Written by: Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Frank Miller Art by: Klaus Janson, Todd McFarlane Cover Art by: Greg Capullo, Todd McFarlane, Klaus Janson
The Story: Two of comics' darkest characters cross paths in some of the biggest stories to come from the last three decades! Batman and Spawn are two vigilantes of the night who avenge the innocent by their own methods. When sinister forces manipulate the Dark Knight and the Hellspawn into confronting each other, you can bet that there’ll be hell to pay when our heroes discover the truth and turn the tables on their would-be puppeteers.
These two dark knights crossed paths in Batman/Spawn: War Devil #1 and Spawn/Batman #1 one-shots, both released in 1994, and in the 2022 Batman/Spawn #1 one-shot.
Format: Print and Digital; Prestige Format Comic Specials, Collected Editions Release Dates:Spawn/Batman - March 31, 1994; Batman/Spawn: War Devil - June 1, 1994; Batman/Spawn - Dec. 13, 2022 Note:Batman/Spawn: The Classic Collection, released Nov. 15, 2022, collects Spawn/Batman and Batman/Spawn: War Devil; and Batman/Spawn: The Deluxe Edition, released Apr. 04, 2023, collects Spawn/Batman, Batman/Spawn: War Devil and Batman/Spawn. Available for Purchase Now
Batman/Spawn Comic Crossovers Review
Written by James Harvey
A game-changing hit comic when first released in 1992, Spawn was a massive success, selling millions of issues and establishing both creator Todd McFarlane and burgeoning publisher Image Comics as a force to be reckoned with in the industry. With Spawn quickly becoming one of the most popular comic characters of the 1990s (and arguably of all-time), it didn't take long for other publishers to take notice and, by 1994, DC Comics came calling for Hell's Elite Soldier. It wasn't soon thereafter that Spawn found himself face-to-face with the Dark Knight himself, Batman.
More specifically, between 1994 and 2022, Batman and Spawn would trade blows in three different specials, all co-published by DC Comics and Image Comics and each just as different as the next. The first was Image Comics' Spawn/Batman in 1994, followed by DC Comics' Batman/Spawn: War Devil in the same calendar year. A third crossover by Image Comics, titled Spawn/Batman: Inner Demons, was planned for a 2006 release and would have been written by McFarlane and penciled by Greg Capullo, but it never really got off the ground. However, after a lengthy wait, the two characters would finally cross paths again nearly 30 years later in 2022 with DC Comics' Batman/Spawn.
And so, here we are.
With Spawn/Batman as the first crossover between the two characters, Image Comics made sure to posit the comic as a major release, bringing in Frank Miller to handle the script and Spawn creator McFarlane to provide the art. And, to no one's surprise, Spawn/Batman was a massive hit and one of the year's biggest sellers. It was a financial hit top to bottom but, unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a success with critics, with most citing its baffling script.
Unfortunately, both of DC Comics' efforts also garnered roughly the same feedback. Batman/Spawn: War Devil's story was more well-received compared to Image's release, and while the 2022 Batman/Spawn special was rightfully praised for its art, the same couldn't be said about its plot. All told, despite each being blockbuster industry events, all three releases were met with so-so reviews from critics. And, in the end, "so so" is a pretty solid summary of all three tales.
Spawn/Batman, the first of the three (so far) crossovers, sets the tone and, for all intents and purposes good or ill, it succeeds. In terms of pros, Todd McFarlane's artwork in the first crossover is as fantastic as one would expect from the acclaimed artist. It's captivating and nearly itself alone propels each turn of the page, and Batman's design under McFarlane clearly draws inspiration from The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One. The art is gritty, detailed and dripping with mood and, overall, it's some of McFarlane's best work since his early Spawn days. Splash pages are especially stunning, with care clearly shown to every panel.
From the coloring down to the lettering, nearly everything about Spawn/Batman is absolutely top-notch, but unfortunately, this doesn't include the script and plot. Taking place in the same universe as The Dark Knight Returns, Batman comes to New York on a case, looking for an arsenal of weapons and those responsible for abducting homeless people to be used in cybernetic experiments. It's a good enough premise that should work, but Miller's approach leaves a lot to be desired.
Everything feels amped up to a ludicrous degree with Miller's script. In addition to Batman coming off as psychotic, the book spends too much time on the forced conflict between Batman and Spawn, including multi-page fights that serve no real purpose or add anything to the story. Batman is also, frankly, a total jerk and a bully here, antagonizing nearly every character he comes in contact with to the point of confrontation. Miller's over-the-top approach ends up dismantling what could've been a creepy, intriguing mystery into little more than a joke. Batman also seems to call every other person "punk," which not only gets tiresome, but is so awkwardly out of character that it eventually becomes an annoying distraction.
Spawn/Batman spends so much time putting the two titular characters at odds with each other that it neglects to really flesh out the plot, or have it make any sense. There's no flow to Miller's script. One scene happens, then another, etc., but with no rhyme or reason, and nothing truly feels resolved when the book ends. Sure a few plot threads are wrapped, but they're handled more as an after-thought and second to Spawn and Batman's ill-fitting volatile relationship.
The story ends up going nowhere, but at least McFarlane's artistic scenery makes the trip worth it, though barely. Thankfully the next crossover between Batman and Spawn fares a little better overall.
Batman/Spawn: War Devil, released a few months after Spawn/Batman, brings these two heroes again for an entirely new story unrelated to the previous crossover, but it too stumbles own faults. With artwork by Klaus Jansen and co-written by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and Alan Grant, this comic feels firmly entrenched in Batman's world at that time. The story, taking place shortly after Al Simmons became the Hellspawn, has the two characters simultaneously looking for a mutual person of interest tied to the real-life disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 1590. The settlers, who arrived in 1587, disappeared in 1590, leaving behind only two clues: the words "Croatoan" carved into a fort's gatepost and "Cro" etched into a tree. However, in Batman/Spawn: War Devil, there was a survivor, whose descendant plans to unleash a hellish power across the planet.
Batman and Spawn inevitably cross paths as their investigations, but this fast-paced story skips along too quickly, leaving plot threads unresolved and the story a bit of a murky mess. Batman and Spawn also don't really interact for any extended period, and the big climactic battle is over before it even begins. It's still considerably stronger than Spawn/Batman, but the story needed a few more drafts to bring it all successfully together. What's pretty perfect, however, is the excellent artwork by Klaus Jansen. The dark, gritty art is perfect for Batman world and works just as great on Spawn. His bold, thick lines and boxy style perfectly melds the Spawn's harsh world with Batman's gothic home, and adds a suitably creepy layer to the unfolding story.
Out of the two 1994 releases, War Devil ultimately is the more enjoyable read, even if the story can't quite come together in the end. And after that, it would take nearly 30 years for Batman and Spawn to cross paths again with Batman/Spawn, bringing Greg Capullo on pencils, Todd McFarlane writing and inking and Dave McCaig on colors. Despite the hefty pedigree, this third crossover between the two comic titans ends up being pretty much more of the disappointing same.
Unquestionably, Batman/Spawn delivers visually with Capullo and McFarlane giving us some of their best collaborative work to date. Every panel absolutely overflows with style and each pop with near-tangible energy. Both Batman and Spawn easily look the best they ever have under Capullo's pencil. Batman looks ripped straight from the recent Batman "The New 52" run, while Spawn has arguably never looked better. Capullo's skills have only grown since his time on Spawn back in the 1990s, and his rendition of Spawn here is a great example of just how far his talents have grown in the nearly three decades since. His pencils under McFarlane's inks here are nothing short of stunning, and are only further enhanced with McCaig's incredible colors.
Outside of the page-turning and beautifully-colored artwork, Batman/Spawn doesn't really offer much else. As with the previous two crossovers, the plot here is not only convoluted but doesn't really make any sense. While the idea behind the story is simple, with the Court of Owls basically turning Batman and Spawn against each other, the plot just keeps adding more and more noise, blurring everything together into a near-incomprehensible mess. There are subplots and twists that are either bafflingly under-explained and/or make no sense, with one involving Martha Wayne's infamous pearls being part of some satanic conspiracy bordering on flat-out stupidity. Batman/Spawn's much-ballyhooed cameo by The Joker is also no more than set-up for a potential sequel. The book ends up becoming just a jumble, with the confusing finale falling brutally flat and hollow.
The argument can definitely be made that Batman/Spawn features the best artwork among the three titles, and there's probably one that can be made about how it's also the weakest written of the bunch. McFarlane has always been uneven when it comes to his script work, especially with his tendency to overwrite scenes and pour on the dramatics, and this comic is no exception. He has a lot of ideas here, some of them being right on the money and even potentially intriguing, but he's just not able to clearly convey any of them. A co-writer could've really turned this third crossover around.
While all three crossovers still can't crack a story that brings Spawn and Batman together in a completely satisfying way, the art on each is honestly worth the price of admission alone. Klaus Jansen, Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo all turn in beautifully page-turning art, with Capullo giving us some career-best work. If readers come away underwhelmed by the stories, they can at least take solace in enjoying legitimately top-notch artwork and, overall, three great-looking products.
Ultimately each of the crossovers between Batman and Spawn end up being somewhat underwhelming in some regard, but there's still plenty of good within. While the stories in Spawn/Batman, Batman/Spawn: War Devil and Batman/Spawn end up ranging from substandard to flat-out nonsensical, the artwork for each seriously can't be beat. Still, mileage will vary for readers, as some might not be able to stomach the slushy stories found in each. For those curious, these comics are worth giving a shot, just keep in mind that what's found in Spawn/Batman, Batman/Spawn: War Devil and Batman/Spawn will probably fall short of most (and possibly all) expectations. Recommended, but with extreme caution.
Video and Additional Images:
"Batman/Spawn" Comic Trailers
Select "Batman/Spawn" Variant Cover Gallery and Additional Images
