Spawn has had many incarnations throughout the character’s long, epic history. Now, the future of the franchise has become clear, as Image Comics’ upcoming Rat City series unveils a new, cyberpunk iteration of the Hellspawn: Peter Cairn, an ex-soldier, amputee and heir to Al Simmons’ anti-heroic legacy, fighting for survival in “a post-war future.”
Rat City #1 – written by Erica Schultz, with art by Zé Carlos – will officially debut Peter Cairn, the Hellspawn of the future, who derives his demonic powers from the nanites in his prosthetic legs, as a result of receiving blood from none other than classic Spawn, Al Simmons.
The solicitation for the first issue of the series states that, “Al had no clue that the effects,” of his blood donation, “would ripple across not just space, but time as well.”
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The Future Of The Spawn Franchise Is Now, As “Rat City” Breaks New Ground
The Spawn universe has grown considerably in the last few years. In addition to the main Spawn title, there are currently three other Spawn series running: Gunslinger Spawn, King Spawn and The Scorched. The classic Spawn book has already broken records with its three-hundred issue run – and is now rapidly approaching the three-hundred and fifty mark – proving that Todd McFarlane’s signature character is still popular after thirty years of continuous publication. Add to that a recent high-profile crossover between Spawn and Batman, and the Hellspawn is showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
Rat City promises to be an interesting blend of hi-tech sci-fi and supernatural horror, giving the book its own unique identity in the Spawn-verse. Peter Cairn promises to be an intriguing protagonist as well, with his prosthetic legs providing a unique connection to Al Simmons. Considering that Cairn draws his Hellspawn powers from the nanites in his prosthetics, it will be interesting to see how his powers work in relation to Simmons’ supernatural-based abilities. How Cairn adapts to being Spawn, and how he fits into the larger Spawn universe, are the exciting questions at the outset of Rat City.
Rat City Is A Sci-Fi Take On Spawn From An All-Star Creative Team
With the other Spawn books covering different genres, Rat City will fit into the futuristic sci-fi area rather nicely. It certainly has an exciting creative team at the helm. Erica Schultz has established herself as a writer on titles such as Hallow’s Eve, The Deadliest Bouquet and the recent Daredevil: Gang War, while Zé Carlos has wowed fans with his work on Captain America, Spider-Man and the other Spawn titles. All of this adds up to a can’t-miss Spawn series when Rat City makes its debut later this year.
Rat City #1 will be available April 10, 2024 from Image Comics.
