MovieChat Forums > Spawn (1997) Discussion > Really Glad the 'Extreme' Style of the 9...

Really Glad the 'Extreme' Style of the 90s Is Done...

posted 12 years ago by taijiquan12
3 replies | jump to latest

Spawn, most of Todd MacFarlane's characters, most of Image Comics, and this movie are products of that whole movement I was a kid through. I know I might make enemies saying this whole style and era of entertainment sucked in my opinion, but I'm willing to risk that.

It just seems like everything in the 90's that tried so hard to be "extreme" and so brooding, dour, deep, etc. was really just self-absorbed and angsty. I'm not saying there isn't any of that style today, or that things weren't like that beforehand, it's just that those particular qualities and that style was really popular in this time, it highlighted and brought it out more than other eras.

The reason that Spawn will most likely be forgotten, especially the movie, is that he's very much the product of a certain time, very of his own time and not really something that I think other generations are going to embrace. In the 20-odd some years since his creation, you don't hear as much as you used to about him, and trust me, since I've been alive throughout his lifespan, I know. The toys, comics, games, merchandise and primetime cartoon (which wasn't bad I will admit) on HBO of all things show that he was a popular, "edgy" character for a bit, but that's all, a bit.

Look at Batman. Since the 30's Batman has evolved with the style of the decades, rising and falling again and again in popularity, currently more internationally popular than maybe he's ever been. Batman's just one example, but he's a character that has outlived many people from his era and probably will outlive myself and many others of my generation. Batman is a dark character done right.

But Spawn? I'm kind of surprised there's still something of a fan base. I know that's really unfair sounding to the fans, but to me, he's just such a product of the 90's and so much representative of a style that's not really as prevalent that it's hard for me to think of him in any other way. Only time will tell, but Batman, Superman, most of the Marvel characters have or will outlive their creators, but will Spawn continue without Todd MacFarlane? Again, time will tell.

"Bulls**t MR.Han Man!!"--Jim Kelly in Enter the Dragon

[–] matt_shade 12 years ago

I'm still a Spawn fan (but of Al Simmons, the current world was only semi-interesting). To me, he is kind of representative of the few things that was good about 90's comics. He was "Extreme" but it wasn't the Youngblood or Gen13 or Witchblade kind, it made me think (kind of like Watchmen makes me think). Were there bad stories? Oh yeah, lots. Did he brood and angst too much? Oh yeah, lots. But it all came from the right place. Now I wanted Spawn to be a superhero comic even though I knew it wasn't (which is no longer the deal with Hulk but that's a sidenote). It's like I wanted Spawn to give me something but I could never figure out what it was. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, they keep giving what we want but we know what it is.

You could say I wanted Spawn to rise to its own challenge (which is only partially Simmons' dilemma of getting what he wants). And it did, not perfectly I admit freely, but it did. It never gave me that undefinable something I wanted but it nearly did, it tried and I appreciated it trying.

Or maybe I was just an easy mark, who knows?

But that's just me.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lexicron 11 years ago

Yes, it was 'Extreme!' The odd thing is, even though you had this 'extreme' spirit going back then with a lot of stuff like comics, video games, television, movies, and even pro-wrestling (whose rise in popularity really surprised me). I have to say looking back, it seems like a much nice time. Sure, a lot of bad stuff went down, but the feeling of the age was just that, a feeling.

Overall, it was pretty entertaining and not depressing. Movies today seem much more dark. I saw Star Trek Into Darkness and was surprised how dark they went considering how much lighter the previous film was. Movies are hardly escapist anymore, which is strange considering how CG'd they are, too. Iron Man sometimes looked just a little cartoony in a couple shots of he Avengers. It didn't look like a natural thing. Just look at the Fast and Furious movies. They have tons of computer generated cars. It's very strange.

Spawn wasn't the best comic book I read, but I liked it, even as dark as it was. It was part of the bit Image revolution and the company changed the industry.