431 – 421 BC. During the Peloponnesian Wars the largest cities of Greece, Athens and Sparta were at war over some territorial matters in Sicily. The grand general of Athens (Alkibiadis) and one of Sparta’s kings (Agis B) meet in the Delphi temple to discuss a possible truce but the meetings ends without reaching it. Antimachus our protagonist is a Spartan captain of the royal guard who escort his king in these expedition. After the end of the meeting Eurecles the Athenian counterpart proposes him to kill both noblemen, take over the armies and start conquering Greece. Antimachus of course refuses and threatens to uncover Eurecles plants to the Spartan and Athenian councils. Eurecles ambushes Antimachus and his soldiers and kills them all. Antimachus returns from the dead not remembering the pact he made with Hades and wants to return home to his family. In the way he finds a Spartan unit that is being attacked. A survivor tells him that Eurecles had gone before the Spartan kings and council claiming that Antimachus is a traitor who fled disgraced from the battle field after he failed to kill the grand general of Athens in Delphi. Antimachus starts the quest to find Eurecles in the battlefields killing Athenians on the way and helping the Spartan in the waging war. Spartans call him the “Crimson Ghost” Eurecles learns about this supernatural being and with the help of Chariceus sends an Erynia to kill the spawn. The story will climax during the battle of Decelea (415bc) where the two rivals meet. During the battle Antimachus will wound Eurecles who by sacrificing his adopted son will become the Violator and try to finish what started ten years ago. In the meanwhile Chariceus has summoned more Erinyas to battle alongside morphed Eurecles. In the aid of Spawn will come Nemesis who will handle the Erinyas while Antimachus battles with Violator. The story will go back and forth with the current events and flashbacks that say how the story came to be. Many names, people, places and events mentioned have really existed.
GREECE 428B.C.
THIS WAS MY END...
...AND YET, ANOTHER BEGGINNING...
...FROM CHILDHOOD, WE WERE TAUGHT, THAT WHEN WE LOST OUR LIVES IN THE BATTLEFIELDS, OUR IMMORTAL SOUL WOULD GO TO THE ELLYSIUM FIELDS...
...WERE OUR ANCESTORS WOULD WAIT ALONG WITH OTHER SOLDIERS. ALL HONORED WITH A WARRIOR’S DEATH...
STANDING, KNEE DEEP WITH BODIES OF OUR FALLEN BROTHERS AT ARMS AND THE CORPSES OF OUR ENEMIES...
...THERE WE WOULD CELEBRATE, DRINKING WINE AND TELLING HOW WE MET OUR FATE...
STARING AT DEATHS FACE WITH OPEN EYES AND SWORD IN HAND.
UNTIL THAT BLESSED THAT WE WOULD MEET OBLIVION...
...NONE WAS OUR EQUAL IN THE BATTLEFIELD...
THE “AGOGI” WAS THE WAY TO BECOME THE LETHAL DEATH MACHINES WHICH ALL OUR ENEMIES FEAR AND RESPECTED...
...OUR LIVES FROM THE TENDER AGE OF SEVEN WERE FILLED WITH HARD TRAINING IN THE FINE ART OF WAR.
...BROKEN BONES, BRUSHED BODIES AND EXCHAUSTED SPIRITS WAS OUR DAILY LIFE...
...BUT EACH OF US FOUND A REFUGE TO REST...
...MINE WAS NIOBE.
...WE MET IN THE AGOGI, WHICH IS HARSH...
...BUT FAIR TO ALL CITIZENTS OF SPARTA...
...MEN AND WOMEN, ALL EQUAL.
LATER CAME NIKEAS, AND OUR HAPPINESS GREW MORE...
...BUT HAPPINESS DOESN’T LAST FOREVER, NOR PEACE!
WE KNEW THIS MOMENT WOULD COME... THE DAY CAME, THAT SPARTa WOULD CALL UPON ME.
...BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW WHEN THE END WOULD!
MY DEAREST NIOBE,
WE ALWAYS BELIEVED IT WOULD BE LATER... ...OH MY BELOVED NIOBE.
NIOBEEEE!!!
I MUST GO TO MY FAMILY...
CALM YOURSELF SPARTAN! YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW FORTUNATE THAT GO AGAINST THE CURRENTS OF ACHERON AND STYX!
GO AGAINST?
YES...
YOU ARE GOING BACK...
GO WHERE?
WHERE ARE WE?
SOON SPARTAN, SOON...
To Be Continued???
Spartan SPawn character sketches & concept
Cover concept
ΈΙ!
Concept & Script
Andreas Pefanis DesignS & Artwork
Yannis Roumboulias Colors
Nikos Deligaris for more info:
andreasp@comicworld.gr
Spawn & Related Characters are Š Todd McFarlane & Todd McFarlane Productions
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