Spawn #32
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSpawn #32 (June 1995) is the pivot point of the 'Retribution' arc, delivering the first full active appearance of Phil Timper as the second Redeemer — a reformed ex-criminal who, unlike his corrupt predecessor Jason Wynn, embodies a genuine moral tension at the center of the Spawn mythos. The issue also marks the debut of Mary the Angel, the enigmatic old woman whose true identity is left deliberately ambiguous, and whose presence deepens the series' long-running critique of Heaven as an institution no more trustworthy than Hell. Equally significant is the six-page backup feature that serves as the direct prelude to the Spawn: Blood Feud miniseries, marking Alan Moore's return to the Spawn universe and introducing monster hunter John Sansker — setting the stage for one of the most critically discussed Spawn stories of the 1990s.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Published June 10, 1995, the issue was written and co-penciled by Todd McFarlane, with interior art by Greg Capullo and the Blood Feud backup penciled by Tony S. Daniel and inked by Kevin Conrad. The backup story's title, 'Preludes & Nocturnes,' is a pointed wink at Neil Gaiman's Sandman — Alan Moore was Gaiman's mentor, and the title of Sandman's first collected arc was being appropriated for a story that is deliberately rawer and more visceral than Gaiman's work. The issue was dedicated by McFarlane to his wife, Wanda Kolomyjec, a recurring personal touch across the Spawn run. It was later collected as part of Spawn Vol. 7: Deadman's Touch (1998) and the Blood Feud prelude was also collected in the Spawn: Blood Feud trade paperback.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First full active appearance of Phil Timper as the second Redeemer — a reformed former criminal abducted by Orbital Angel Station and imbued with Elemental Fire, described as even more powerful than his predecessor Jason Wynn.
- First appearance of Mary the Angel, an enigmatic and seemingly omnipotent old woman whom Spawn takes hostage inside Heaven's Terran Affairs Headquarters; later story context hints she may be a manifestation of God, though this is left deliberately unresolved.
- Contains a six-page backup story titled 'Preludes & Nocturnes,' written by Alan Moore and penciled by Tony S. Daniel, serving as the direct prelude to the Spawn: Blood Feud (1995) four-issue miniseries.
- The backup marks the introduction of John Sansker (also known historically as Jean de St. Claire / Jean Sans-Coeur), a centuries-old vampiric monster hunter; his full name is first formally given in Spawn: Blood Feud #1.
- Cogliostro (Count Nicholas Cagliostro) appears in a supporting role, having earlier directed Spawn to the location of Heaven's Terran Affairs Headquarters.
- The subplot advances Terry Fitzgerald's decision to transfer his CIA work closer to Jason Wynn in order to expose his secrets, while Chief Louis Banks reacts with alarm to an incriminating letter — two threads in the series' ongoing political conspiracy.
- The issue was dedicated to Todd McFarlane's wife, Wanda Kolomyjec, and was later collected in Spawn Vol. 7: Deadman's Touch (1998 trade paperback) alongside issues #31–34; the Blood Feud prelude is also collected in the Spawn: Blood Feud trade paperback.
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Reprinted in Spawn #8 (1997), Spawn #16 (1997), Spawn #15 (1998), Spawn #16 (1998), Spawn: Edición Integral #3 (2011), Spawn Origins Collection #5
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