Back in the ’90s, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn was one of the hottest comic books on shelves. The flagship series for Image Comics, Spawn’s popularity spilled into mainstream pop culture with its own line of toys, an animated HBO series, and –perhaps most notably–a feature film adaptation in 1997 starring Michael Jai White as the titular antihero. Now, almost 18 years later, the grim superhero film is getting a limited-edition 4K release from Arrow Video, which is on a roll with 4K restorations of cult classics.
Spawn Limited Edition includes theatrical and director’s cuts as well as premium packaging, new artwork, and a few collectibles. Preorders opened at $50 in late July, but Amazon and Walmart are now offering a substantial discount that drops the price to $32 ahead of its October 7 release.
$32 (was $50) | Releases October 7
Arrow Video restored the Theatrical and Director’s Cuts in native 4K (2160p) resolution using the original camera negatives. Both versions support High Dynamic Range with Dolby Vision and HDR10. Audio options include DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and lossless stereo.
The Limited Edition is packaged in a reversible sleeve with new artwork. You’ll also get an illustrated booklet with fresh commentary and a double-sided, fold-out poster.
The main difference between the Theatrical and Director’s Cut is the tone, as a lot of the violence was removed to secure a PG-13 rating. Other than that, the Director’s Cut is less than three minutes longer than the Theatrical Cut, but the extra violence pushes it into R-rated territory.
There’s also a ton of bonus materials, such as a a brand-new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter, and new interviews with the film’s cast and crew. You can also explore archival content, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, promotional materials, and audio commentary tracks, many of which are from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases. You can check out the full list of features below.
Spawn Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray Bonus Features
- Native 4K restorations of Theatrical and Director’s Cuts
- HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR10
- Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Lossless Stereo
- New reversible cover and sleeve art
- Double-sided poster
- Illustrated booklet with commentary by John Torrani
Disc 1: Director’s Cut (Rated R)
- 4K resolution (2160p)
- HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR10
- Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Lossless Stereo
- Audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter (new)
- Audio commentary with Todd McFarlane, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Clint Goldman, and Steve Williams
- Hell’s Perfect Son: An interview with actor Michael Jai White (new)
- Spawn Support: An interview with actors Melinda Clarke and D.B. Sweeney (new)
- The Devil’s in the Details: An interview with animatronic creature and special makeup effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero (new)
- The Devil’s Music: An interview with music supervisor Happy Walters (new)
- Order Out of Chaos: An interview with editor Michael Knue (new)
- Todd McFarlane: Chapter & Verse featurette
- The Making of Spawn featurette
- Preview: Todd McFarlane’s Spawn – The Animated Movie
- Theatrical trailer
- Scene-to-storyboard comparisons
- Original Todd McFarlane sketches
- Spawn concept and sketch gallery
- English subtitles
Disc 2: Theatrical Cut (Rated PG-13)
- 4K resolution (2160p)
- HDR: Dolby Vision and HDR10
- Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 / Lossless Stereo
- English subtitles
Spawn tells the story of ruthlessly efficient black ops soldier Al Simmons. Betrayed and murdered by his commanding officer, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), Simmons is sent to hell for his sins, but he is resurrected on Earth by the devil Malebolgia as part of a grand scheme to kickstart the apocalypse. Empowered with the might of Hell, Simmons finds himself torn between his quest for revenge, dark forces, and salvation.
While it’s not on the same level as Blade–which arrived a year later and is credited for modernizing superhero movies–there’s still a lot to love about Spawn. It’s not afraid to be a comic book movie, and it mixed impressive practical effects with groundbreaking CGI at the time to bring the character to life. With Michael Jai White as the tortured antihero, the movie had a terrific leading man opposed by John Leguizamo’s character of Clown, who could transform into the monstrous Violator when backed into a corner.
A movie night with Spawn followed up by Blade would make for a great double feature. Blade is already available on 4K Blu-ray for only $21.41 (was $35). Alternatively, you can grab Blade Trilogy for just $12 on 1080p Blu-ray.
Spawn Compendiums: Color Editions (Paperback)
If you want to check out the comic books that turned Spawn into a household name, the Compendium Collection paperbacks are a nice budget-friendly option. Image Comics has been releasing updated, full-color editions over the past few years. Seven massive volumes are available now. Volume 7 was just published September 9. Fair warning: All of the Compendiums eclipse 1,000 pages, so these take up considerable shelf space. Each one retails for $60, but you can save some cash at Amazon right now. Volume 1, for instance, is discounted to only $34.
Spawn: Origins Deluxe Editions (Hardcover)
The Deluxe Editions are printed on larger, higher-quality paper and are hardbound rather than paperback. Each Deluxe Edition comes with a fancy slipcase. But while these are large books in their own right, each one contains about half as many comics as the Compendium Editions.
