builds up instead of recreating.

Is it any good? There are different chapters and stories drawn by a variety of artists. All of the illustration in this book is great. As for the story itself, it’s action packed and offers great character building. There are old characters who return, like Medieval Spawn, and newer additions like Gunslinger Spawn. There’s something for everyone here with angels, demons, and She-Spawns. We also see a radical change in a character that has been around from the early days of the character. Three new series will be spun off from this. The comic serves as not only a reintroduction of the characters, many of whom haven’t been seen for a while, but also as a jumping-on point for any new reader interested in learning more about the series.

Recommended 3 out of 4 stars

Creative Team: Todd McFarlane (writer, inker), Jim Cheung, Brett Booth, Stephen Segovia, and Marcio Takara (artists), and Adelso Corona (inker)
Publisher: Image Comics
Click here to purchase.