Spawn knows death. He is a dead man returned to the living by the forces of Hell. What he doesn't know is who or what he is now. Enter CLOWN, a mysterious and obnoxious demon sent from Hell to help shape and guide him into his new role as demonic warrior. To balance the assault of information, Spawn meets a mysterious old homeless man named COGLIOSTRO. He will try to help and guide him, but for now Spawn must learn a few lessons on his own.

Spawn faces the fact that he is dead. He was once known as AL SIMMONS, soldier, and government assassin. He learns, in a conversation with his own corpse, that he made a deal with one of Hell's masters, MALEBOLGIA. The deal is simple; let him see WANDA and he will become Hellspawn - a ranking officer in the devil's army. But Wanda has remarried his best friend TERRY FITZGERALD, and have had a baby together named CYAN. Wanda has started her life over.

Mafia head honcho, ANTONIO TWISTELLI wants to know who killed his men. Tony's men were working for JASON WYNN who used his mob connections to wipe-out anyone who could trace back a dark secret to one of Wynn's puppets. The puppet is SENATOR MCMILLIAN who's son happens to be a child killer. For now McMillian and his secret are safe. Child killer, and demon in training BILLY KINCAID, murders again and dumps the body in the alley where Spawn has found a home among the homeless. Only GAREB, one of the homeless, defends Spawn and welcomes him to the fold of the lost.

Suddenly the alley is invaded by three more of Antonio Twistelli's boys. They want to know who killed their men, and are willing to murder a bum or two to find out. Spawn intercedes and wipes out the thugs, leaving one alive to return with a message; Stay out of the alley! The homeless are grateful and open their hearts and alley to Spawn, now the alley's defender. But now Antonio Twistelli has been pushed too far. He calls in his marker and has a deadly foe sent in to do his dirty work.

New York Harbor. Senator McMillian is brought by force in the middle of the night to meet with Jason Wynn. Jason has plans for the senator. He wants to run for president so that he will, "have a friend in high places." The senator resists, but Wynn reminds him of his son the child killer. DETECTIVE BURKE and his partner TWITCH have arrived in the alley and are looking over the scene of Spawn's latest work. Together they try to piece together the mystery of the dead reporters, the stooge and the wiped-out mob thugs.

Meanwhile, Tony's marker has arrived in the form of a hulking brute, an unflinching assassin called OVERKILL. His assignment; find out who popped Tony's boys and tear him apart.

On a church roof, Spawn perches and broods as Clown approaches for another round of taunts. Clown wants Spawn to deliver on his end of the deal. He got to see Wanda, now it's time for the earth to burn. But Spawn has other ideas. He has his own problems, but Clown doesn't want to hear it, and shows Spawn his true self; the hideous demon known as the VIOLATOR. The two battle. Spawn looses...badly.

Clown leaves the Hellspawn with a message; "There's something in you the Malebolgia senses. Something evil. There are rules to follow. It's my task to make sure you do. Consider this a friendly reminder. Get with the f***ing program!" Cogliostro stands over Spawn when he recovers from Violator's attack. He tells Spawn to use his powers sparingly, that they are finite. Spawn wants to know what is going on -who is he and why is he here? Spawn wants to know what the old man knows. "There is a war on between Heaven and Hell and you are on the front lines," Cogliostro tells him, "Earth is the battle ground. Human souls, the prize." Spawn knows he has a choice to make, but what is it?

In the meantime, Overkill has left a message written in blood on the wall of the alley. The message is a challenge to Spawn. Assassin versus Hellspawn. The battle is fast and furious. Spawn does serious damage to the hulking Overkill and sends him packing, but the battle is not without cost. Spawn is weakened by the fray, and is one step closer to his final decent into Hell. Such is the way of the Hellspawn.

Frustrated by the battle, Spawn resorts to his old ways, the ways of Al Simmons, and seeks out weapons to arm himself. He now remembers who and what he was when he lived...a government killer. Armed to the teeth, Spawn escapes the facility and goes after Overkill and Antonio Twistelli. Overkill is reduced to scrap metal and tattered flesh. Tony is given one last warning to stay out of the alley.

In another part of town Wanda has taken on a child killer case that she is convinced is a set-up, and Terry is having trouble tracking certain top secret weapon shipments.

Amsterdam. An assassin known as CHAPEL receives a mission from Jason Wynn. The assignment is to destroy a weapons shipment and blame it on terrorists. Chapel is a man haunted by his past where he may have caused the death of his partner...Al Simmons.

Billy Kincaid's cellar. Billy is carefully placing surgical tools into a plastic fishing tackle box. He wears his ice-cream vendor uniform and, after shutting the box, he adjusts his white cap in a nearby wall-mounted shaving mirror. In the background, Clown crouches and watches Billy with great interest. While Spawn waits for the next event in the battle between Heaven and Hell, Antonio Twistelli tries to make amends with the big man after the destruction of Overkill. But there is a new player in the game now. A mysterious and beautiful woman called ANGELA. She too is a warrior, a hunter, who fights for the other side and works for a woman named GABRIELLE. Angela wants to know why she was not informed about the hellspawn, and demands the job of hunting him down. She is refused the job and dismissed.

Wanda receives inside information from an ex-cop, MAX that proves her theory that somebody is trying to cover for a child killer. She is determined to find out who is behind the cover up. All the while, Spawn is on her trail watching and protecting.

Terry has reported the missing weapons to Jason Wynn, but Wynn gets him off the track by showing him footage of the armory break-in where Spawn stole weapons. Chapel is sent to talk to Antonio Twistelli because Wynn wants to know what the 'thing' was that stole the weapons and destroyed Overkill. He wants Spawn found, and when Wynn says jump, you ask, how high. The stakes are raised. Now Spawn has everybody after him. Wynn, the mob, and Heaven and Hell.

Spawn is tormented by an onslaught of nightmares; Wanda's happiness with Terry, Chapel killing, burning in Hell, and Clown laughing all the while. He awakes, still dead, still Spawn and still hopelessly lost in the world that has turned its back on him.Warriors can feel forces massing against them. The agonizing wait for battle becomes a way of life, turning and twisting their dark souls. Feeding tense rage that boils deep within every Hellspawn. They rage at the unfairness of their plight.

Rat City. A crazed STREET PREACHER holds a boy against his will. His weapons are his madness and his body wrapped in grenades. Several cops are blown to shreds helplessly trying to free the boy from the preachers grasp. An angry cop takes out his frustration on Gareb. Spawn is forced to intercede, and violently attacks the rampaging officer. Angered by the cops abuse of power, he leaves the cop pinned to a wall as a message to others.

Meanwhile, Jason Wynn's political puppet, Senator McMillian is hard on the campaign trail. Wynn is unhappy with several of the Senator's political moves and suggests that he follow his directions more closely. Wynn has a strangle hold on the senator and the senator must obey. To make matters worse Wynn has caught wind that Wanda is digging around the personnel data bases in search of facts to uncover the child killer cover-up.

The Alley. Detectives Burke and Twitch search the alleys for evidence of a kidnapping perpetrated by the psychotic priest. They realize that the alley is the same one where the reporter's body was found, in addition to being the dumping ground for the currently at-large child-killer. Not to mention some of Antonio Twistelli's recently slaughtered hit men. Twitch suspects the coincidence isn't one at all, but is ordered to pursue it later by Burke, who is anxious to collar the priest.

Burke and Twistelli are startled by a dying cop in the alleyway stuffed into a shopping cart. Spawn had pinned the cop to a cement wall, but the joyride was the priest's doing. The cops dying words refer enigmatically to Spawn: "Red...cloak..."

Clown tracks down Billy Kincaid, and hands the child killer an invitation. It reads: "FRESH MEAT...AND WHAT A TREAT! 13970 RUNYON." The address just happens to be one of Antonio Twistelli's safe houses. Across town Wanda's life takes a horrifying turn when she receives a frightening call telling her that Max has been murdered. When she returns, she finds that Cyan is nowhere to be found. She has been kidnapped.

Back in the alley, Spawn spends his time preparing for the next onslaught of violence. He loads and reloads his stolen arsenal. Cogiostro tells Spawn that his mission has become too personal. Spawn rejects the old man's condemnation and explains that he was trained to be a killer. Then out of the darkness, Spawn hears of Cyan's kidnapping. He stands, and disappears.

Outside the alley, Burke, Twitch and the SWAT team have the crazed priest cornered, but he still has the boy. A sharpshooter fires a well placed slug into the preachers head. The preacher drops. It appears the situation is over, until the preacher sits, compliments the officers shooting, then pulls the pins on all of the grenades. The explosion is massive, but luckily for the boy, Spawn has come from the darkness to save him.

Finally, having chosen a side, and released of some inner guilt the warrior is now free to pursue his personal mission. God help those in his path.

As the scene fades, the true face of the preacher is exposed. It is Clown trying to shake things up. At the safe house a special guest has appeared to take Cyan from the hands of the kidnappers who have acted on Wynn's behalf. The guest is Billy Kincaid, the child killer, and he's more than pleased to see the little girl. After torturing a stool-pigeon, Spawn learns that it was Antonio Twistelli who kidnapped Cyan while at the safe house. But Tony's boys have lost the girl to the deadly hands of Billy Kincaid. News of the screw-up travels fast and Jason Wynn confronts Senator McMillian about Billy's actions. McMillian denies any knowledge of his killer son's doings, and both men are left wondering who could be behind it.

Wynn believes the senator has nothing to do with the interference and is convinced that there are other players in the mix who are screwing with his plans. He sends Chapel off to track down the weapon thief, while he concocts his next move. Meanwhile, Antonio Twistelli prepares to leave town knowing that losing the child will cause him a great deal of trouble. But before he can leave, Spawn descends out of the darkness and makes the fat mob boss talk. All Spawn gets out of him is a physical description of Billy and that he drives an ice-cream truck.

Downtown, Twitch has uncovered the Senators bloody secret. He knows that McMillian is hiding a killer son named Billy and that the alley murders began because of an extortion plot that went horribly wrong. The senator used Tony's thugs to snuff the extortionists life before he talked to the reporters. Burke takes the explosive information and runs with it. He orders a total and complete manhunt. He wants Billy Kincaid, dead or alive.

Billy's Workshop. Billy bends down and slowly lowers the sack around Cyan's bundled form. She is blindfolded, sweaty with fear. Her huge eyes stare at Billy's massive, pocked face. She knows her time is up. Luckily she is very wrong.

Spawn emerges from the shadows. "Move away from the child. Now!"

But Billy has other plans. He throws chemicals at the Hellspawn that catch the house and Spawn on fire. Billy races from the scene with Cyan in his grip and leaves Spawn to burn. Outside, the police have located the house and give chase. Spawn recovers from the inferno and tracks down the ice-cream truck.

Stand-off. Billy is cornered by Spawn, but Billy has Cyan and the knife. One by one the players arrive on the scene as Clown watches from above, laughing at every wince of pain. Detectives Burke and Twitch are there. Wanda and Terry have been informed of the mayhem and are there, waiting, watching and praying.

Spawn makes his move. He wraps Kincaid in his cape and raises him off the ground. Billy begs for help while Clown cheers Spawn on chanting kill him, kill him over and over. Spawn is tempted, but resists the Clown and his own inner rage. He casts the killer to the ground along with the rest of the garbage. Clown is mortified. It wasn't supposed to end like this. All his work was for nothing. Spawn is still resisting, and rejecting the deal. Angered, but not beat, Clown kills Billy and vows to Spawn that the fight is far from over. After all, a deal is a deal.

In the end Cyan returns, safe to Wanda and Terry. In her hands she holds a trinket from her ordeal and hands it to her mother. It is Al Simmon's wedding band.

"Where did you get this, Cyan?"

"The sad man..."

For all Hellspawns, a time comes when the stage is set. All sides have been chosen. The world and its rules have been defined. And the real war, in all its apocalyptic horror, is finally ready to begin.

Spawn knows death. He is a dead man returned to the living by the forces of Hell. What he doesn't know is who or what he is now. Enter CLOWN, a mysterious and obnoxious demon sent from Hell to help shape and guide him into his new role as demonic warrior. To balance the assault of information, Spawn meets a mysterious old homeless man named COGLIOSTRO. He will try to help and guide him, but for now Spawn must learn a few lessons on his own.

Spawn faces the fact that he is dead. He was once known as AL SIMMONS, soldier, and government assassin. He learns, in a conversation with his own corpse, that he made a deal with one of Hell's masters, MALEBOLGIA. The deal is simple; let him see WANDA and he will become Hellspawn - a ranking officer in the devil's army. But Wanda has remarried his best friend TERRY FITZGERALD, and have had a baby together named CYAN. Wanda has started her life over.

Mafia head honcho, ANTONIO TWISTELLI wants to know who killed his men. Tony's men were working for JASON WYNN who used his mob connections to wipe-out anyone who could trace back a dark secret to one of Wynn's puppets. The puppet is SENATOR MCMILLIAN who's son happens to be a child killer. For now McMillian and his secret are safe. Child killer, and demon in training BILLY KINCAID, murders again and dumps the body in the alley where Spawn has found a home among the homeless. Only GAREB, one of the homeless, defends Spawn and welcomes him to the fold of the lost.

Suddenly the alley is invaded by three more of Antonio Twistelli's boys. They want to know who killed their men, and are willing to murder a bum or two to find out. Spawn intercedes and wipes out the thugs, leaving one alive to return with a message; Stay out of the alley! The homeless are grateful and open their hearts and alley to Spawn, now the alley's defender. But now Antonio Twistelli has been pushed too far. He calls in his marker and has a deadly foe sent in to do his dirty work.

New York Harbor. Senator McMillian is brought by force in the middle of the night to meet with Jason Wynn. Jason has plans for the senator. He wants to run for president so that he will, "have a friend in high places." The senator resists, but Wynn reminds him of his son the child killer. DETECTIVE BURKE and his partner TWITCH have arrived in the alley and are looking over the scene of Spawn's latest work. Together they try to piece together the mystery of the dead reporters, the stooge and the wiped-out mob thugs.

Meanwhile, Tony's marker has arrived in the form of a hulking brute, an unflinching assassin called OVERKILL. His assignment; find out who popped Tony's boys and tear him apart.

On a church roof, Spawn perches and broods as Clown approaches for another round of taunts. Clown wants Spawn to deliver on his end of the deal. He got to see Wanda, now it's time for the earth to burn. But Spawn has other ideas. He has his own problems, but Clown doesn't want to hear it, and shows Spawn his true self; the hideous demon known as the VIOLATOR. The two battle. Spawn looses...badly.

Clown leaves the Hellspawn with a message; "There's something in you the Malebolgia senses. Something evil. There are rules to follow. It's my task to make sure you do. Consider this a friendly reminder. Get with the f***ing program!" Cogliostro stands over Spawn when he recovers from Violator's attack. He tells Spawn to use his powers sparingly, that they are finite. Spawn wants to know what is going on -who is he and why is he here? Spawn wants to know what the old man knows. "There is a war on between Heaven and Hell and you are on the front lines," Cogliostro tells him, "Earth is the battle ground. Human souls, the prize." Spawn knows he has a choice to make, but what is it?

In the meantime, Overkill has left a message written in blood on the wall of the alley. The message is a challenge to Spawn. Assassin versus Hellspawn. The battle is fast and furious. Spawn does serious damage to the hulking Overkill and sends him packing, but the battle is not without cost. Spawn is weakened by the fray, and is one step closer to his final decent into Hell. Such is the way of the Hellspawn.

Frustrated by the battle, Spawn resorts to his old ways, the ways of Al Simmons, and seeks out weapons to arm himself. He now remembers who and what he was when he lived...a government killer. Armed to the teeth, Spawn escapes the facility and goes after Overkill and Antonio Twistelli. Overkill is reduced to scrap metal and tattered flesh. Tony is given one last warning to stay out of the alley.

In another part of town Wanda has taken on a child killer case that she is convinced is a set-up, and Terry is having trouble tracking certain top secret weapon shipments.

Amsterdam. An assassin known as CHAPEL receives a mission from Jason Wynn. The assignment is to destroy a weapons shipment and blame it on terrorists. Chapel is a man haunted by his past where he may have caused the death of his partner...Al Simmons.

Billy Kincaid's cellar. Billy is carefully placing surgical tools into a plastic fishing tackle box. He wears his ice-cream vendor uniform and, after shutting the box, he adjusts his white cap in a nearby wall-mounted shaving mirror. In the background, Clown crouches and watches Billy with great interest. While Spawn waits for the next event in the battle between Heaven and Hell, Antonio Twistelli tries to make amends with the big man after the destruction of Overkill. But there is a new player in the game now. A mysterious and beautiful woman called ANGELA. She too is a warrior, a hunter, who fights for the other side and works for a woman named GABRIELLE. Angela wants to know why she was not informed about the hellspawn, and demands the job of hunting him down. She is refused the job and dismissed.

Wanda receives inside information from an ex-cop, MAX that proves her theory that somebody is trying to cover for a child killer. She is determined to find out who is behind the cover up. All the while, Spawn is on her trail watching and protecting.

Terry has reported the missing weapons to Jason Wynn, but Wynn gets him off the track by showing him footage of the armory break-in where Spawn stole weapons. Chapel is sent to talk to Antonio Twistelli because Wynn wants to know what the 'thing' was that stole the weapons and destroyed Overkill. He wants Spawn found, and when Wynn says jump, you ask, how high. The stakes are raised. Now Spawn has everybody after him. Wynn, the mob, and Heaven and Hell.

Spawn is tormented by an onslaught of nightmares; Wanda's happiness with Terry, Chapel killing, burning in Hell, and Clown laughing all the while. He awakes, still dead, still Spawn and still hopelessly lost in the world that has turned its back on him. Warriors can feel forces massing against them. The agonizing wait for battle becomes a way of life, turning and twisting their dark souls. Feeding tense rage that boils deep within every Hellspawn. They rage at the unfairness of their plight.

Rat City. A crazed STREET PREACHER holds a boy against his will. His weapons are his madness and his body wrapped in grenades. Several cops are blown to shreds helplessly trying to free the boy from the preachers grasp. An angry cop takes out his frustration on Gareb. Spawn is forced to intercede, and violently attacks the rampaging officer. Angered by the cops abuse of power, he leaves the cop pinned to a wall as a message to others.

Meanwhile, Jason Wynn's political puppet, Senator McMillian is hard on the campaign trail. Wynn is unhappy with several of the Senator's political moves and suggests that he follow his directions more closely. Wynn has a strangle hold on the senator and the senator must obey. To make matters worse Wynn has caught wind that Wanda is digging around the personnel data bases in search of facts to uncover the child killer cover-up.

The Alley. Detectives Burke and Twitch search the alleys for evidence of a kidnapping perpetrated by the psychotic priest. They realize that the alley is the same one where the reporter's body was found, in addition to being the dumping ground for the currently at-large child-killer. Not to mention some of Antonio Twistelli's recently slaughtered hit men. Twitch suspects the coincidence isn't one at all, but is ordered to pursue it later by Burke, who is anxious to collar the priest.

Burke and Twistelli are startled by a dying cop in the alleyway stuffed into a shopping cart. Spawn had pinned the cop to a cement wall, but the joyride was the priest's doing. The cops dying words refer enigmatically to Spawn: "Red...cloak..."

Clown tracks down Billy Kincaid, and hands the child killer an invitation. It reads: "FRESH MEAT...AND WHAT A TREAT! 13970 RUNYON." The address just happens to be one of Antonio Twistelli's safe houses. Across town Wanda's life takes a horrifying turn when she receives a frightening call telling her that Max has been murdered. When she returns, she finds that Cyan is nowhere to be found. She has been kidnapped.

Back in the alley, Spawn spends his time preparing for the next onslaught of violence. He loads and reloads his stolen arsenal. Cogiostro tells Spawn that his mission has become too personal. Spawn rejects the old man's condemnation and explains that he was trained to be a killer. Then out of the darkness, Spawn hears of Cyan's kidnapping. He stands, and disappears.

Outside the alley, Burke, Twitch and the SWAT team have the crazed priest cornered, but he still has the boy. A sharpshooter fires a well placed slug into the preachers head. The preacher drops. It appears the situation is over, until the preacher sits, compliments the officers shooting, then pulls the pins on all of the grenades. The explosion is massive, but luckily for the boy, Spawn has come from the darkness to save him.

Finally, having chosen a side, and released of some inner guilt the warrior is now free to pursue his personal mission. God help those in his path.

As the scene fades, the true face of the preacher is exposed. It is Clown trying to shake things up. At the safe house a special guest has appeared to take Cyan from the hands of the kidnappers who have acted on Wynn's behalf. The guest is Billy Kincaid, the child killer, and he's more than pleased to see the little girl. After torturing a stool-pigeon, Spawn learns that it was Antonio Twistelli who kidnapped Cyan while at the safe house. But Tony's boys have lost the girl to the deadly hands of Billy Kincaid. News of the screw-up travels fast and Jason Wynn confronts Senator McMillian about Billy's actions. McMillian denies any knowledge of his killer son's doings, and both men are left wondering who could be behind it.

Wynn believes the senator has nothing to do with the interference and is convinced that there are other players in the mix who are screwing with his plans. He sends Chapel off to track down the weapon thief, while he concocts his next move. Meanwhile, Antonio Twistelli prepares to leave town knowing that losing the child will cause him a great deal of trouble. But before he can leave, Spawn descends out of the darkness and makes the fat mob boss talk. All Spawn gets out of him is a physical description of Billy and that he drives an ice-cream truck.

Downtown, Twitch has uncovered the Senators bloody secret. He knows that McMillian is hiding a killer son named Billy and that the alley murders began because of an extortion plot that went horribly wrong. The senator used Tony's thugs to snuff the extortionists life before he talked to the reporters. Burke takes the explosive information and runs with it. He orders a total and complete manhunt. He wants Billy Kincaid, dead or alive.

Billy's Workshop. Billy bends down and slowly lowers the sack around Cyan's bundled form. She is blindfolded, sweaty with fear. Her huge eyes stare at Billy's massive, pocked face. She knows her time is up. Luckily she is very wrong.

Spawn emerges from the shadows. "Move away from the child. Now!"

But Billy has other plans. He throws chemicals at the Hellspawn that catch the house and Spawn on fire. Billy races from the scene with Cyan in his grip and leaves Spawn to burn. Outside, the police have located the house and give chase. Spawn recovers from the inferno and tracks down the ice-cream truck.

Stand-off. Billy is cornered by Spawn, but Billy has Cyan and the knife. One by one the players arrive on the scene as Clown watches from above, laughing at every wince of pain. Detectives Burke and Twitch are there. Wanda and Terry have been informed of the mayhem and are there, waiting, watching and praying.

Spawn makes his move. He wraps Kincaid in his cape and raises him off the ground. Billy begs for help while Clown cheers Spawn on chanting kill him, kill him over and over. Spawn is tempted, but resists the Clown and his own inner rage. He casts the killer to the ground along with the rest of the garbage. Clown is mortified. It wasn't supposed to end like this. All his work was for nothing. Spawn is still resisting, and rejecting the deal. Angered, but not beat, Clown kills Billy and vows to Spawn that the fight is far from over. After all, a deal is a deal.

In the end Cyan returns, safe to Wanda and Terry. In her hands she holds a trinket from her ordeal and hands it to her mother. It is Al Simmon's wedding band.

"Where did you get this, Cyan?"

"The sad man..."

For all Hellspawns, a time comes when the stage is set. All sides have been chosen. The world and its rules have been defined. And the real war, in all its apocalyptic horror, is finally ready to begin.

Spawn knows death. He is a dead man returned to the living by the forces of Hell. What he doesn't know is who or what he is now. Enter CLOWN, a mysterious and obnoxious demon sent from Hell to help shape and guide him into his new role as demonic warrior. To balance the assault of information, Spawn meets a mysterious old homeless man named COGLIOSTRO. He will try to help and guide him, but for now Spawn must learn a few lessons on his own.

Spawn faces the fact that he is dead. He was once known as AL SIMMONS, soldier, and government assassin. He learns, in a conversation with his own corpse, that he made a deal with one of Hell's masters, MALEBOLGIA. The deal is simple; let him see WANDA and he will become Hellspawn - a ranking officer in the devil's army. But Wanda has remarried his best friend TERRY FITZGERALD, and have had a baby together named CYAN. Wanda has started her life over.

Mafia head honcho, ANTONIO TWISTELLI wants to know who killed his men. Tony's men were working for JASON WYNN who used his mob connections to wipe-out anyone who could trace back a dark secret to one of Wynn's puppets. The puppet is SENATOR MCMILLIAN who's son happens to be a child killer. For now McMillian and his secret are safe. Child killer, and demon in training BILLY KINCAID, murders again and dumps the body in the alley where Spawn has found a home among the homeless. Only GAREB, one of the homeless, defends Spawn and welcomes him to the fold of the lost.

Suddenly the alley is invaded by three more of Antonio Twistelli's boys. They want to know who killed their men, and are willing to murder a bum or two to find out. Spawn intercedes and wipes out the thugs, leaving one alive to return with a message; Stay out of the alley! The homeless are grateful and open their hearts and alley to Spawn, now the alley's defender. But now Antonio Twistelli has been pushed too far. He calls in his marker and has a deadly foe sent in to do his dirty work.

New York Harbor. Senator McMillian is brought by force in the middle of the night to meet with Jason Wynn. Jason has plans for the senator. He wants to run for president so that he will, "have a friend in high places." The senator resists, but Wynn reminds him of his son the child killer. DETECTIVE BURKE and his partner TWITCH have arrived in the alley and are looking over the scene of Spawn's latest work. Together they try to piece together the mystery of the dead reporters, the stooge and the wiped-out mob thugs.

Meanwhile, Tony's marker has arrived in the form of a hulking brute, an unflinching assassin called OVERKILL. His assignment; find out who popped Tony's boys and tear him apart.

On a church roof, Spawn perches and broods as Clown approaches for another round of taunts. Clown wants Spawn to deliver on his end of the deal. He got to see Wanda, now it's time for the earth to burn. But Spawn has other ideas. He has his own problems, but Clown doesn't want to hear it, and shows Spawn his true self; the hideous demon known as the VIOLATOR. The two battle. Spawn looses...badly.

Clown leaves the Hellspawn with a message; "There's something in you the Malebolgia senses. Something evil. There are rules to follow. It's my task to make sure you do. Consider this a friendly reminder. Get with the f***ing program!" Cogliostro stands over Spawn when he recovers from Violator's attack. He tells Spawn to use his powers sparingly, that they are finite. Spawn wants to know what is going on -who is he and why is he here? Spawn wants to know what the old man knows. "There is a war on between Heaven and Hell and you are on the front lines," Cogliostro tells him, "Earth is the battle ground. Human souls, the prize." Spawn knows he has a choice to make, but what is it?

In the meantime, Overkill has left a message written in blood on the wall of the alley. The message is a challenge to Spawn. Assassin versus Hellspawn. The battle is fast and furious. Spawn does serious damage to the hulking Overkill and sends him packing, but the battle is not without cost. Spawn is weakened by the fray, and is one step closer to his final decent into Hell. Such is the way of the Hellspawn.

Frustrated by the battle, Spawn resorts to his old ways, the ways of Al Simmons, and seeks out weapons to arm himself. He now remembers who and what he was when he lived...a government killer. Armed to the teeth, Spawn escapes the facility and goes after Overkill and Antonio Twistelli. Overkill is reduced to scrap metal and tattered flesh. Tony is given one last warning to stay out of the alley.

In another part of town Wanda has taken on a child killer case that she is convinced is a set-up, and Terry is having trouble tracking certain top secret weapon shipments.

Amsterdam. An assassin known as CHAPEL receives a mission from Jason Wynn. The assignment is to destroy a weapons shipment and blame it on terrorists. Chapel is a man haunted by his past where he may have caused the death of his partner...Al Simmons.

Billy Kincaid's cellar. Billy is carefully placing surgical tools into a plastic fishing tackle box. He wears his ice-cream vendor uniform and, after shutting the box, he adjusts his white cap in a nearby wall-mounted shaving mirror. In the background, Clown crouches and watches Billy with great interest. While Spawn waits for the next event in the battle between Heaven and Hell, Antonio Twistelli tries to make amends with the big man after the destruction of Overkill. But there is a new player in the game now. A mysterious and beautiful woman called ANGELA. She too is a warrior, a hunter, who fights for the other side and works for a woman named GABRIELLE. Angela wants to know why she was not informed about the hellspawn, and demands the job of hunting him down. She is refused the job and dismissed.

Wanda receives inside information from an ex-cop, MAX that proves her theory that somebody is trying to cover for a child killer. She is determined to find out who is behind the cover up. All the while, Spawn is on her trail watching and protecting.

Terry has reported the missing weapons to Jason Wynn, but Wynn gets him off the track by showing him footage of the armory break-in where Spawn stole weapons. Chapel is sent to talk to Antonio Twistelli because Wynn wants to know what the 'thing' was that stole the weapons and destroyed Overkill. He wants Spawn found, and when Wynn says jump, you ask, how high. The stakes are raised. Now Spawn has everybody after him. Wynn, the mob, and Heaven and Hell.

Spawn is tormented by an onslaught of nightmares; Wanda's happiness with Terry, Chapel killing, burning in Hell, and Clown laughing all the while. He awakes, still dead, still Spawn and still hopelessly lost in the world that has turned its back on him.

Warriors can feel forces massing against them. The agonizing wait for battle becomes a way of life, turning and twisting their dark souls. Feeding tense rage that boils deep within every Hellspawn. They rage at the unfairness of their plight. Rat City. A crazed STREET PREACHER holds a boy against his will. His weapons are his madness and his body wrapped in grenades. Several cops are blown to shreds helplessly trying to free the boy from the preachers grasp. An angry cop takes out his frustration on Gareb. Spawn is forced to intercede, and violently attacks the rampaging officer. Angered by the cops abuse of power, he leaves the cop pinned to a wall as a message to others. Meanwhile, Jason Wynn's political puppet, Senator McMillian is hard on the campaign trail. Wynn is unhappy with several of the Senator's political moves and suggests that he follow his directions more closely. Wynn has a strangle hold on the senator and the senator must obey. To make matters worse Wynn has caught wind that Wanda is digging around the personnel data bases in search of facts to uncover the child killer cover-up. The Alley. Detectives Burke and Twitch search the alleys for evidence of a kidnapping perpetrated by the psychotic priest. They realize that the alley is the same one where the reporter's body was found, in addition to being the dumping ground for the currently at-large child-killer. Not to mention some of Antonio Twistelli's recently slaughtered hit men. Twitch suspects the coincidence isn't one at all, but is ordered to pursue it later by Burke, who is anxious to collar the priest. Burke and Twistelli are startled by a dying cop in the alleyway stuffed into a shopping cart. Spawn had pinned the cop to a cement wall, but the joyride was the priest's doing. The cops dying words refer enigmatically to Spawn: "Red...cloak..." Clown tracks down Billy Kincaid, and hands the child killer an invitation. It reads: "FRESH MEAT...AND WHAT A TREAT! 13970 RUNYON." The address just happens to be one of Antonio Twistelli's safe houses. Across town Wanda's life takes a horrifying turn when she receives a frightening call telling her that Max has been murdered. When she returns, she finds that Cyan is nowhere to be found. She has been kidnapped. Back in the alley, Spawn spends his time preparing for the next onslaught of violence. He loads and reloads his stolen arsenal. Cogiostro tells Spawn that his mission has become too personal. Spawn rejects the old man's condemnation and explains that he was trained to be a killer. Then out of the darkness, Spawn hears of Cyan's kidnapping. He stands, and disappears. Outside the alley, Burke, Twitch and the SWAT team have the crazed priest cornered, but he still has the boy. A sharpshooter fires a well placed slug into the preachers head. The preacher drops. It appears the situation is over, until the preacher sits, compliments the officers shooting, then pulls the pins on all of the grenades. The explosion is massive, but luckily for the boy, Spawn has come from the darkness to save him. Finally, having chosen a side, and released of some inner guilt the warrior is now free to pursue his personal mission. God help those in his path. As the scene fades, the true face of the preacher is exposed. It is Clown trying to shake things up. At the safe house a special guest has appeared to take Cyan from the hands of the kidnappers who have acted on Wynn's behalf. The guest is Billy Kincaid, the child killer, and he's more than pleased to see the little girl. After torturing a stool-pigeon, Spawn learns that it was Antonio Twistelli who kidnapped Cyan while at the safe house. But Tony's boys have lost the girl to the deadly hands of Billy Kincaid. News of the screw-up travels fast and Jason Wynn confronts Senator McMillian about Billy's actions. McMillian denies any knowledge of his killer son's doings, and both men are left wondering who could be behind it. Wynn believes the senator has nothing to do with the interference and is convinced that there are other players in the mix who are screwing with his plans. He sends Chapel off to track down the weapon thief, while he concocts his next move. Meanwhile, Antonio Twistelli prepares to leave town knowing that losing the child will cause him a great deal of trouble. But before he can leave, Spawn descends out of the darkness and makes the fat mob boss talk. All Spawn gets out of him is a physical description of Billy and that he drives an ice-cream truck. Downtown, Twitch has uncovered the Senators bloody secret. He knows that McMillian is hiding a killer son named Billy and that the alley murders began because of an extortion plot that went horribly wrong. The senator used Tony's thugs to snuff the extortionists life before he talked to the reporters. Burke takes the explosive information and runs with it. He orders a total and complete manhunt. He wants Billy Kincaid, dead or alive. Billy's Workshop. Billy bends down and slowly lowers the sack around Cyan's bundled form. She is blindfolded, sweaty with fear. Her huge eyes stare at Billy's massive, pocked face. She knows her time is up. Luckily she is very wrong. Spawn emerges from the shadows. "Move away from the child. Now!" But Billy has other plans. He throws chemicals at the Hellspawn that catch the house and Spawn on fire. Billy races from the scene with Cyan in his grip and leaves Spawn to burn. Outside, the police have located the house and give chase. Spawn recovers from the inferno and tracks down the ice-cream truck. Stand-off. Billy is cornered by Spawn, but Billy has Cyan and the knife. One by one the players arrive on the scene as Clown watches from above, laughing at every wince of pain. Detectives Burke and Twitch are there. Wanda and Terry have been informed of the mayhem and are there, waiting, watching and praying. Spawn makes his move. He wraps Kincaid in his cape and raises him off the ground. Billy begs for help while Clown cheers Spawn on chanting kill him, kill him over and over. Spawn is tempted, but resists the Clown and his own inner rage. He casts the killer to the ground along with the rest of the garbage. Clown is mortified. It wasn't supposed to end like this. All his work was for nothing. Spawn is still resisting, and rejecting the deal. Angered, but not beat, Clown kills Billy and vows to Spawn that the fight is far from over. After all, a deal is a deal. In the end Cyan returns, safe to Wanda and Terry. In her hands she holds a trinket from her ordeal and hands it to her mother. It is Al Simmon's wedding band. "Where did you get this, Cyan?" "The sad man..." For all Hellspawns, a time comes when the stage is set. All sides have been chosen. The world and its rules have been defined. And the real war, in all its apocalyptic horror, is finally ready to begin.

THE BURNING VISION     EVIL INTENT     NO REST, NO PEACE     DOMINOES     SOULS IN THE BALANCE     ENDGAME     HOME, BITTER HOME     ACCESS DENIED     COLORS OF BLOOD     SEND IN THE KKKLOWNS     DEATHBLOW     HELLZAPOPPIN     THE MINDKILLER     TWITCH IS DOWN     SEED OF THE HELLSPAWN     HUNTER'S MOON     CHASING THE SERPENT     PROPHECY