Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's seventy-third installment, a look at animated heroes of the past. This week, we're returning to Todd McFarlane's Spawn, HBO's experiment in adult animation. The pilot episode of the series effectively set the mood, borrowing from the source material while streamlining the narrative. Can the second episode do the same?

Debuting on May 23, 1997, "Evil Intent" continues writer Alan McElroy's probe through the early Spawn comics, looking for various moments to thread together into a season-long arc. The episode opens with child killer Billy Kincaid, using an ice cream truck to lure his victims. This bit comes directly from the comic's fifth issue. (The issue so graphic, it was reportedly banned for sale in Australia. Todd's wife was so grossed out by the contents, she told him to take her name off the book as editor.)

Billy Kincaid is given a bit of a redesign for the show. His hair is now red, and overall, he's more clean cut. A more significant change is to his origin. The Billy of the comics murdered a senator's child, yet escaped prosecution when sentenced to a mental hospital. The animated Billy actually is the son of a senator. Spawn's former mentor, and shadowy government bigwig, Jason Wynn is covering for Billy. In return, he demands this episode that Billy's father run for President.

McElroy connects Billy to Spawn's alley by revealing Billy leaves the remains of his victims there. Interestingly, in a scene designed to make us sympathetic towards Spawn's homeless neighbors, they aren't shown having much of a reaction to this. The most genial of the homeless, Gareb (a minor player in the comics, named after the founder of now-defunct fanzine Wizard) has a small moment of disgust. Yet, he never once considers contacting the police. A few seconds later he assures Spawn, "we're good people"...but, hey, not so good they're above looking the other way when it comes to child murder.

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Ignoring this, McElroy's portrayal of the homeless cast surpasses McFarlane's. The comics tend to play them as Spawn's childlike followers. Many even view him as their king, for unfathomable reasons. McElroy gives the homeless distinctive personalities, different perspectives on having a vampire-looking creep in their home.

Abruptly, a team of mobster hitmen enter. They're looking for Spawn, who killed some of their own in the pilot. (Who were in turn killing two reporters close to learning the truth about Kincaid. See how McElroy is tying this together?) This is a variation on a scene from Spawn #6, which had Spawn's homeless confidants targeted by mobster Tony Twist. Spawn deals with them as Spawn does. Bloody violence, just perfect for HBO.

Does it lead anywhere this episode? Not really. There are a few scenes establishing Overkill (not "Overt-Kill" in the cartoon), the cyborg assassin Twist hires to deal with Spawn. But before it goes anywhere, the episode's on to the next plot. A domestic scene, checking in on Spawn's former best friend, Terry, and his former wife, Wanda.

The comics never quite knew what to do with Wanda, giving her a vaguely defined office job and few details to flesh out her own life. McElroy has recast her as a lawyer, one overseeing a case that will entangle her with the Billy Kincaid controversy. Smart writing on McElroy's part, filling in a mostly blank canvas and tying into the larger story.

Hey, what's one more seemingly random plot element? Just a few minutes before the episode's end, the Clown reappears. He once again berates Spawn for being too weak, for not appreciating what Hell's given him. Spawn dismisses him, so the irritated Clown morphs into the demon Violator. The comics always opted for a traditional morphing transformation. The cartoon, however, actually depicts the demon physically ripping out of Clown's human form, leaving a bloody mess behind. It ain't TV, and it ain't good taste. It's HBO.

The fight ends with Spawn defeated, the Violator proving his point and walking away. Spawn's mysterious guide, Cogliostro, stands above Spawn, warning him of his waning powers. The idea of Cogliostro mentoring Spawn, serving as a counterpoint for Violator, apparently came from McElroy. McFarlane adopted it for the comics, but McElroy's scripts for the movie and TV show seemed to get there first.

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Cogliostro, under a different spelling, first appeared in Neil Gaiman's guest issue of the comic, of course. Gaiman played him as a mystery figure with mystic knowledge...but also as a mischievous drunk. The more somber Cogliostro, always frustrated by Spawn's attitude, is really McElroy's invention.

Spawn and Violator have their first comics battle, after months of teasing, in Spawn #4. It's a pretty sloppy fight scene, with Spawn striking some poses, then the actual battle occurring mostly off-panel.

Then, the Devil himself appears in Spawn's alley, bluntly telling Spawn his origin and explaining the rules for his finite powers. Some of the more pressing issues relating to Spawn's status quo, like why he should even do anything here if using up his powers sends him back to Hell, aren't addressed. It takes a few years for McFarlane to work out a more cohesive mythology in the comics. (And it's Neil Gaiman's guest issue that establishes Spawn's penalty for failing on Earth is becoming sustenance for Hell's army, rather than leading it.) The cartoon gets to this faster, and in a less ridiculous manner.

THE WRAP -UP

DESIGN-Y

McFarlane has voiced his frustration with the early Spawn episodes before. He says the animators were accustomed to Saturday morning material, and couldn't grasp what he wanted. The first episode looked pretty nice, but there's a noticeable slip here. The color scheme varies wildly, with the night scenes looking straight from the comic. The day scenes, however, are hideous. The pastel color palette doesn't work at all, and unfortunately, it sticks around the entire first year.

CONTINUITY NOTES

Perhaps to avoid animating Violator's bizarre mouth, we're told this episode that creatures of Hell communicate telepathically.

NOT APPROVED BY BROADCAST STANDARDS & PRACTICES

In addition to the gratuitous shot of a naked woman in Tony Twist's bed, we have numerous moments of vicious violence and blood and gore. Also, Bobby just can't avoid referring to everything as being "got-damned" during his tirade against Spawn.

UM, ACTUALLY...

Spawn's major homeless ally in the comics is a pudgy white fellow named Bobby. The cartoon has a skinnier white guy play that part, now called Gareb. (The comics' Gareb was just one of several background extras one issue.) The major homeless antagonist on the show is called Bobby, only this Bobby is thin and black. For a show that remained so loyal to the source material, this always felt odd.

LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF &%#$ STEPHEN KING

Jumping around like this, so early in a series, is a risky move. The script has some momentum to it, so most of the episode actually doesn't feel too disjointed. Honestly, the initial issues of the comics aren't as erratic as some believe. McFarlane has Spawn express his confusion over his past each issue, but there's also some other plot going on, usually resolved in an issue or two. But there's also a sense that much of this is being made up as Todd goes along, that he has no clue how to pay any of this off. Future issues, unfortunately, prove that to be true.

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McElroy's scripts for the cartoon have a different feeling. Yes, there's a lot to keep up with already, but even now you can begin to see some of the pieces coming together. People coming into this world cold are experiencing a mystery unfold with each episode, while comics fans are getting a remixed interpretation of familiar moments. Both audiences should have enough to keep them coming back. Unfortunately, the drab animation and questionable color choices aren't doing the story justice at this point.

So that’s all for now. If you have any suggestions for the future, just leave a comment or contact me on Twitter. You can also check out some of my fiction writing for free over at Smashwords.