Set Description
Collecting the very rare Newsstand Editions of Spawn #9 featuring the first appearance of Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn.
Set Goals
My goal is very simple: To have them all! Muh ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!
On March 1, 2015, I added another to the fold: a 9.6; giving me a total of 8 Newsstand Editions: two (2) 9.8's and six (6) 9.6's.
As of Jan 27, 2017, the CGC Census Population Numbers for Spawn #9 are:
Direct Edition: Total Graded: 1,573
Newsstand Edition: Total Graded: 52
Let's examine the rarity of this comic: 52 divided into 1,573 is 0.03%... or 3 percent... now that is incredibly rare when you think of it.
Here's a breakdown of the Newsstand Edition population:
9.8: 13 (11 Universals; 1 Qualified; 1 Signature Series)
9.6: 17 (15 Universals; 2 Signature Series)
9.4: 9 (6 Universals; 3 Signature Series)
9.2: 4 (3 Universals; 1 Signature Series)
9.0: 5 (4 Universals; 1 Signature Series)
8.5: 5 (2 Universals)
8.0: 5 (1 Universal)
6.5: 1 (1 Universal)
Grand Total: 52
Of these 52, I own 7, with an additional which was erroneously mislabled and therefore is not accounted for in the census under the Newsstand Edition. In essence, there are really 20 in total.
Anyway, I got 8 in my possession and would really love to have all the 9.8's, 9.6's and 9.4's. I really hate to admit this, but the 9.2's and 9.0's are not of interest to me. However, who knows... my habits and tastes are ever changing... and this is one collection I may consider completing by owning them all!... Muh ha ha ha ha ha!
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| The first CGC graded Spawn #9 Newsstand Edition variant. |
Spawn 9 Universal
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9.6
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This is the very first one ever graded! YES!
Spawn 9: The Ultra Rare Newsstand Variant!
Only 7 Newsstand Editions Currently Exist as compared to 584 Direct Editions (CGC Census Numbers as of October 6, 2013).
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: March, 1993
Age: Modern Age
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Grade: 9.6 (Near Mint+)
Grade Description: Nearly perfect with a minor additional virture or virtues that raise it from Near Mint. The overall look is "as if it was just purchased and read once or twice."
CGC Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Medieval Spawn and Angela, Newsstand Edition, Newsprint paper interior, Manufactured without Angela poster.
Owners Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Cogliostro.
Submission Date: October 12, 2012 (NY Comic Con)
Grade Date: January 24, 2013
Owners Notes: "The Irony of Spawn #9"
This issue is unique in many ways. Not only does it mark the initial appearances of the above mentioned characters (who play key roles in the Spawn mythology), and that it is the first graded ultra rare Newsstand Variant of Spawn 9, but it would eventually become the center of a heated legal battle between two modern icons of the comic book industry: Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane.
Back in 1992, Todd McFarlane's Spawn made its debut under publisher Image Comics. Formed that same year by some of the biggest creators in the industry, Image Comics was unique for it was the champion of the hot issue of the 90's: creator-owned properties. Eight of the biggest names in the industry: Todd McFarlane, Rob Leifeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont, left Marvel Comics in a dispute over ownership and creative control over their works.
Sometime in 1993, in an effort to promote Spawn, Todd McFarlane's Productions, the studio owned and run by Todd McFarlane and producer of Spawn comics (published under the aforementioned independent Image Comics label), hired Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Dave Sim, and Neil Gaiman, to write a single issue for the new title. Neil Gaiman's contribution was published in Spawn 9 and introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn, who were also illustrated and designed by series creator Todd McFarlane. These characters proved vital to the Spawn mythology, giving it a far richer texture and tapestry it initially lacked and grounded the Spawn character with much needed history. The trio would continually reappear throughout the course of the next decade, and were subsequently republished in various Spawn volumes and reprint formats, and also appeared in other Spawn-related media: the 1997 Spawn film, and the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn.
Flash-forward to 2002, and Neil Gaiman files suit against Todd McFarlane, claiming he co-owned these characters and was entitled to royalty payments and creative control. McFarlane's defense was based on "work-for-hire" and therefore Gaiman was not entitled to co-ownership. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of Gaiman, and granted joint ownership to Gaiman and McFarlane. To this day, all three characters are co-owned by both men.
And this is why I bought the comic to begin with... because of the irony it represents. I have never even read it. I actually own three copies: all bought sometime last year, and have just recently returned graded from the CGC. But I never read one of them. Instead I own a reprint of it, which appears in Spawn Origins Collection Volume 2... but I have yet to read that as well. And I imagine the story is quite good, for Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers and Todd McFarlane is equally awesome. But McFarlane's failure to recognize Gaiman's co-creatorship and legal rights to the characters he co-created is the irony that draws me to this comic... for McFarlane was one of the principal forces behind the creation of Image Comics... and creator-owned properties the very reason he left Marvel Comics.
Isn't that ironic?
SW3D
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Spawn 9
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9.6
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ULTRA RARE: Spawn 9: The Newsstand Variant
Only 8 Newsstand Editions Currently Exist as compared to 638 Direct Editions (CGC Census Numbers as of October 30, 2013).
Owner's Description
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: March, 1993
Age: Modern Age
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Grade: 9.6 (Near Mint+)
Grade Description: Nearly perfect with a minor additional virture or virtues that raise it from Near Mint. The overall look is "as if it was just purchased and read once or twice."
CGC Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Medieval Spawn and Angela, Newsstand Edition, Newsprint paper interior, Manufactured without Angela poster.
Owners Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Cogliostro.
CGC Census Population: Highest Graded Copy: Only 8 Newsstand Variant Editions have been graded.
Submission Date: June 29, 2013 (Wizard World NYC)
Grade Date: August 22, 2013
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| Mislabeled as a Direct Edition when it is clearly a Newsstand Edition. |
Spawn 9 Modern
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9.6
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Mislabeled: The CGC Universal Blue Label failed to denote this copy as a Newsstand Edition and has been erroneously included in the CGC Census Population as a Direct Edition.
Variant: Newsstand Edition (NE) versus the Direct Edition (DE): NE's have a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode box on the cover (whereas the DE's do not); NE's are printed on traditional comic book newsprint paper, whereas the DE's are printed on glossy paper; the NE's are published without the Jim Lee poster insert whereas the DE's include the poster; the NE's are shorter in page lenght at 36 pages versus the DE's at 40 pages (due to the Jim Lee poster).
Rarity: Newsstand Editions are very rare. Currently, if we include my mislabeled example, there are only 14 CGC graded Newsstand Editions versus 945 graded Direct Editions (the census reflects 946 but my copy has been mislabeled as a DE. This represents a CGC Census population equivalent to less than 1% (0.1481%) compared to the DE's, making it pretty rare indeed.
Key Notes: 1st Appearance of Angela (now a Marvel Comics property; aka Aldrif Odinsdotter); 1st Appearance of Medieval Spawn; 1st Appearance of Cogliostro.
Controversial History: Although now having been settled in a court of law, this comic has a unique history as it sparked a litigious and controverisial battle between two comic book heavyweights: Spawn creator and Image Co-Founder Todd McFarlane and writer Neil Gaiman. Back in 1992, Todd McFarlane's Spawn made its debut under publisher Image Comics. Formed that same year by some of the biggest creators in the industry, Image Comics was unique for it was the champion of the hot issue of the 90's: creator-owned properties. Eight of the biggest names in the industry: Todd McFarlane, Rob Leifeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont, left Marvel Comics in a dispute over ownership and creative control over their works. Sometime in 1993, in an effort to promote Spawn, Todd McFarlane Productions, the studio owned and run by Todd McFarlane, hired Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Dave Sim, and Neil Gaiman, to write a single issue for the new title. Neil Gaiman's contribution was published in Spawn #9 and introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn, who were also illustrated and designed by Todd McFarlane. The new trio of characters would continually reappear throughout the course of the decade in Spawn and various Spawn related titles and Image published titles, and were subsequently republished in various Spawn volumes and reprint formats, and also appeared in other Spawn-related media: the 1997 Spawn film, and the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Flash-forward to 2002, and Neil Gaiman files suit against Todd McFarlane, claiming he co-owned the aforementioned trio of characters and was entitled to royalty payments and creative control. McFarlane's legal defense stood on the grounds of "work-for-hire" which claimed Gaiman was not entitled to co-ownership. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of Gaiman, and granted joint ownership to Gaiman and McFarlane. In March 2013, the character Angela, became the legal property of Marvel Comics.
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Spawn 9
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9.6
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Spawn 9: The Ultra Rare Newsstand Variant!
Only 9 Newsstand Editions Currently Exist as compared to 769 Direct Editions (CGC Census Numbers as of March 11, 2014).
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: March, 1993
Age: Modern Age
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Grade: 9.6 (Near Mint+)
Grade Description: Nearly perfect with a minor additional virture or virtues that raise it from Near Mint. The overall look is "as if it was just purchased and read once or twice."
CGC Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Medieval Spawn and Angela, Newsstand Edition, Newsprint paper interior, Manufactured without Angela poster.
Owners Key Comments: 1st Appearance of Cogliostro.
Grade Date: October 18, 2013
Owners Notes: "The Irony of Spawn #9"
This issue is unique in many ways. Not only does it mark the initial appearances of the above mentioned characters (who play key roles in the Spawn mythology), and that it is an ultra rare Newsstand Variant of Spawn 9, but it would eventually become the center of a heated legal battle between two modern icons of the comic book industry: Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane.
Back in 1992, Todd McFarlane's Spawn made its debut under publisher Image Comics. Formed that same year by some of the biggest creators in the industry, Image Comics was unique for it was the champion of the hot issue of the 90's: creator-owned properties. Eight of the biggest names in the industry: Todd McFarlane, Rob Leifeld, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont, left Marvel Comics in a dispute over ownership and creative control over their works.
Sometime in 1993, in an effort to promote Spawn, Todd McFarlane's Productions, the studio owned and run by Todd McFarlane and producer of Spawn comics (published under the aforementioned independent Image Comics label), hired Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Dave Sim, and Neil Gaiman, to write a single issue for the new title. Neil Gaiman's contribution was published in Spawn 9 and introduced the characters Angela, Cogliostro, and Medieval Spawn, who were also illustrated and designed by series creator Todd McFarlane. These characters proved vital to the Spawn mythology, giving it a far richer texture and tapestry it initially lacked and grounded the Spawn character with much needed history. The trio would continually reappear throughout the course of the next decade, and were subsequently republished in various Spawn volumes and reprint formats, and also appeared in other Spawn-related media: the 1997 Spawn film, and the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn.
Flash-forward to 2002, and Neil Gaiman files suit against Todd McFarlane, claiming he co-owned these characters and was entitled to royalty payments and creative control. McFarlane's defense was based on "work-for-hire" and therefore Gaiman was not entitled to co-ownership. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of Gaiman, and granted joint ownership to Gaiman and McFarlane.
And this is why I bought the comic to begin with... because of the irony it represents: McFarlane's failure to recognize Gaiman's co-creatorship and legal rights to the characters he co-created is the irony that draws me to this comic... for McFarlane was one of the principal forces behind the creation of Image Comics... and creator-owned properties the very reason he left Marvel Comics.
Isn't that ironic?
Well... flash forward to March 21, 2013 (nearly 20 years from the date Angela made her debut in Spawn #9) and Marvel Comics, Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane settle the whole Angela debate. How? I honestly don't know. But both Angela and Miracleman are now 100% intellectual properties of Marvel Comics and parent company Disney.
Angela has mysteriously returned... after Todd killed her in Spawn 100. Marvel Comics has brought her back to life in Age of Ultron #10; to this day, Marvel has not provided an explanation on how the angel has managed such a feat. But I'm sure they're working on it... and I hope it's a doozie!
In the meantime, I'm following her exploits in Guardians of the Galaxy, and do look forward to the possibility of a solo series... and even an appearance in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie... maybe. If Angela can come back from the dead, she can definitely work miracles and movie magic!
SW3D
March 11, 2014
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Spawn 9 Modern
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9.6
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So this is number 8, which I bought off eBay last week. I almost passed it up, but Angela has become a bad habit I can't seem to drop. Why the need to own all of these? I have no idea... but a Man's has to have a special cause of some sort, so I made this mine.
ULTRA RARE: Spawn 9: The Newsstand Variant: Only 18 Newsstand Editions currently exist as compared to 1,098 Direct Editions (CGC Census Numbers as of March 1, 2015).
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