Spawn: The Dark Ages #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSpawn: The Dark Ages #1 marks the first appearance of Lord Iain Covenant — a 12th-century Crusader reborn as a Hellspawn — and establishes the first historically-set corner of Todd McFarlane's Spawn universe, proving the franchise's mythology could transplant convincingly into a medieval sword-and-sorcery setting. The issue simultaneously debuts Baron Rivalen, Guy DuBlanc, Pevvyn, and The Three Sisters of the Morrigan, seeding an entirely self-contained cast that owed nothing to the modern-day Albert Simmons storyline. As part of the late-1990s wave of Spawn spin-offs — alongside Hellspawn, Cy-Gor, and Sam & Twitch — it demonstrated that the Hellspawn concept was flexible enough to anchor genre storytelling well outside the superhero mold. Liam Sharp's hyper-detailed, visceral art gave the book a visual identity distinct from the flagship title, helping it earn a twenty-eight-issue run that remains the longest-lived Spawn spin-off of the era.
Spawn: The Dark Ages #1 (1999) kicks off with "The Devil's Knight," a stark, atmospheric tale set in a grim medieval English village. Written by Brian Holguin and illustrated by Liam McCormack-Sharp, the story follows a Hellspawn searching for answers in a land ruled by cruelty, where his arrival ignites a violent clash with Baron Rivalen’s enforcer, Guy DuBlanc. The cover by Glenn Fabry and Liam McCormack-Sharp captures the issue’s brooding intensity, setting the stage for a journey into mystery and bloodshed.
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Writer Brian Holguin came to Dark Ages already embedded in the Spawn line, having taken over the main series with issue #71; pairing him with British artist Liam Sharp (then crediting himself as Liam McCormack-Sharp) gave the debut a literary-minded script matched by densely rendered medieval craft. The book launched in March 1999 under Todd McFarlane Productions with editor Ted Adams overseeing, and the first issue shipped with two cover variants: a primary Glenn Fabry painted cover and a Todd McFarlane 'Mask' variant — a promotional strategy typical of Image's late-1990s output. The inside front cover carried a personal dedication to Christina McCormack-Sharp, giving the debut an unusually intimate tone. Sharp handled art duties through the first fourteen issues before Steve Niles and Nat Jones took over the remaining half of the run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Dark Ages Spawn, alias Lord Iain Covenant — a 12th-century knight slain on Crusade and resurrected as one of Malebolgia's Hellspawn.
- First appearances of Baron Rivalen (the tyrannical antagonist), Guy DuBlanc (Rivalen's captain-at-arms), Pevvyn (supporting cast), and The Three Sisters of the Morrigan in the same issue.
- Shiann appears only in cameo in this issue, not a full first appearance.
- Count Alessandro di Cogliostro — the immortal mentor from the main Spawn series — appears, bridging the spin-off to existing Spawn continuity.
- Written by Brian Holguin with art and inks by Liam Sharp (credited as Liam McCormack-Sharp); Brian Haberlin, Dan Kemp, and Josh Myers share coloring duties; letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Oscar Gongora; edited by Ted Adams.
- Published March 1999 by Image Comics (Todd McFarlane Productions imprint); story title 'The Devil's Knight'; set in the English village of Rhyll.
- Issue #1 shipped with three editions: a Glenn Fabry primary cover, a Todd McFarlane 'Mask' variant cover, and a newsstand edition.
- The issue was reprinted in the Bulgarian anthology Споун (Хит Комикс) #5 (2001) and again in the Spawn: The Dark Ages Complete Collection (Image, 2013), the latter being the first full-series trade paperback collection.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Споун #5 (2001), Spawn: The Dark Ages Complete Collection #[nn] (2013)
Key issues in Spawn: The Dark Ages
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