There are six main figures in the series, along with a deluxe figure and this CC exclusive. You can get the whole scoop with lots of interesting photos at the official Spawn Web site. The regular figures retail for $8 to $10 each, a drop of at least $2, at many retailers. I've seen them at Meijers, Toys R Us, Media Play and Electronics Boutique so far, and they should be showing up soon at Wal-mart as well.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"SPAWN 24 i.098 GARGOYLE SPAWN"

While the distribution has increased for the regular series of Spawn figures with the latest release, that won't help you get today's figure. Gargoyle Spawn was a Collector's Club exclusive, and it's now sold out. eBay and your local shows are the next best bet. However, he's a good example of why you should sign up for the club, which is completely free. Just head over to the Spawn site, sign up, and you'll get regular emails with info on Todd's latest escapades, and the ability to buy any of the cool club exclusives. Gargoyle Spawn was $12 plus shipping, a much better price than the current $30 - $40 each that they are selling for on eBay.

Packaging - ***

While I love the clamshells (they're unlikely to show shelf wear, easy to store, and won't have the bubble separating from the card back long term), I do have a big complaint about this particular series. They needed to have the issue number in some easy to see spot when they are hanging on the pegs. Sure, there's a little picture of the figure, but your brain takes a minute to register each picture, and some of these Spawns look a lot like the others.

Sculpting - ***1/2

It should be no surprise to anyone that the sculpting on this figure is top-notch. It's only when Mcfarlane does a poor job in this department that it's real news. The body they used is the same as the 10th Anniversary Spawn, and he has that same lean sculpt. That's a bit of an issue for me this time around. With the 10th Anniversary version, he was predominately covered by the cape, and his slightly emaciated appearance wasn't obvious. But this time around his cape is furled out behind him, and you can see that he's a tad stringy. It's not "Calista Flockhart boney," but he's not the usual beefy Spawn.

This figure also has the hamburger head look, with a wild tongue thrown in for an extra dash of gruesome. It's a great sculpt, but I know some people do not like the grade-A beef complexion, and they may find themselves turned off by this head. The cape sculpt is decent, but some people may not like the "fruit roll-up" appearance. It's fairly thick and can get in the way at times.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint ops are clean and neat, with a nice use of wash especially on the cape. The detail work on the face is excellent, and overall the quality of the paint application couldn't be much better. So why not four stars?

The actual colors, particularly on the torso, aren't quite as striking. Okay, so maybe they are following that particular cover, but I miss the red on the rib cage, and with this body being more 'exposed' than the 10th Anniversary edition, it would have been nice if he'd had a similar, more dynamic paint scheme.

Articulation - ****
How can I complain? Some people will say he has too much articulation, and if it was useless articulation they'd have an argument. But every joint here can come in mighty handy, and he's the only one of the Series 24 figures with such posing possibilities. While even he is intended to be in the pose from the comic cover, the articulation along with the great Gargoyle give you a lot more options than that.

Spawn has a terrific ball jointed neck that works very well, unique shoulder joints that allow for lots of movement across the chest, double jointed elbows and knees, cut biceps, cut forearms, wrists, chest (with TWO joints, to allow for poor posture), waist, ball jointed hips, cut thighs, cut calves (just above the ankles), ankles and even mid-foot. You'll be able to do plenty of freaky, wall hanging, gargoyle mounting poses with this figure!

Accessories - ***1/2
There's really only one - the Gargoyle base. He has the long, real metal chains hanging from his body, but since they are attached they aren't technically accessories. He also has his cape, but it's not removable (at least on purpose) either. So that leaves Fido.

The gargoyle sculpt is large, and fairly detailed, especially since he's hollow. He's not too soft - we're not talking dog chew toy here - but he's definitely very hollow. The wings are solid and snap on the back, and it's a very tight fit. They won't be falling off any time soon. Both the sculpt and paint application lend to the realistic weather beaten rock appearance.

Value - **1/2
The rest of the series is available for $8 at local stores, so $12 here (plus shipping) seems a little steep. It's not a complete rip, since it is exclusive to the club and was fairly limited. It sold out within a day or so, which is fairly quick even for McFarlane Collector's Club exclusives.

Overall - ***1/2
This figure is in a tie with Santa Spawn as my favorite of series 24. It's a good looking sculpt with nice paint ops, terrific articulation, and a great gargoyle base. I'd be hard pressed to buy this off ebay at the ridiculous price that's the current going rate, but at the original $12 it's a great figure. I'd suggest waiting a little while before picking it up. Remember, all the once expensive Spawn exclusives and variants are now very cheap to pick up on the secondary market, and this one won't be any different over time.

Where to Buy -
Your options are pretty limited at this point. Sign up for the club and don't miss out again!