Berserk and Spawn comparisons

ive read through the berserk manga a few times now i noticed this
You all know of the old comic book Spawn
i have found a few large comparisons between the manga and spawn
first of all i think guts has a big spawn complex like in this picture it just screams spawn
man i wish i knew how to get pictures up here
but oh well i guess te pictures dont really matter
gut and spawn both like being up high and they dont feel safe without their weapons
guts and spawn are both dreading their fate and fight it as they might they are always get pounded by it
and of course spawn hates jason winn and malbolgia as much as guts hates griffith

now i think nosferatu Zodd and the Violater have stuff in common i mean form changing and they are both
big hitters in the demon world they both have horns and they both enjoy a scrap with guts and spawn

i think griffith has some stuff in common with jason winn and of course malbolgia
jason winn is spawns boss like griffith is guts' boss and of course they are somewhat friends before

then wanda and casca griffith rapes casca and jason winn says he did that to wanda

then the skull knight and the old hellspawn have hundreds of years of experience the both have cool swords and they kill demons

now to guts berserker armor and spawns body and cape

guts armor his helmet isnt on all the time neither is his right arm but in the heat of battle his helmet materializes from his back also his arm's armor kind of glues out of nowhere and hardens
by thinking guts and spawn can use materialize or dematerialize their armor in different places
like in the battle with grunbeld guts is about to get blasted by grunbeld's cannon and he dematerializes the bottom part of his left hand's armor so that he could shoot spawn uses his cape and armor in practically the same way. also guts' armor changes in his first battle with grunebeld and when spawn is still in his larval form his armor takes radical changes.
and that is just about all the stuff i could think of
if you want to know where guts shows his spawn complex its in episode 269 of the volume page 14 shows it best and its also pretty good at episode 270 page 10

I've read some Spawn comics, but was never really able to get into them. The plot is rather cliche, (main character gets killed then resurrected to exact revenge) and on that level, I would compare it more with the manhwa Priest, although Priest is far superior.

turborabbit2 said:

crap

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Yo, welcome to the forums.

*the sound of Aaz's head exploding fills the air*

El Gaucho Rojo said:

*the sound of Aaz's head exploding fills the air*

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I only had a nosebleed. =)

Aazealh said:

I only had a nosebleed. =)

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Lol no one replied to your post... Well I see what you're saying, I'm not to familiar with Spawn, but from what you said the characters seem to have a little bit in common. Only major difference that I'm sure of, is that Spawn has died after being set up, while Guts survived. They both do come back to exact revenge, but Guts has other plans (i.e. helping Casca). I do like the comparison you made though, real interesting.

well you seem to get the point
im not saying that muira kentaro got his idea from spawn but im just saying that they are simaliarand that it is note worthy
i actually thought this up at three in the morning

turborabbit2 said:

well you seem to get the point
im not saying that Miura Kentarou got his idea from spawn but im just saying that they are simaliarand that it is note worthy
i actually thought this up at three in the morning

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Well I don't know.. I could totally picture Miura going 4 years ahead in time on his time machine to get ideas from a comic book that he most likely never even read.

I think it's this simple, making a story about "revenge" isn't exactly revolutionary. In fact it's quite common, within the confines of a revenge storyline there are certain plot devices that just work. The coincidence of both artists using similar plot devices is far more likely than one taking ideas from the other.

Its not just the concept of revenge that is similiar between these two, but their characters are very similar, very archetypal. Of course you will be able to find differences, I mean the time periods are way off, but the characters and themes are very similiar.

Gangstap said:

the characters and themes are very similiar.

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No.

I'm gonna have to chime in on this. For starters, here's where I stand: Spawn, Imho, is a very poorly done piece of work compared to Berserk.

Now, in all fairness, I read about 80 issues of Spawn when I was much younger. That was a feat I managed to accomplish because of an old friend who insisted I read them at the time. What can I say, I was young and stupid. Even back then, in 8th grade, the story seemed thrown together, strung along for sales sake alone.

Now, both Spawn and Guts have racked up quite the body count since their incarnations. However there is a great difference between who and why they kill.
-Spawn, kills anyone he thinks deserves to die. (cuz they're baaaad, hmpf)
-Guts, kills dastardly Apostles, working his way to Griffith. Let's face it, if he kills Griffith, it'd be a good for mankind.

Now, there are tons of stories where characters are out for revenge. Wuthering Heights for instance. Heathcliff gets dicked over, disappears for awhile only to come back and be an ultimate prick to those who wrong him. Like Guts (and Spawn..yuk), he lost the woman he loved. I mean sooner or later every 'type' of story has been told. It's all about HOW it's told.

Spawn can't really die (right? It' been awhile) whereas if Guts bites the big one, well that's it.

Come on. Spawn caters to your typical juvenile comic 'aficionado'. Berserk is tailored for a more sophisticated audience.
Berserk takes TEN VOLUMES to tell of Guts past. We know EVERYTHING about Guts. Where he came from, his childhood. We care what he does, we know how he thinks, and why he fights.

What pisses me off about Spawn is how McFarlane used his franchise to tell about ALL OTHER SPAWNS!!! Sorry, it takes away from Al Simmons. THE Spawn that launched the series.
It'd be like Miura telling about ALL the people who EVER wore the dwarf-crafted Berserk Armor.
Sam and Twitch? Hmm, how about the Further Adventures of Jerome. Maybe he becomes a gallant knight somewhere and kicks ass!!!
Violator side stories? Zodd side stories?.....well that'd be pretty cool actually.

Not to be preachy, but McFarlane recognized the $ he could rake in. The Spawn universe is CHEAP compared to the long, well crafted universe of Berserk's.

I'm spent.

McFarlane could straight up nuzzle my ballsack.

Proj2501 said:

-Guts, kills dastardly Apostles, working his way to Griffith. Let's face it, if he kills Griffith, it'd be a good for mankind.

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In all fairness, Guts also kills people that try to kill him.

Edit:
I haven't really read Spawn but here's a few questions that should help with this so called "comparison"
Does the comic book Spawn have anything even remotely resembling causality? Is there an entity like the Idea of Evil? Is the Spawn universe divided into certain .. layers? Like the interstice or the vortex or even the abyss? Does Spawn struggle with his inner demons? Does Spawn have a child that just so happens to share it's existence with his main enemy? Is there "magic" in the Spawn universe? Is the concept of sacrificing someone close to you to become something other then human used repeatedly in Spawn?

Now that I think about.. people have made comparisons with less, the usual comparison? Does Spawn have a very large sword that kinda looks like the DS?

Ramen4ever said:

In all fairness, Guts also kills people that try to kill him.

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What's he supposed to do, reason with them?

Proj2501 said:

What's he supposed to do, reason with them?

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YES!! You may not know this but Guts has a yet unveiled skill at negotiation. Who do you think was the real mastermind behind the treaties between Midland and Tudor that ended the hundred year war? Trust me... this information is solid.

Ramen4ever said:

In all fairness, Guts also kills people that try to kill him.

Edit:
I haven't really read Spawn but here's a few questions that should help with this so called "comparison"
Does the comic book Spawn have anything even remotely resembling causality? Is there an entity like the Idea of Evil? Is the Spawn universe divided into certain .. layers? Like the interstice or the vortex or even the abyss? Does Spawn struggle with his inner demons? Does Spawn have a child that just so happens to share it's existence with his main enemy? Is there "magic" in the Spawn universe? Is the concept of sacrificing someone close to you to become something other then human used repeatedly in Spawn?

Now that I think about.. people have made comparisons with less, the usual comparison? Does Spawn have a very large sword that kinda looks like the DS?

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As far as I can recall, Spawn has a more typical Heaven/Hell layering of its universe.

as i said just a thought that they look and feel simaliar

turborabbit2 said:

as i said just a thought that they look and feel simaliar

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Maybe you should post some examples to help demonstrate your thoughts. I wouldn't mind some pictures or proper descriptions of events/characters. So long as it's relevant to your comparison. Seriously.. at this point I'm just waiting for someone to say that Guts is kinda like Batman. I want some facts please.

I think I've read the entirety of Spawn's main run (its less then 200 for those counting) and the rare direct tie in. I continue to read it cause the art style suits my tastes and I can get it for free.
I remember when I found the first 100 or so issues at once and read through them over a short while. I noticed at least one if not more significant contradictions, though I can no longer remember what they are. Over the years, a lot of the history has been retconned, mostly chalking it up to Spawn's death-induced amnesia or self delusion. Key plot points have been screwed with unceremoniously. Like the power meter. Ages ago (75ish?) it had presumably been resolved or forgotten, but they needed something bad to happen to Spawn at Armageddon so it ran out then.

As for the universe, its not exactly your typical Heaven/Hell setting. The Universe gives birth to gods which each get their own planet. Earth is run by the twins God and Satan. They're both equally evil, one just likes illusions of good. The universe tweaked spawn, made him the sum of everyone who died the minute he did, so its children could be slain. Armageddon has come and gone, and the world was largely unchanged.


And now for direct answers.

Ramen4ever said:

Edit:
I haven't really read Spawn but here's a few questions that should help with this so called "comparison"
Does the comic book Spawn have anything even remotely resembling causality? Is there an entity like the Idea of Evil? Is the Spawn universe divided into certain .. layers? Like the interstice or the vortex or even the abyss? Does Spawn struggle with his inner demons? Does Spawn have a child that just so happens to share it's existence with his main enemy? Is there "magic" in the Spawn universe? Is the concept of sacrificing someone close to you to become something other then human used repeatedly in Spawn?

Now that I think about.. people have made comparisons with less, the usual comparison? Does Spawn have a very large sword that kinda looks like the DS?

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There is a great manipulating evil in Spawn: Mammon. Not an especialy powerful demon, but patient and crafty. They've been developing him since around 100 and have ironed out the details recently. He's been manipulating Al Simmon's family line to produce a child he'd punch to death before being born. The child was stupid powerful but they sealed it in limbo for a while.

Spawn doesn't often struggle with inner demons as its plenty easy to direct them at outer ones and he doesn't have anyone to protect. His longest lasting current ally is Nyx, a pretty little witch who once "borrowed" his costume without asking. He did struggle recently with his costume trying to kill people he cared about. No sacrifice concept that I can think of.

I can't remember anything suggesting increasingly more abstract layers of reality. Its all pretty literal from what I can remember.

Majin Tenshi said:

I think I've read the entirety of Spawn's main run (its less then 200 for those counting) and the rare direct tie in. I continue to read it cause the art style suits my tastes and I can get it for free.
I remember when I found the first 100 or so issues at once and read through them over a short while. I noticed at least one if not more significant contradictions, though I can no longer remember what they are. Over the years, a lot of the history has been retconned, mostly chalking it up to Spawn's death-induced amnesia or self delusion. Key plot points have been screwed with unceremoniously. Like the power meter. Ages ago (75ish?) it had presumably been resolved or forgotten, but they needed something bad to happen to Spawn at Armageddon so it ran out then.

As for the universe, its not exactly your typical Heaven/Hell setting. The Universe gives birth to gods which each get their own planet. Earth is run by the twins God and Satan. They're both equally evil, one just likes illusions of good. The universe tweaked spawn, made him the sum of everyone who died the minute he did, so its children could be slain. Armageddon has come and gone, and the world was largely unchanged.


And now for direct answers. There is a great manipulating evil in Spawn: Mammon. Not an especialy powerful demon, but patient and crafty. They've been developing him since around 100 and have ironed out the details recently. He's been manipulating Al Simmon's family line to produce a child he'd punch to death before being born. The child was stupid powerful but they sealed it in limbo for a while.

Spawn doesn't often struggle with inner demons as its plenty easy to direct them at outer ones and he doesn't have anyone to protect. His longest lasting current ally is Nyx, a pretty little witch who once "borrowed" his costume without asking. He did struggle recently with his costume trying to kill people he cared about. No sacrifice concept that I can think of.

I can't remember anything suggesting increasingly more abstract layers of reality. Its all pretty literal from what I can remember.

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Well I certainly appreciate you taking the time to write all that. Thanks for the info. So I guess this comparison is gonna bite the dust now.

Ramen4ever said:

Seriously.. at this point I'm just waiting for someone to say that Guts is kinda like Batman.

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Are you saying you don't see the similarities? Even if you look here?

A few big differences I notice:
-Spawn has a heaven and hell
-Spawn also has a third party, Green World
-Berserk has layers of reality with beings from other planes of existence in each.
-Spawn takes place in the present
-Berserk takes place in a middle ages setting
-Spawn is suffering for his mistakes as a normal human
-Guts is suffering for his fated friendship with Griffith

So wait, and sorry if this is a stupid question because I stopped reading spawn I think at a around issue 75, (I know that it wasn't too long after he see's God in Grandma form) but anyway, this Mammon guy is actually above Malebolgia?

Guts' intestines said:

So wait, and sorry if this is a stupid question because I stopped reading spawn I think at a around issue 75, (I know that it wasn't too long after he see's God in Grandma form) but anyway, this Mammon guy is actually above Malebolgia?

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Wikipedia

Mammon's power seems to vary greatly based on where he is. It wouldn't suprise me if in the 8th circle he was powerless compared to Malebolgia. Mammon never showed any interest in ruling hell, and may or may not have an official position. His machinations have played out to the point he has his tool but his goal is unknown.

Malebolgia was a powerful demon and ruled his circle of hell, which was one of, if not the greatest circle. This put him as effective ruler of all of hell when Satan was absent.

BTW, the "God" that Spawn meets was probably the "universal god" not the "God vs Satan" of earth seeing as I understant that one to be absent for most of the run and a dick.