Comics of the nineties were wild. Barrel-chested badasses with big pouches and bigger guns, along with scantily-clad ladies whose weapons defied physics and their outfits defied gravity (and decency). Spawn is arguably one of the biggest names from the era and with close to 500 issues over various series, he won’t be slowing down any time soon. Which makes this the perfect time for ol’ Spawny-Guy to die.

But who’s going to kill him? And why? The answers can be found in this week’s Spawn Kills Every Spawn!, the first issue in a new miniseries written by John Layman. Here our protagonist is Little Spawn, aka Lil Spawn, aka Chibi Spawn, aka Albert. Fed up with being ignored and seething over his humiliating experience at Spawn-Con (no really), our anti-hero sets out to get the respect he feels he deserves by taking out Spawn Prime along with every Gunslinger, Redeemer, and Vertebraker that gets in his way. Layman has crafted a fun, if not mildly shallow protagonist who resembles Invader Zim crossed with Venom, both in look and personality. He’s a riot!

I have to hand it to the art team of Rob “Sketchcraft” Duenas and colorist Robert Nugent: these guys packed a lot into this issue. From the cameos that include Spawnified versions of Savage Dragon and Scud the Disposable Assassin to the various toys and Spawn merch littered throughout, this book is chock-full of fan service. I mean, the cover alone has Lil Spawn driving the Violator Monster Rig from the original toy-line and that’s just the start! The vast amount of in-jokes and references give this comic a ton of added value, providing a Where’s Waldo-type of experience where you’re likely to catch something new with every re-read.

As astounding as the visuals are, the sheer number of details is staggering and it’s clear that the pages were significantly reduced in size from the original art. Duenas infuses the art with personality to spare but his layouts often lack a solid focal point. Nugent’s colors don’t just bring the art to life, they’re a necessity in being able to understand what’s going on. More than once I had to squint just to read the hilarious booth names or identify an action figure I would’ve bought back in 1997. On a nostalgic note, my favorite Manga Spawn action figure shows up not once, but twice, in all his ridiculously cool splendor.

Spawn Kills Every Spawn! may not be for everyone, however there’s at least a little something for anyone and everyone who has even a casual affinity for the heavily-cloaked hellspawn. Whether you’ve been reading the series since the beginning, dropped off around issue thirty-seven, or rented the movie once at Blockbuster; if you have memories of sitting on the floor bashing Spawn toys together or spending hours hunched over a desk drawing characters like the Clown or Overt-Kill, this book is for you.