The best Spawn comics channel the raw aesthetic of Todd McFarlane. This look powered the industry in the 1990s and has been a significant influence to this day. Spawn was one of the main forces that propelled comics into a more adult medium, and the classics still hold up today. We’ve put together a selection of our favorite Spawn adventures that’ll help invest you in the lore and prepare you to experience the rest of the Spawn universe.

Best Spawn comics as of 2025

McFarlane’s launch of Image Comics was a huge event in the comic industry, and Spawn was its flagship. While its popularity has waned over the years, it was one of the most popular titles throughout the 1990s, and even scored a feature film in 1997. The franchise’s history is somewhat confusing, as it comprises numerous spin-offs, one-shots, and full series. You can read our selection below to gain a firm understanding of what Spawn has to offer and use it as a starting point.

Gunslinger Spawn

I’m a sucker for gritty westerns and revenge arcs, and you get some of the best of that in the Gunslinger Spawn comics. The series kicked off in 2021 and has run for 46 issues and counting. As far as a plot goes, Gunslinger Spawn is basically what happens when you take the core Spawn formula and throw it 200 years into the past. This time around, Spawn is a man formerly known as Jeremy Winston, a preacher in the 1800s whose entire family and congregation are killed by corrupt men in league with demons. Winston is wrongfully executed, sent to Hell, and, like Al Simmons before him, returns as a Hellspawn.

What makes Gunslinger Spawn especially fun is that it’s a great standalone series. If you’ve taken a break from Spawn comics or are just getting into them for the first time, this is a great jumping-on point. Don’t worry. You won’t be lost in decades of continuity. It’s loads of fun from the start. Plus, Brett Booth deserves equal accolades for the art. McFarlane’s writing and Booth’s art feel equally matched, which is something you don’t always get in a long-running series.

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Spawn: Dark Horror

Spawn: Dark Horror is an 8-issue arc running from #276–283. This is where the pieces fall into place for what would become that significant milestone moment in issue #300, which went on to set the record as the longest-running creator-owned comic book. Don’t skip Dark Horror! While Spawn has always leaned into that creepy anti-hero lane, this arc reframes him as something far more ghostly than buff-guy. Personal opinion here, but it matches the mythos better. The story starts turning full horror.

Written by Darragh Savage, Todd McFarlane, and Jason Shawn Alexander, with incredible art also by Jason Shawn Alexander, the arc opens with Spawn taking Cyan into hiding in Tokyo. The ghost of a young girl is haunting her, and at the same time, civilians in Tokyo are being used as human bombs. At the end of the first issue, one of these human bombs goes off. If that start doesn’t land as both spooky and incredibly disturbing, I’m not sure what will.

In addition to writing duties, Jason Shawn Alexander handles the art from issue #276 all the way through #303. His illustrations bring a surrealist horror quality that completely shifts the tone of the book. It doesn’t feel like a ’90s comic anymore and becomes something else. It’s a great run.

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Spawn: Satan Saga Wars

This arc covers issues #256–262, and it’s basically a fight from start to finish. Aside from a few brief narrative-required moments, it’s nearly all action. Al Simmons is back, and this guy is not about to take the back door to Hell. He’s fully kicking the gates down to get Wanda’s soul back.

Satan Saga Wars is a pretty straightforward arc and not necessarily something many would consider nuanced, but the art is very satisfying. This one features art by Erik Larsen, which can be an acquired taste, though he’s known as an illustrative legend for a reason. Here we get to see Swarm take on demons, twisted monsters, and entire armies of evil, all leading to a showdown with Satan himself.

Though maybe not the most complex read, it’s an entertaining one. And it earns its place as one of the best Spawn comics because it brings Al Simmons back after a long absence. I also appreciate that this one wraps things up cleanly at the end.

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Spawn: Cult of Omega

Omega Spawn is one of the deadliest enemies in the Spawn comics, and we really see that on full display in the Cult of Omega arc. After issue #310, the Spawn universe starts expanding fast. We’ve got an army of different types of Spawns, including Gunslinging Spawn and Medieval Spawn, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

With story by Todd McFarlane and art by Carlo Barberi, Cult of Omega is one of those arcs that hits all the right notes for comic fans. The Cult of Omega takes over in issues #311–313, when these incredibly intense folks are far too eager to resurrect Omega Spawn. If they succeed, it’s more than just Hell breaking loose. We’re talking about a full-on tear in the fabric of time. And because Omega Spawn isn’t really of heaven or Hell, this creature could unleash savage warriors from both Heaven and Earth across the universe.

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Hellspawn

Alright, folks, this one’s disturbing. Hellspawn isn’t part of the main continuity. It’s a spinoff, but it takes things to an even darker place. There’s also a heavy dose of social commentary with Hellspawn, but if you’re here for easygoing Spawn, you get a big, “Huh?” from me. We’re here because we’re all freaks. This is horror-forward, not horror-adjacent. 

This time, we get a Brian Michael Bendis take on the character that leans hard into dialogue — Sorkin-level heavy. But instead of being snappy, it’s grim and loaded with existential dread. I will give you a heads-up that there are racist and homophobic slurs in the story. It’s supposed to be jarring, and it is. Things get dark.

The art, especially from Ashley Wood, is where this comic really becomes something else entirely. It’s a surreal, expressionist artistic style that feels more like a colorful, oozy fever dream than a traditional superhero book. And with Surrealism (here’s your lesson on artistic movements), it’s not about walking away with a complete understanding after the first read, but about walking away with a feeling. Then you go back, unpack it, and try to figure out what the Hell just happened. Thanks to the contributions of legends Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Niles, Ashley Wood, and Ben Templesmith, Hellspawn is my pick for the best Spawn comic. It’s haunting and unforgettable.

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How we chose the best Spawn comics

We picked the best Spawn comics based on what we thought a new reader would find an interesting entry into the series. Nothing here requires too much knowledge of continuity or lore. You’ll get a few different takes on the character, as the series’ style transforms through eras and under the stylings of various writers and artists. If I’d add anything else to the list, it would be the very first Spawn comic, so that you can see where this all began. Think of this as the Spawn comic highlight reel. Sadly, it doesn’t seem very hopeful we’ll get the new Spawn movie reboot.