RAVEN SPAWN
Most collectors love this figure but there are some wits who cruelly called it “Porky Spawn” because the figure appeared rather portly in stature.
There are to date SIX versions of Raven Spawn.
February 2002 Series 21 Original: Raven Spawn
This figure traces its origin from the very well-received Series 21: Alternate Realities in February 2002.
February 2002 Series 21 Original: Raven Spawn
February 2002 Series 21 Original: Raven Spawn
February 2002 Series 21 Original: Raven Spawn
THE STORYLINE
Raven Spawn is based on the art found inside Hellspawn #7 of April 2001, thus as Hellspawn i007, he is technically a member of the Art of Hellspawn Collection.
Hellspawn is a spinoff first published in August 2000 that in the words of the ad people is about a “bad-ass Spawn (who) is a guns-blazing and take-no-prisoners warrior residing in the ugly urban world.... He is the next step in the evolution of McFarlane’s hell-born creation.”
The series is written by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve Niles and illustrated by Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith. The thing about Wood and Templesmith - you marvel at their sepia-tone drawings but you hate the lack of precision, it is the cliche "love it-or-hate it", a no middlegroud experience.
Steve Niles mentioned the transformation of Al Simmons into Raven Hellspawn as part and parcel of Spawn's transient ability to shift from one physical body to another. On the bottom right is written "...and a hellspawn is reborn". Raven Spawn has a relatively short life-span, a few issues later, he reverts back to his original form.
The Art of Hellspawn Collection
This is a sub-collection group comprise of figures that are direct adaptation from or interpretation of the arts of Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith. They include:
1. Hellspawn i001
2. Hellspawn i005
3. Hellspawn i007 (collected here in its original form of Raven Spawn)
3. Hellspawn i011 (also known as Raven Hellspawn 2)
4. Hellspawn i015 (collected here in its original form of Nightmare Spawn)
THE SCULPT
THE FIGURE
Because of the drab greyishness of this figure, there are an abundance of customs as collectors seek to improve the display figure.
But looking beyond the colour, this is a figure with very interesting sculpting details, the headgear for e.g. hides a well sculpted and menacing face. The rest of the images should attest for themselves:
Images of this detailed clay sculpture that inspired Raven Spawn are obtained from sculptorcorner.com
A collection of the pre-production prototypes.
These are two identical pre-production prototype of Raven Spawn that entered my collection early, notice how slim he is, albeit with a rather fat thigh but there is no way he can be considered porky.
And there are two of them.
The third prototype is that of a Spawn with cape.
You would notice that the front portion of the cape is not affixed yet.
And the most recent entrant to the collection. The factory would usually paint a mold shot figure to check on the details.
And unlike the previous prototypes, one get to see the wonderful ugliness of the sculpt.
April 2003 Reborn Series 1: Raven Spawn
The repaint of v1 appeared as part of the Reborn Series 1 in April 2003. Of course, then it was simply known as Reborn and not Reborn Series 1.
This second version is easily recognisable with his more dynamic red body instead of the previous grey.
Collection of prototypes. Looking at this barren prototype, especially the one on the far left, you can see that he is not FAT at all but he does have a rather oversized thighs. The one on the far right is obviously a prototype of v2.
Raven Spawn Miniatures
In April 2006, among the first class of 3" spawns from Trading Series 1 are these duplicates of the original figure.
April 2007 Trading Series 1 Original: Spawn
More bronze paints as compared to the regular-size version.
April 2006 Trading Series 1 Repaint: Raven Spawn
The mini-size repaint has red as a dominating colour but unfortunately there is no such regular-size version.
April 2006 Trading Series 1 Exclusive: Raven Spawn
The pewter-washed exclusive.
December 2008 Diamond Exclusive: Raven Spawn
In early 2002, this picture of a pewter-washed regular-size Raven Spawn appeared in Spawn.Com Message Board. Slated to be the future Diamond Exclusive together with Spawn: Book of the Dead, the release however never materialised. Several of them got into eBay and did a very brisk business despite the McF Police stamping down heavily on those who dare to sell this figure.
The pewter Raven joined his regular size brethren in this group pic.
Darkside Studio makes this wonderful mask and simply called him "Raven" but it quickly "disappeared" from the home web after threatened with copyright infringement. Now, if license is obtained, this mask would make a very good bust.
