And now, for another one-vote getter for my Final ’90s Countdown survey, and pack a lunch, it’s a long one!
Spawn (Image Comics, 1992-present)
Man oh man, where do I even start.
Arising from the mass exodus of Marvel’s top artists and Rob Liefeld, Image Comics provided these creators free reign to generate whatever new concepts their wild imaginations could conceive, and (most importantly) still have complete ownership of them. And it remains today as a powerful publisher of creator-owned work.
Now, when this whole wingding was announced, I remember thinking, “wow, this is a great opportunity to expand comics into new genres with these artists’ large audiences! Imagine a Jim Lee-drawn crime drama, or a Todd McFarlane-drawn Old West story!” Yes, I was perhaps a little…well, a lot naïve, and frankly I still think McFarlane could draw one hell of a cactus. But what we got was more superheroes.
I mean, at first, they were admittedly very popular superheroes. First out of the gate was Liefeld’s Youngblood, and despite the joshing I gave that fresh-faced youngster earlier in this piece, we had a line waiting outside the door of our shop the day of release (thanks largely to the Rob making a talk show appearance the night before). And the comic continued to sell well, and its style and storytelling had a tremendous impact on the superhero artform.
Which is a long way of introducing the subject of today’s entry, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn. Another popular debut series from Image, we didn’t have a line outside the door for this comic when it first came out, but we ordered high numbers and purt’near sold through them all. Coming off several years of illustrating Spider-Man comics, McFarlane was perhaps neck-and-neck with Jim Lee (who’d drawn X-Men books) for Most Popular Guy Who Quit Marvel, 1990s Edition. This comic just sold and sold and kept selling for a number of years, while the market was there, and even continued on through the mid-1990s market crash at slightly less-outstanding sales levels.
As you can see by the header, the comic is still being published to this very day, along with a myriad of recent-ish spin-offs (including Gunslinger Spawn, so we finally did get that western-themed McFarlane comic I was hoping for, kinda-sorta). Sales have been up and down over the decades, but have been a little strong of late, at least on the main title, which has never relaunched or rebooted or renumbered or any darn thing, issue #373 having come out just a couple of weeks back. Plus, its creator, Todd McFarlane his own self, has been involved in its production more often than not over its long life.
In general, as a writer, McFarlane make a good artist, as we all discovered during that solo Spider-Man title he did just prior to departing Marvel, and we all had our fun with his skills in that department. But, honestly, he wasn’t much worse than, say, Bill Mantlo during his more florid moments, or Chris Claremont-isms like “I…hurt,” and even John Byrne’s scripts had some real clunkers. No one is without sin, is what I’m saying, and eventually, I think, McFarlane turned into the kind of writer that the Spawn storytelling required. Nothing particularly clever or polished, but utilitarian enough to move things along at the necessary pace.
As I mentioned, McFarlane kept his hand in one way or another throughout the series, even as other hands took over the story and art, and the comic remained…artistically consistent for its still continuing lifespan. Imagine 373 issues of X-Men or Wonder Woman, all more or less under the same editorial guidance, all looking reasonably similar stylewise, the story remaining consistent and building upon itself all this time. The only comparisons in American comics would be Dave Sim’s Cerebus, and the also still-continuing Savage Dragon by Erik Larsen, both of whom did write and drawn every issue). I’ve often lamented that Liefeld didn’t keep doing Youngblood every month since that long-ago first issue. Just imagine 373 issues of Youngblood and what that would look like now. It would be bonkers beyond our wildest dreams. It would be everyone‘s favorite comic.
So, what’s the comic all about, anyway? Soldier Al Simmons, upon his murder, goes to Hell, where the demon in charge, Malebolgia, gives him a costume and powers and sends him back to Earth to serve his new master’s ends. Once there, Spawn decides to use his powers for good instead, and, well, hijinks ensue for the next 30+ years. (It’s reminiscent of the 1970s Atlas/Seaboard comic The Grim Ghost, except for the running for 30+ years part.) One gimmick is that Spawn is told he only has a limited amount of “energy” for the superpowers he now has, and once he used all those up, he gets sent back to Hell. As such, we, the readers, are given a little on-panel doodad that occasionally pops up and shows us where Spawn’s power levels are at, even though it’s never explained what each number represents and what exactly depletes what stat.
I mean, at least at first, I only read a handful of issues so I have no idea if that counter was ever explained, or refilled, or whathaveyou. In fact, I only read the first dozen issues myself, because, sure, why not, which meant I was there for the four guest-writer issues (8-11, written by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Dave Sim, and Frank Miller, respectively). I don’t know if that was McFarlane reacting to criticisms of the writing by saying “okay, fine, here are some real writers” or what, but they were pretty good, and at least a couple of them (Moore and Gaiman) added some important pieces to the ongoing Spawn saga (even if one of those pieces, the hunter angel Angela, was eventually lost to Marvel in a whole legal/creator ownership thing that I’ll let this article explain).
As to what Spawn has been up to all this time, since I last read the character, I couldn’t tell you beyond what I know of the character’s publishing history. There were a number of spin-offs early on, including Curse of Spawn and Spawn: The DUndead, crossover adventures like Spawn/WildC.A.T.s (written by Alan Moore), multiple minis with Spawn’s nemesis Violator (also written by Moore!), and a couple of intercompany crossovers with Batman (which would happen again recently). Then, a few years ago, there was another big push to launch more Spawn series, like King Spawn and the aforementioned Gunslinger Spawn, and there’s usually three or four different Spawn series on the rack at any given time.
There are reprints a’plenty, including a series of Spawn: Origins (volume 31, coming in August, collects up to #190), and the giant Spawn Compendiums, volume 7 of which gets you up to #350). And there have been several paperbacks and hardcovers reprinting the many spin-offs and tie-ins, all in varying states of in-printness. And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the live-action movie from 1997, and the three seasons of the HBO animated series (also starting in 1997). I feel like I keep hearing about a new Spawn movie every couple of years. Oh, and the toys. So many toys.
Spawn remains a touchstone for many former comic book readers, as I don’t know how many times someone has come in, told me “I haven’t been in a comic shop since the ’90s!” and then asked “is Spawn still coming out?” or “how much is Spawn #1 worth?” And speaking of Spawn #1, I continue to do strong trade in those, selling them almost as fast as I can get my hands on them.
Now is it all any good? Well, at least one of you voting in my poll liked it, so who am I to gainsay that? But it’s lasted all this time, through likely multiple cycles of readership. I often wonder what percentage of folks buying the comic have been reading it since buying its very first issue off the stands in 1992? Regardless, it’s had real staying power and a solid fanbase and I suspect, if we check back in thirty years from now, we’ll continue to find it on the stands. Probably at $17.99 an issue, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere.
” Marvel’s top artists and Rob Liefeld” made my day!
It’s crazy to think that Savage Dragon and Spawn continue to be printed, but good on them, I guess. Neither really interested me – mostly because they just felt like ‘look, we’re doing what we did at Marvel but we can say no-no words!’. That’s not fair, of course, but at the same time, a lot of them, Dragon in particular, felt just like comics trolling.
Mind you, Image went from ‘Marvel superhero knockoffs’ to ‘innovative creator controlled comics’ over time. And there’s certainly something laudable about them continuing at their work and consistently selling over all that time. I’d argue Spawn’s true legacy, though, is Mcfarlane’s toy business, which I suspect is where a lot of his money really gets made.
The other Spawn spin-off (potentially) worth mentioning is Sam and Twitch, which Brian Michael Bendis started writing before he went to Marvel.
I’ll also note that Gunslinger Spawn and King Spawn have both made it to over 50 issues, which I think is commendable in a comics landscape where series rarely even get half that.
There was also Hellspawn (2000), also written by Bendis with art by Ashley Wood.
The healthmeter was always simply a gimmick. I read Spawn until issue #100, but I had lost interest in the book by issue #50. I bought into the idea that McFarlane kept teasing in letter’s pages that he had a definitive ending planned for the Spawn comic, similar to Cerebus, and expected that the title would end before it reached issue #100, especially as the popularity of Spawn had hit a low-point in the late-1990s and early-2000s. I finally gave up with the events of issue #100, when it seemed that if McFarlane did have an end-point in mind for the character when he started the series, it was no longer the case. I mean, sure, if sales drop low enough, I’m sure that McFarlane would end the series, but I very seriously doubt that ending would be anything like the one he claimed he had in mind when he created Spawn. That’s neither here nor there, as I intended to talk about the meter. Anyway, in issue #50, Spawn uses the last of his energy and is sent back to Hell. It’s revealed that Malebolgia is using Spawn to kill evildoers so that their souls become part of Hell’s army in order for Hell to declare war on Heaven, so Malebolgia sends Spawn back to Earth to do his bidding. Which means there was really no purpose to the meter. If Spawn uses up his powers, he does go back to Hell, but Malebolgia just re-enacts Spawn’s origin story before sending him back to Earth.
Eventually, Spawn discovers there is a third force between Heaven and Hell called the Greenworld which wants to stop Armageddon as that will be the end of Nature. Spawn begins to get power from Greenworld instead of from Hell, negating the healthmeter.
That’s as far as I remember, and I’m sure that has all been done away with through the years, with the healthmeter probably coming back and getting discarded many times after that point,
The other, often ignored, mainstay of American comics is Fred Perry’s Gold Digger. Fred wrote, drew, lettered and (after it switched to color) colored every issue until it came to a close with issue #301 in late 2023. (and all the while he would take on various side-projects as well!)
Okay, I had no idea there was still such demand for Spawn comics.
Not only are Spawn and King Spawn being published, but so are two (TWO!) ongoing Gunslinger Spawn comics and The Scorched, where all the Spawns join forces. Medieval Spawn had a miniseries last year, and Spawn: The Dark Ages is just wrapping up its limited run.
I’m kind of astounded. Spawn is a comic that my friends and I made fun of. But I guess I should know better — there are as many kinds of comic fans as there are fish in the sea.
Do Spawn fans buy all of these books every month?
Always hawking for my boss, I reminded him that McFarlane also worked on DC’s INFINITY INC. and whatever issue we had ended up in the front window display to fade away in the direct sunlight.
I admired the fact that SPAWN was the only book that stayed on schedule the longest. Anybody working at a store with customer pull lists can understand.
In the 00s, the store long closed, I’d buy books at Graham Crackers downtown. I know nothing about Gunslinger or Medieval or the rest, not because I skipped past the independents, but because the books weren’t displayed as not that many were on the shelves.
I barely–as in 1%–remember any of the film. I just know I saw it with a guy who had free tickets.
Anyone think streaming will bring films like SPAWN or MYSTERY MEN to HBOMax or Prime Video? Like, what would the 2026 audience be for a 1997 Spawn?
A few years ago I stumbled on a copy of Comics Journal no. 84 which I picked up for a few bucks. It turns out that it has Todd McFarlane’s first published work–a Batman spot illustration that got printed in the letter page.
I did enjoy Todd’s very early art in Steve Englehart’s Coyote, and in Infinity Inc. at DC–mainly for the creative graphic design elements. I think his early Batman work is interesting in that it seems to build on the Marshall Rogers approach to illustrating Batman–although Todd took the Bat-cape to ridiculousness and beyond!
It would have been cool if DC had made Todd the JLA artist back then, although by that point maybe the JLA Detroit was already happening? It could have also been cool to see Todd do a New Gods comic or limited series back then.
But, he was destined for bigger things over at Marvel. I wonder how his Spider-Man art run is rated these days–is he considered to be in the top three Spider-Man artists, along with Steve Ditko, and John Romita Sr.?
I never got into Spawn, and, in my opinion, Gen 13 is the only original Image comic that really hits the mark–despite being derivitive of New Mutants, New Teen Titans, and DNAgents. But good on the Toddfather for keeping it going and for launching a toy empire to boot! Now if only those McFarlane toys would feature more diversity–like a Nick Cardy art-based early Bronze Age Teen Titans (circa 1970) featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Speedy, Lilith, and Mal. Then, the original Hawk and Dove, Aquagirl, Gnarrk, Mal as the Guardian, Bumblebee, and original Duela Dent (as Joker’s Daughter or Harlequin) could be added. Also, an early Bronze Age Dave Cockrum art-based LOSH McFarlane Toys collection would be awesome.
Also, have Spawn and Matt Wagner’s Grendel ever crossed over? Considering they are both characters who have many iterations/incarnations throughout history, it might make sense.
@Wayne: “Anyone think streaming will bring films like SPAWN or MYSTERY MEN to HBOMax or Prime Video? ”
Both are available for “rent” on Prime for $3.99
Jon H: Not in algorithm, so I’d assume I’m just not watching comic-related films there. The closest I got was PAPER GIRLS, cancelled after the first season, but would Prime know that PG was a comic first? That’s why I like DC, you can at least find the DC related stuff immediately.
Good for the filmmakers but I won’t “rent”, I think even if I had to pay for the Spawn film it would likely have been for $7.00 back in 1997. But still, at least the films aren’t stored in the last Blockbuster store standing.
I bought and read Spawn for around 30 issues (as well as crossovers and spin-offs) before giving up. The book never seemed to go anywhere. McFarlane’s ridiculous amounts of artless text made me throw in the towel. The art was always appealing- Greg Capullo was a great choice to follow McFarlane- but the dull grim-darkness of it all killed the series for me.
That said, the toys and HBO cartoon were great, head and shoulders above most of their competition.
I don’t think ‘90s McFarlane was willing to give control of the series to another writer, but I can imagine Alan Moore going to Spawn instead of WildCATs or Supreme. He seemed to enjoy playing in that world, especially since didn’t take it seriously.
“Arising from the mass exodus of Marvel’s top artists and Rob Liefeld”
BURN!!!
“issue #373 having come out just a couple of weeks back”
Well, I like that he’s never restarted the damn thing multiple times, at least.
” Just imagine 373 issues of Youngblood and what that would look like now. It would be bonkers beyond our wildest dreams. It would be everyone‘s favorite comic.”
You missed your calling as a stand-up comic!
“. I don’t know if that was McFarlane reacting to criticisms of the writing by saying “okay, fine, here are some real writers” or what”
It was 50% that, and 50% sales boost!
“Oh, and the toys. So many toys”
The dude is a DAMN GOOD toy designer, I have to be fair.
” Savage Dragon”
SAVAGE DRAGON IS REALLY GOOD!
” I’d argue Spawn’s true legacy, though, is Mcfarlane’s toy business, which I suspect is where a lot of his money really gets made”
I would almost BET on it. Like I said, those toys look GREAT.
“Comics Journal no. 84 which I picked up for a few bucks”
I’d say you got a good deal: https://www.ebay.com/itm/227267691536?_skw=Comics+Journal++84&itmmeta=01KMPS5YNYWDXHJXDXH90TSKWH&hash=item34ea35c410:g:95UAAeSwWrVpv5zu&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAAA0GfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xAx–z1jRcvqHjV79QbxXY947sULLwLt0A9DQTpgsmvhUSUizqQDjL5%2B05VZau1Dx6vjWyELUbH5Q7gFLdUofCPQocV4v%2BJ7AOeJE1RKAeEkSAFIuhVFDM6DrZ34lQ1ojIegumN2gtWEq2z7xZtsd%2BsCtS1JQeap5RulnTeVuyBPkV657Z%2FDiRld423OTW5k%2FrfQehs%2B%2FcwIccOnSsU4IlqE5D4AbxJ4Oq6CKVsfxgJLvIZ09KTnJInaVIp5jgOILQ%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5Lrl9mlZw
“Gen 13 is the only original Image comic that really hits the mark–despite being derivative of New Mutants”
Yeah, that one was decent!
“I bought and read Spawn for around 30 issues”
I got to about 20-something, I think. I’ve checked back every now and then, esp. if I find one in the dollar box. I’ve noticed it’s better when someone else, besides McF is writing it.