While comic book publishers such as Valiant, Image, and Dark Horse aren't in the limelight compared to the powerhouses of Marvel and DC, that has not stopped them from gaining notice in the industry. They are next in line as being reputable publishers with hidden character gems that rival or even supersede some of Marvel and DC's heavy hitters.
With Todd Mcfarlane's Spawn introduction in 1992, Image Comics hit a fever pitch with fans, fulfilling the '80s and '90s comic book adage of over-the-top, high-octane characters and storytelling. Having a complex set of abilities through his Necroplasm, character development and story-arcs that fell few and far between, Spawn has become a hit or miss over the years for a lot of readers. However, his arc in David Hines and Greg Capullo Spawn: Armageddon is mind-blowing, character shattering, and revered as one of the best Spawn stories to date.
10 6,000 Souls
In issue #5 of the 11 issue arc, it becomes new-found knowledge to both the reader and Spawn that with his initial death, Al Simmons had been bonded with 6,000 other souls who passed away within the hour of his own demise. Generally assumed to be why Malebolgia was unable to control him, the fusion was done at the hands of Image Comic's prime mover, the Mother of Existence, or simply Mother. She sensed a special aptitude in Al and made him her agent, implementing her plan and using him as a Trojan horse-like figure to bring an end to God and Satan's sibling warfare.
9 Mother Of Existence
In Marvel and DC multiverses, the definitive God, as in creators of everything, are dubbed The One Above All and The Presence respectively. For Image Comics, the architect of creation is a cosmic entity known as Mother of Existence. Aside from the namesake, it is a genderless entity that has appeared male and female given the situation and created God and Satan as her children. Disappointed in her creations perpetuating forever war, she worked behind the scenes to prevent what amounted to an inevitable Armageddon. One effort to assuage humanity towards goodwill saw Mother throwing God and Satan off their thrones and traveling to earth to appear as Christ. Teaching mankind of love and peace, she then left to allow mankind to carry on unconstrained.
8 God And Satan
Created by Mother, God and Satan became underwhelming achievements due to the rivalry that never ceased to be satiated. What began as verbal conflicts eventually escalated to full-scale warfare. God would go on to create mankind to serve his will incontestably, and Satan would "corrupt" mankind by giving them free will. Mother sought to protect mankind, for she saw their combined work as a magnum opus of creation.
God and Satan would be abruptly removed from their kingdoms and reborn into human bodies to be taught an understanding of humanity, however even in the toddler bodies of Jake and Katie, the siblings engaged in conflict for reasons they weren't aware of.
7 Wrathful Deities
Image Comics would take a slight deviation from Marvel and DC being vague involving real-world religion and would take the unique approach of not only involving Judeo-Christian themes and concepts but making them the prominent figures of the universe's hierarchy and turning them on their heads. While some fans have seen this as a bit controversial, it was interesting to see comics dive into such a topic.
6 Judas Iscariot
In Christianity, Judas Iscariot is known as one of the twelve disciples who betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. However, while he may be perceived as an antagonist, in the Spawn universe his betrayal was merely his role in Jesus's greater plan. Jesus, who was secretly Mother, believed that the only way for his life and message to have any meaning was if he was crucified, having Judas carry out his purpose to betray Jesus to the Romans. Revealed as a massive and powerful "foe" near the climax of the story, Spawn would allow Judas to kill him, leading to Spawn being reborn as Divine Spawn.
5 Divine Spawn
In issue Spawn #161, Spawn would be elevated in power after his battle and self-sacrifice at the hand of Judas. Being an already Uber-powerful character with powers ranging from regeneration to teleportation and shapeshifting, Mother would feed Spawn fruit from the Tree of Life, transcending him into Divine Spawn.
More or less Spawn with angel wings as opposed to his ostentatious cape, the simple yet temporary change was astonishing. Raised to god-hood with the power of omnipotence, Devine Spawn would restore mankind after he brings Armageddon to fruition in an act to put a stop to God and Satan.
4 True Armageddon
Amid his battle to the Tree of Life, the forces of Heaven and Hell would take to Earth for what would become the start of Armageddon. A colossal earthquake erupts and is felt across the planet, The Four Horseman would almost instantaneously arrive to start causing havoc across the planet, and the sounding of trumpets would herald in the wrath of God. However, when Divine Spawn returns after his resurrection, Heaven and Hell switch their sights onto him, though their efforts are futile in the face of Spawn's new power. Descending onto him, in a massive surge of power, Spawn releases the full totality of his abilities and completely wipes out the forces of Heaven and Hell, while unintentionally taking mankind with them. Spawn would then use his power to recreate humanity as it was before, but without the influence of God and Satan impeding on their lives.
3 Al Simmons Dark Past (SPOILER)
While commonly thought of as Marine turned CIA operative, Al Simmons's past seemed to be that of an easy-going individual who was double-crossed by his boss Jason Wynn, believing the reasoning of being sent to Hell was because of his life as an assassin. Spawn #164 follows the aftermath of Spawn recreating humanity and repudiating his post as this world's creator to be with Wanda, though the issue flips the perceived idea of the character's personal life on its head. Revealing Al Simmons worst deed was not only hitting his wife but once striking her in the stomach, causing her to miscarry their child. When Al died and was sent to Hell, he willingly accepted the offer from Malebolgia believing he needed punishment for his horrible deeds. When he returned as Spawn he repressed this memory as a way of not confronting his darkest self.
2 Artwork
While over Spawn's publication the artwork has always been a staple of the character and his stories, Armageddon takes it up a notch with Greg Capullo and Philip Tan matching the massive in-scope story arc with artwork that highlights why this is such a predominant and pivotal story in the Spawn mythos.
A slight deviation from its '90s roots of massive technological guns and capes, a majority of the pictures in this article are panels or spreads of the artwork contained in the Armageddon storyline.
1 The One Fault
While we could wrap this up with another plus to the story, lets instead take a look at what many believe to be the one, albeit minuscule, fault of the arc. The story's extreme popularity led comic book fans wanting to get their hands on it, however, once read, left some unanswered questions. If you were unfamiliar with Spawn and the characters in his personal mythos, such as Granny Blake, Zera, and the Redeemer, the overall weight of the story pales in comparison to those somewhat aware of it. Though through a little research this can be waived, the story and artwork are worth the investment.