Since his first appearance in Spawn #119, Gunslinger Spawn has captivated fans with his familiar grittiness and striking aesthetic, but a recent interview reveals he shares more than a little with Batman. Originating roughly two hundred years before Al Simmons took up the mantle of Spawn, Gunslinger was anything but normal during his mortal life. The character’s long-established storyline within Spawn lore has recently taken a giant leap forward with the unprecedented launch of a Gunslinger Spawn solo series.
Gunslinger Spawn was first known as Jeremy Winston before he was damned to an eternity of supernatural anti-heroism back in the early 1800s. Winston was a preacher and friend of a descendant of Al Simmons named Francis Parker who later took the name Henry Simmons. Winston’s road to perdition began after he was wrongfully accused of killing his family and was thereby sentenced to death by the officials of his town. Instead of facing his undeserving demise, he made a deal with the demon Mammon who bestowed upon him the hellish powers of Gunslinger Spawn, and now the character is free to embark on new and exciting adventures.
In an interview with Comics Beat, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane revealed his inspiration behind Gunslinger Spawn. “I want to let the audience know that, as part of the Spawn mythology, all spawns are not created equal.” McFarlane then goes on to explain how he differentiates his many Spawn variants by relating them to comic book characters whose adventures he grew up reading. “When I was younger, I used to compare Superman and Batman. Batman was always more intriguing to me. There was always that risk element that you could throw him out of a window without his utility belt and he would splat down on the sidewalk. Superman would never have that happen to him.”
The Superman/Batman comparison goes back to how McFarlane said all Spawns aren’t created equal, and in the case of Spawn versus Gunslinger, one is a bit stronger than the other. “This particular Spawn, for instance, is maybe half as strong as Al Simmons Spawn,” said McFarlane. While Superman is easily much stronger than Batman in terms of raw power, Batman is arguably more popular because of his vulnerability, adding weight to his stories. “To me it was like Batman has got to take way more risks every time he walks out of the confines of his own limitations,” continued McFarlane, “I wanted Gunslinger to fall more into the risk category”.
Even though Gunslinger Spawn may not be as powerful as the original, he still packs a heavy punch and will be joining Al Simmons’ Spawn and other incarnations in an epic crossover. “The next book coming out is a team book and Gunslinger will definitely be a part of it,” said McFarlane discussing Gunslinger’s future in his expanded Spawn universe, “the team book is meant to cover different time periods and it’ll feature a rotating roster”. It is safe to say fans are just seeing the beginning of Gunslinger Spawn stories brought to life through the panel, especially now that Todd McFarlane has revealed Gunslinger Spawn is Spawn universe’s Batman.
Source: Comics Beat