Al Simmons ends his life by blasting his head off. Just when he dies Jim Downing awakes from a coma in a hospital with no memory of who or where he is. As he tries to scream for help his life-supporting machines send a signal to the nurse Sara who then looks after him. This is a miracle for her, as she always prayed to God that he would awake one day, and the entire hospital crew so he immediately gets medical attention but is referenced to as "Patient 47". He passes his medical tests just perfect, the only unusual thing about him is that no one at the hospital knows anything about him because his file is missing.

We caught up with Will Carlton and Szymon Kudranski to talk about the new direction in SPAWN.

Horror News Network: Do you guys feel any extra pressure working on this title knowing that you are following in the footsteps of guys like Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, Whilce Portacio, etc?

Will Carlton: Sure, but it’s somewhat tempered – for me anyway – by the fact that Todd picked us to do this, you know? It’s not like we’re stepping in after Todd finished a run never to be seen again – we work very closely with him to flesh out the direction and characters. I know he and I have had, and will continue to have, many conversations about where this thing is heading and what we each think are the best ways to get there.

That said, Todd’s given me a lot of room to kind of find my own path within the overall tone and pacing he envisions, which is really cool, but also extremely important, I think. And not only for myself, but for Szymon as well. Todd being there as a sounding board is invaluable, and that’s just from a writer’s POV. I won’t speak for Szymon, but having Todd McFarlane a phone call or a quick E-mail away to talk art? Not a bad resource, right?

At the end of the day I think the biggest pressure – the biggest boulder hanging over our heads – is the fact that we’re going for something new, but also something that is clearly an evolution of the framework put in place by the creative teams that came before us. We need the readers – the longtime Spawn fans, the returning readers and the skeptics – to buy into what we’re doing and to come along for the ride. That’s the pressure. Following Todd, Greg, Whilce, Bendis, Wood, Niles, Templesmith, Jenkins, Medina, Hine, Holguin, Haberlin and the others who have contributed to the Spawn mythos? That’s an honor. That’s the easy part… because it’s so fucking cool.

Szymon Kudranski: Todd’s vision is a little bit different from when Greg, Whilce, etc. were on the book, so it's easier for us/me to not be bothered by it and I don’t give much thought if it's going to be at the same level from when they worked on the book. We’re doing our thing with Todd’s direction. As long Todd is fine with the art, I focus on that. The kind art I’m producing has never been introduced in the main Spawn series, so people are either going to love it or hate it.

Horror News Network: What is it about the Spawn character that impresses each of you the most?

Will Carlton: For me it’s the breadth of the mythology. It’s pretty damn deep if you look at it. It’s Heaven and Hell and the complexity and mythologies of religion and how these ancient stories of Good and Evil weigh on the human spirit. Then, you dump all of that on the shoulders of one lonely, lost soul; push him out into the world, naked to the truth and watch how they deal with it.

With Al Simmons, he had a defined direction from the get. He wanted Wanda – damn everything else. But it wasn’t that simple. He could have done any number of things with his powers to try to win her back, to try for some sense of normalcy. He didn’t. Why? Because life isn’t that simple and Al knew that – he had to come to grips with Wanda’s new life, with his powers and I think these things tore at him. As was Malebolgia’s plan, this inner turmoil kept Al off balance – confused. That conflict in Al led to a 185-issue quest for redemption, resolution and self-discovery. Now, with Jim we’ve got another lost, lonely man with a terrible weight on his shoulders, but what’s his motivation? What’s his outlook on this new life he’s found himself in and how will he use it and these incredible powers he’s got at his fingertips? Those are going to be fun questions to answer.

Szymon Kudranski: I'm more of a visual guy, so for me it's always been about his design and the dirty, awful world he lived in.

Horror News Network: Let’s talk a bit about the current Spawn, Jim Downing. What can we expect to learn about Jim’s past in 2011?

Will Carlton: A lot! I don’t think it was ever the plan to give Jim a Wolverine-style secret origin that will play out over decades, but there is that basic foundation of a man lost at the core of Jim’s current situation… and even personality. Beginning in 201 we’re picking up all of the pieces that Todd has set out there about this big mystery surrounding Jim and we’re going to start putting them together – not always in an obvious way.

By the end of the year Jim will have a pretty clear path set forth before him – and some pretty clear obstacles in his way.

Horror News Network: Will upcoming issues focus more on Jim being a type of messiah?

Will Carlton: This whole idea of Jim as the “second coming” is going to be a big part of the story for the foreseeable future. Jim is a completely different beast from Al, and while they both kind of started in the same spot – returned to the world under strange circumstances with a no understanding of their situation and powers – Jim will not be content to hide in the shadows. How stepping into the limelight will effect Jim’s world is going to help us build a narrative that is distinct from the previous 200 issues, but also up the threat and darkness to a degree not yet seen. It’s easy to imagine dark deeds perpetrated by demons and dead men, but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen just how rotten the human soul can be unfettered by the supernatural.

It’s not a stretch to believe some of the greatest threats to Jim’s safety – and sanity – will be man-made.

Horror News Network: One of the coolest things about Spawn is the wide array of villains. You are introducing a new vampire in the book, Bludd. What can we expect from this character?

Will Carlton: Bludd isn’t just any vampire. I’m not going to get into his origin – that’s for later – but he’s been around. His motivations and true goals will reveal themselves as events progress.

Horror News Network: How do you describe the current relationship between Jim Downing Spawn and Clown?

Will Carlton: Clown always wanted to be Malebolgia’s tool of destruction – he wanted to serve at his master’s right hand as more than a lackey, but he was relegated to this servant’s role as this kind of drill sergeant for new Hellspawn. He’s trying to change all of that with Jim. From the Clown’s point of view, Jim represents his shot at the big time – Al Simmons is gone, Malebolgia (at the time of Jim’s arrival) was gone. And here, as if a gift for his years of suffering, a naïve human with the power of a very hunger piece of the K7-Leetha falls into Clown’s lap.

Clown hasn’t always been depicted as a real thinker, but that’s been a bit of a façade on his behalf – a ruse to hide his true ambitions. I think the smartest thing Clown’s ever done, and the first real sign that he’s not just some rogue’s gallery schmuck who pops up for a quick fist fight every ten issues, is that he didn’t just go right into attack-mode when he came across Jim. He took this new guy – this new potential threat – under his wing and started showing him the ropes, taking a completely different tact than he did with Al. Because he could. Because there was no one around to say otherwise. Regardless of his intentions and his endgame (no pun intended), he’s actually been quite helpful to Jim so far, and their relationship is only going to grow. Not smoothly, mind you, but Clown is a much more complicated character in the here and now than he’s ever been. Where that leads… we’ll see.

Horror News Network: Malebolgia seems to be coming back. What other Spawn villains can we expect to see?

Will Carlton: Malebolgia’s definitely on his way back. It’s not as simple as, “Hey kids, Daddy’s home!” He’s going have to put in a little work, which we’ll start seeing in 203, but he’s definitely back – although, potentially in a manner different from what fans expect.

As for other villains… We’ve already shown a cover with Tremor on it, so he’ll definitely be back in the mix, though whether or not he’s a straight-up villain is debatable. I don’t want to give away specifics on any of this because I think a lot of the re-introductions of the rogue’s gallery serve to further the story and I’m trying to avoid spoilers here. I will say this… There will be a number of characters returning that I don’t think anyone has even considered. A handful of which will have popped up by the end of issue 209.

Additionally, there are new characters who will become major players and all of Jim’s recently introduced supporting cast – Marc, Sara, Det. Rowand will be getting more involved and more fleshed out with each new issue, so there will be a lot going on from month-to-month.

Horror News Network: What makes now a great jumping on point for new readers?

Will Carlton: Spawn has long straddled the line between a superhero and horror comic, with Hellspawn – which was ahead of its time – being the closest thing in my mind to a true hybrid of the two genres, and that’s the direction we’re headed here. Not in a deliberate, “let’s do it like them” kind of way, but more as a natural progression of what was presented in that book in terms of atmosphere and this cool, creepy aesthetic combined a healthy portion of what has made the core book such a standout for the past two decades.

Basically, we’re on the ground floor of a whole new era in Spawn, so while there is added depth for those who have been around for a while, everything is fresh. Jim is still in his infancy as a lead character. His supporting cast is just coming into their own. And what it means to be a Spawn is being explored on a whole new level that will bring everything together in one hell-powered investigation of the darkest corners of the universe – sometimes through character development and interactions, sometimes through the forceful removal of one’s spinal column.

Szymon Kudranski: Issue 200 is behind us, and Todd is moving away from the classic SPAWN look the series once had. If art appeals to you like it does for Todd, stay with the book.

Horror News Network: What is the creative process like between you two?

Will Carlton: Fairly straightforward. I turn in plots to Jen and she passes them on to Szymon, who makes my words look good. Occasionally, I throw in a super-rough layout of sketch to help convey what’s in my head and Szymon runs with it and makes it his own, or kicks back with his thoughts and we go form there. It’s always a cool moment when new pages come in – every new page makes it that much more fun to write the next. And I refer back to previous issues a lot, because there are elements to Szymon’s layouts or actions that we can use to reflect certain moments and show, subtly, a connection between all these different events we have going on over the course of the first two story arcs.

Szymon Kudranski: First, Todd maps out what he’d like us to do. Then Will works through it, adding his own spin, and sends me his notes and plots. Sometimes he sends his sketches, and I work from there.

Horror News Network: Will, what has impressed you the most with Szymon’s artwork on Spawn?

Will Carlton: I love the mood he sets. There is a definite sense of the atmosphere these characters and their world exude when looking at Szymon’s pages that goes a long way in conveying the emotion, tension and action in a given scene.

I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing eight-plus issues worth of his work (that’s how far ahead we are currently, 208’s art is complete) and he is literally getting better with each issue. The last page of 205 in particular is gorgeous (but fans will have to wait to see it for themselves).

Horror News Network: Szymon, what is it about Will’s writing that excites you about doing art on Spawn?

Szymon Kudranski: I like that the stories are not boring to me. With each plot I get excited about what will happen next, and that gives me the fuel that I need to execute the art the best I can. Stories are finally appealing to me and to the art that I do.

Horror News Network: Spawn has always been a comic with a horror feel thanks to plenty of demons and monsters running amok. Szymon, your art style really sees to add much more of a horror feel to Spawn. What are your thoughts on that?

Szymon Kudranski: I don't think my art adds too much horror to the series. I actually see it as more of a drama/thriller comic book than horror (at least in first issues). The art might help to build up the scenes or make small things seems bigger then they are. We always have the balance-- story won't overshadow the art, and art wont overshadow the story. It's always equal. It might not be the most popular art on the market, but we do our best to be perfect for us, and produce a book we would like to read.

Horror News Network: In closing, what would you guys like to say to readers about the current Spawn series?

Will Carlton: Buckle up. What we’ve got cooking is, in ways, different from everything than has come before, but that said, potentially more to the heart of what Todd’s vision of Spawn is than anything since Hellspawn. And that’s not a knock. I’m a big fan of the series and have been since its inception, so don’t believe for one second that we’re not taking great care to build upon the foundation that has been created by those phenomenal teams who came before us. I hope you’ll join us on this journey… it gets better with each issue and we are going to be going places you can’t even imagine.

Szymon Kudranski: Hope you enjoy it!

Horror News Network: Thanks for your time, guys! Best of luck with SPAWN. Comment on this interview on our forum.

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Published on: 2011-02-10 (2019 reads)