Albert Francis "Al" Simmons, better known as Spawn, is an antihero appearing in a monthly comic book of the same name published by American company Image Comics, as well as in a number of films, television series, and video game adaptations set in the Image Universe. Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1 (May 1992).
Simmons is a mercenary who died and went to hell for his crimes against humanity. Following a deal with Malebolgia, Simmons is given new life as a hellspawn and the chance to see his wife Wanda once again. The deal is revealed to be a trick, as Simmons is brought back to life five years after his death, unrecognizable to his wife and missing many of his memories. With little other choice, Simmons adopts his new hellish identity as Spawn in an effort to atone for his past sins and use his newfound powers for good.
The Spawn prototype, designed by a teenaged McFarlane in 1977
Todd McFarlane's hobby of drawing began at an early age, and he created the character Spawn when he was 16, spending "countless hours" perfecting the appearance of each component of the character's visual design.[2]
Spawn saw considerable popularity upon its initial release in the 1990s. Comic book collecting had a marked upswing at the time, fueled by the speculator boom looking for the next hot book that would jump in value after its release.[3] McFarlane had enjoyed superstar status among comic fans with his work on Spider-Man, which had featured McFarlane's name prominently as both writer and artist. McFarlane's subsequent break with Marvel Comics and the formation of Image Comics was seen by many as a sea-change event, changing the way in which comics were produced. Wizard, in May 2008, rated "The Launch of Image Comics" as #1 in the list of events that rocked the comic industry from 1991 to 2008.[4]
The first issue of Spawn was very popular, selling 1.7 million copies.[5] During Spawn's second year of publication, Wizard noted that "The top dog at Image is undoubtedly Todd McFarlane's Spawn, which, without the added marketing push of fancy covers, poly bagged issues, or card inserts has become the best-selling comic on a consistent basis that is currently being published."[6] Sales slumped around the time of Spawn #25, but by Spawn #45 it was again a consistently strong seller.[7]
The popularity of the franchise peaked with the 1997 Spawn feature film, the pre-release publicity for which helped make Spawn the top-selling comic book for May 1997;[7] in addition, the spin-off Curse of the Spawn #9 came in at fifth best-selling in that same month.[8] However, the film was only a mild commercial success and failed to start a film franchise based on the character. A 2008 issue, Spawn #174, ranked 99th best-selling comic of the month with retail orders of 22,667.[9] In October 2008, issue #185, which marked both a new creative direction and Todd McFarlane's return to the book, sold out at the distribution level and received a second printing.[10] By issue #191 in May 2009, with estimated sales of 19,803 copies, Spawn had dropped below Top 100 titles sold monthly to comic shops as reported by Diamond Comic Distributors.[11] As of September 2010, Spawn was ranked at #115 in the top 300 sales figures chart reported by Diamond Comic Distributors.[12] On the day of its release in 2011, issue #200 sold out. This issue featured work by Greg Capullo, David Finch, Michael Golden, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Danny Miki, and Ashley Wood. A second printing was released the next month.[13] It received a negative review from IGN.[14]Spawn's sales continued to decline despite a series of homage covers designed to renew interest, ultimately hitting its lowest sales number of under 12,000 retail orders in Spawn #243.[15]
Spawn began a resurgence in popularity as the title approached its 300th issue, with the title once again becoming a fixture in Diamond's Top 100. The 300th issue made Spawn the longest-running independent comic book series of all time.[16]
In 2021, McFarlane expanded his Spawn Universe with 3 new ongoing titles and a one-shot titled Spawn Universe No. 1 which sold 211,000 copies.[17] The first spinoff, titled King Spawn, was released in August 2021 having pre-order sales of 497,000 copies and total sales of 520,000 copies.[18][19][20] The next title, released in October 2021, Gunslinger Spawn sold 385,000 copies, which made it the biggest launch for a new ongoing superhero title in 25 years.[20] The final new series, The Scorched, was released in January 2022 and sold more than 270,000 copies.[21]
McFarlane also stated in an interview that he wants Spawn to outlive him the same way characters like Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and even Disney have endured past their creators.[22]
Spawn is Albert Francis "Al" Simmons. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he is the second oldest of three children born to Bernard Simmons, a traveling salesman, and Esther Simmons, a devil worshipper. Al Simmons is a very intelligent, physically strong, and highly decorated officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while serving with Force Recon. He later joins the Secret Service, becomes a high-ranking official, and is recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency. Simmons later joins the U.S. Security Group, an umbrella agency encompassing the CIA, NSA, and NSC, commanded by Director Jason Wynn, and becomes a capable assassin.
During a mission in Botswana, Wynn grows tired of Simmons' increasing sense of morality. As a result of this, Simmons' friend and partner Bruce Stinson (codename Chapel) is secretly hired to kill him. Simmons is burned to death and sent to Hell.[23][24][25] Making a deal with the devil Malebolgia, Simmons agrees to become a Hellspawn. After swearing to serve Malebolgia, he is allowed to see his wife Wanda one last time. Malebolgia returns Simmons to the living realm with a severely burned body, and a demonic guardian named the Violator.[26]
Simmons, now a Hellspawn, returns to Earth with a lack of understanding of his previous identity. He wanders in a state of confusion with only vague memories of his former life, including his own name, his marriage to Wanda and the fact that he was once deceased. Spawn occasionally experiences painful flashbacks and eventually remembers his deal with Malebolgia. Using CIA files, he tracks down his wife and finds her married to his former best friend Terry, with whom she has a daughter named Cyan.[24] He realizes five years have passed since his death.
Spawn runs into a fellow Hellspawn, who informs him that his powers are fueled by Necroplasm and that once they are depleted, he will return to Hell. Not wanting to return to Hell, Spawn attempts to find a new purpose in life while using as little power as possible. Spawn is thrust into several antihero adventures, taking down street gangs and organized crime in New York City. Battling against various criminals, Spawn finds a new purpose in stopping evil.
Early history
In his early battles, Spawn faces street thugs and gangs, becoming a dark, sadistic antihero, and brutally murders the pedophile and child murderer Billy Kincaid. Spawn gains the attention of police detectives Sam Burke and Twitch Williams, and becomes "King of Rat City", a gathering of alleys populated by the city's homeless. There he meets Cogliostro, who knows much about Spawn and becomes his mentor.
Spawn is hunted by the warrior angel Angela, who hunts Hellspawns for sport,[24] and battles the cyborg mob enforcer Overt-Kill. He fights the angelic warrior Anti-Spawn, also known as the Redeemer, who is really Jason Wynn.[24]
First metamorphosis
Following a conflict with the Redeemer, Spawn's costume undergoes a significant upgrade. The upgraded suit features a new cape and chains, which are able to change shape. Additionally, the boots and gloves are replaced with spikes. After this transformation, the suit starts feeding off souls.
After this, Tony Twist sends a reprogrammed Overt-Kill after Terry, and Spawn is forced to reveal his identity while saving his friend. A well-placed shot from Twitch Williams brings down Overt-Kill. Spawn is part of Angela's trial and later travels to the South and encounters the KKK and an abusive father of two boys. After returning to New York, he is attacked by a new Redeemer, causing his costume to evolve once more. After another encounter with the Curse, the suit sends him to Hell. Malebolgia later sends him back with full control of the suit.
Spawn wears a living symbiotic costume, Leetha of the 7th House of K (also known as K7-Leetha). While wearing it, the host assumes a dominant role over the suit. His shroud, spikes, chains and skulls are all part of an organism bonded to his central nervous system that protects Spawn even if he is unconscious.[24]
War of Heaven and Hell
Battle for life
As Spawn struggles to find a way to regain control, he notices that the attacks are coming from both Heaven and Hell. Due to increasing attacks, Spawn begins to lose himself to evil. With help from the Heap, an emissary of the Greenworld, Spawn manages to regain his goal. Greenworld, a dimension whose power is equal to both Heaven and Hell, gives new powers to Spawn to better understand the world and its people.[24] These powers seem to give him control of all of the elements in the world.
Spawn is later attacked by Urizen. After recovering, Spawn learns the Greenworld has imbued him with a gift, which he uses to contain Urizen by splitting the ground and imprisoning him inside the earth.[24]
After his battle, Spawn learns Malebolgia had caused Urizen's release in an attempt to start Armageddon and conquer the forces of Heaven. Spawn and Angela journey to Hell to stop him. During the battle, Angela mortally wounds Malebolgia, who kills her in retaliation. Consumed with anger, Spawn takes Malebolgia's head.[24]
King of Hell
Upon killing Malebolgia, Spawn learns Hell's throne is rightfully his when it is offered to him by the demon Mammon. After initially refusing, Spawn deliberates with Cogliostro and decides to turn Hell into a new paradise. During this act, Cogliostrio reveals he is Cain, who was the first person to go to Hell, having murdered his brother in envy. His true goal had always been to take over Hell using a Hellspawn. Having betrayed Spawn, Cogliostrio takes the throne but restores his former student's human form as a parting gift.[24]
On Earth, Spawn meets Nyx, a young Wiccan that helps him regain his suit. Using trickery, Mammon usurps Nyx's control over Spawn's union with his suit and removing all of Al's memories. Amnesiac, Spawn wanders the Earth. He releases a group of angels called the Forgotten and stays neutral in the war between Heaven and Hell. He discovers Mammon is a member of the Fallen who was sent to Hell.
Spawn in Armageddon
Spawn regains his memories thanks to the power of the Greenworld. His suit evolves once more and seems one with his body. However, as time progresses, he begins to hate himself. Having been rejected by Heaven and Hell, he now lives in an abandoned warehouse as maggots and other insects crawl inside his body. He returns to the Dead Zone, although a Hellspawn would not be welcomed there. Upon entering, Spawn is confronted by the Disciple, who tears his brain out, throws his heart into the Greenworld, and his body into Hell. Mammon captures and tortures Spawn to learn his secrets.[24]
When Spawn's heart falls to the Greenworld, a soul is freed. Chris meets with his mother and travels to Hell along with Sam Burke and Twitch Williams to rescue Spawn from Mammon. Spawn escapes and returns to Earth, where signs of Armageddon begin to appear. Looking for a way to stop it, Spawn discovers Wanda's twin children are responsible. He stops them from killing their entire family but cannot destroy them. Zera reveals Jake is God and Katie is Satan.
Due to their hatred of each other and constant fighting, the Mother removed their powers and positions and sent them to Earth. She tells him he cannot stop Armageddon. However, he has the potential to gain the power of a god and preserve the human race.
He has to eat a piece of Forbidden Fruit from the Garden of Eden to gain such power. She tells Spawn must fight against The Disciple. It is revealed there are 12 Disciples, each one representing one of Jesus. Spawn's power is also weakened because demons cannot enter the Garden. However, with guidance from Cyan, he defeats every Disciple but Judas, who Cyan tells Spawn not to kill. Judas then stabs Cyan in the heart but the Mother gives Spawn a piece of the fruit and resurrects him. He gains an angelic form and greater power.
Spawn returns to Earth, which has been destroyed by Four Horsemen; angels and demons are waiting to fight their final battle. After defeating Zera, Spawn finds dead warriors of Heaven, one of whom is Granny Blake, who is betrayed by her faith. Spawn battles the forces of Satan and God, destroying the forces of Heaven, Hell and humanity. He is then killed by the two, who then fight alone on Earth.
Spawn comes back and resurrects everyone with the knowledge of what happened. He leaves God and Satan to fight in their own little world and closes the doors to Heaven, Hell, and Earth. He asks to be turned into a human by the Mother but later asks to once again become a Hellspawn after remembering that, prior to his first death as Al Simmons, he had beaten Wanda and caused her to miscarry their child. This causes him to conclude he has always been a monster and does not deserve to be human again.
Back in the mortal world
New Clown
After a series of odd murders, Spawn finds the Clown has come back, possessing the body of mortal Barney Saunders, who is having an affair with a woman named Wilma Barbara. Spawn destroys and remakes the world. Saunders is rescued by the Clown so he can use his body. He then brings out the dark urges inside the tenants of an apartment building and uses this to form a doorway to Hell and bring back his brothers. However, before he can form a portal, Wilma shows up and his love for her allows Saunders to take back control. Intending to close the portal, he goes through it, and takes Wilma with him due to being angry over her leaving him in the chute.
Zera reappears as a head in a jar. Spawn is summoned by a voodoo priestess named Mambo Suzanne. Zera attempts to take over Nyx's body and fights Spawn. However, she is killed when Suzanne throws Zera's head into the street. Nyx is freed and she and Spawn become friends again.
Ab and Zab create a hell where visitors are forced to view their deepest fears, which are eaten by demons called sin-eaters. While confronting Ab and Zab, Spawn is faced with his own sin against Wanda and his unborn child. Unable to break free from the guilt, Spawn is parasitized by a sin eater. When Nyx interferes, he breaks the sin eater's illusion. Spawn breaks all the other's illusions and comes across Al Simmons' brother Richard.
Spawn decides to allow Richard to feel his sins. Mammon, as Mr. Malefick, had put an influence on Al and Richard Simmons. Only Marc Simmons saved himself from Mammon but was unable to help the others. Richard calls his brothers to help him save the drug dealer's life. Al, instead of calling an ambulance, pulls the knife from Weasel's body and kills him with it. Mammon appears, sending the brothers home while he hides the drug dealer's body.
Nyx and Spawn kill the last sin eater and Spawn discovers Richard cannot remember their parents due to a spell placed by Mammon. Wanting to know more about them, Spawn finds their home under a spell placed by Mammon. His mother planned with Mammon to create the strongest Hellspawn. Al is then given a journal by his father that reveals his ancestor came across a Hellspawn in the past known as the Gunslinger Spawn.
Morana
There, Spawn speaks with Wanda, who cannot forgive Al for the death of their child. However, she still loves the man inside Spawn. Trying to take out Cyan's knife, Spawn somehow suppresses the suit. Cyan and Nyx appear, and K7-Leetha appears and takes over Nyx. Now controlled by the K7, Nyx tries to kill Cyan and Wanda but is halted by Mammon. The entire group goes to a castle, where Mammon explains his plan to make a perfect Hellspawn. He wants the Rapture to occur so Satan, God, and Malebolgia will be gone. He reveals his perfect Hellspawn is Al and Wanda's miscarried child, Morana.
After washing herself in virgin's blood, Morana bonds with the uniform and gets ready to consume her parents' souls. Cyan taps into her powers and goes to the future. She talks with an old woman who gives her a message for Al. Returning, she has Spawn summon the last twelve members of the Legion, who are beaten by Morana. Mammon insults Al and disowns Morana. Cyan tells Nyx a spell to trap Mammon and Morana. It works, both demons are sealed away, and the others return home. Al jumps into another dimension to be reborn as a weapon against both heaven and hell.
Endgame
Spawn is soon ready to enter the human dimension. Making his way to the alleys, he blows his head off. Meanwhile, Jim Downing, an amnesiac man healing at a hospital, wakes up. He seems to know Spawn. A janitor tries to make money off Jim's story and calls a lawyer, who later commits suicide. A thug is paid to capture Jim and attacks him with a flaming skull. In the ensuing fight, the hospital is set on fire and Jim transforms into Spawn. After killing his attacker, Jim escapes the burning building in human form, eventually being taken in by firefighters.
After being taken to another hospital, he leaves, reunites with his previous nurse Sara, and begins to transform. He calls Sara but leaves before she can see him. Meanwhile, a reporter begins to ask questions about the incident at the hospital. Wandering the city, Jim is attacked and kills his assailants. This draws the attention of Sam and Twitch, who recognize the chaos as Spawn's doings.
After reuniting with Sara and telling him about his transformation, Jim wanders off again and meets Wanda Blake, Al Simmons' ex-wife. She recognizes Jim as the form Al took when he originally returned to earth.
On Wanda's advice, Jim travels to Rat City and finds Spawn's throne, and is met by an angel. Jim beats the angel in a fight and leaves. He finds out that a man working for Gilbert Sanchez has been asking questions about him.
The angel Spawn beat is later attacked by Clown, who removes her wings. When Spawn returns, she is powerless and insane and finds Freak and Violator. Despite Freak's warnings, Clown begins to deceive Jim and informs him his suit is a living being and then vanishes. Clown is arrested by Sam and Twitch and meets the leader of a vampire group to attempt to form a unity between the leader, Clown, and Spawn.
Mob members kill Gilbert Sanchez for his information on the new Spawn. Spawn attempts to learn more about Jim but is assaulted and uses his powers on his attacker. Jim later finds the man who had been asking Sara questions. He tracks him to his family's home, which is bombed, killing everyone inside but Spawn. Spawn finds more mob members, questions them further and kills them.
Resurrection
In Resurrection, Spawn is revived and is later told by God in dog form that Wanda has died and is now trapped in Hell, where Al must rescue her. He fights Satan and saves his wife. God and Satan are no longer twins because McFarlane lost the right to use the Man of Miracles character due to a copyright dispute with Marvel. Man of Miracles is retconned out of existence, and God and Satan are based on the Abrahamic story of Creation. After saving Wanda from Satan, she goes to Heaven and Spawn continues to protect the people in Wanda's memory from the forces of both Heaven and Hell, as well as any supernatural threats.
A three-issue miniseries written by Alan Moore with art by Bart Sears. The series focused on the conflict between Violator/Clown and Tony Twist and also featured Spawn.
A four-issue miniseries released in 1995 written by Alan Moore. Drawn by Brian Denham. Ink by Jonathan Sibal and Danny Miki.
Spawn: Blood Feud (1995)
A four-issue miniseries released in 1995 written by Alan Moore. Drawn by Tony Daniel. Inked by Kevin Conrad.
Spawn the Impaler (1996)
A three-issue miniseries released in October 1996, inspired by the story of the Wallachian voivode Vlad Țepeș. Written by Mike Grell with art by Rob Prior.
The first long-term monthly spinoff series. Consisted of a number of story arcs centered on supporting characters from the main series, such as a future Hellspawn during the Apocalypse or Sam & Twitch. Aimed at an older demographic than the main series and is significantly darker in tone, with more disturbing visuals and themes. 29 issues.
Spawn: The Dark Ages (1999–2001)
This series focused on Lord Covenant, a 12th-century knight killed in a holy crusade far from his homeland, who returns to Earth as a Hellspawn. As a plague of violence and turmoil cover the English countryside, the Dark Knight must choose whether to align himself with the innocent inhabitants of the once-thriving kingdom or with the malevolent forces of evil and corruption. The series ran for 28 issues. Issues 15–28 featured writer Steve Niles and artist Nat Jones.
Spawn: Fan Edition
A three issue mini-series centered around the Norse hellspawn Nordak.
Spawn: Blood and Shadows (1999)
A Spawn prestige-format one-shot released in 1999. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Ashley Wood.
Cy-Gor (1999)
A six-issue spinoff miniseries.
Spawn: The Undead (1999–2000)
This series concentrates on Al Simmons. Unlike the original Spawn series, it was a self-contained, single-issue story. Written by Paul Jenkins it lasted 9 issues.
A spin-off series following the criminal investigations of detectives Sam Burke and Twitch Williams. 26 issues.
Case Files: Sam & Twitch (2003–2006)
Continuation of Sam & Twitch. 25 issues.
Sam & Twitch: The Writer (2010)
A four-issue miniseries.
Haunt (2009)
A story of two brothers (one a ghost, the other a human) who fuse together to become Haunt, a character that appears in other Spawn stories.
A relatively avant-garde spin-off comic inspired by Spawn. Darker and more atmospheric than Spawn, Hellspawn frequently dealt with the disturbing subject matter. It originally featured writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ashley Wood. It ran 16 issues.
Spawn: Simony (2003)
One-shot. Published in 2003 by Semic, McFarlane allowed the creators (Jean-François Porchero and Alex Nikolavitch) to create an [[:fr:Spawn : Simonie|original Spawn tale without using Image comics. This has Spawn fight against Necro Cop.
At the San Diego Comic-Con '06 it was announced that a new take on the Spawn mythos was in the works. This new Spawn story is known as The Adventures of Spawn and as stated by Jon Goff, a moderator on the Spawn.com Message Board and McFarlane employee, it is a re-imagining of the Spawn story that is essentially a "What if?" universe that hearkens back to classic kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoons. The story takes place in a webcomic format and has been tied into the action figure world through McFarlane Toys' Spawn Series 30.
Misery
A future series announced by McFarlane about Cyan Fitzgerald and her titular alter-ego.[28]
Spawn/Witchblade
A four-issue mini-series centered in medieval times focusing on the Medieval Spawn and the wielder of the Witchblade of that time. A sequel to the 1993 series.
Sam and Twitch True Detectives
An eight-part mini-series focusing on Sam and Twitch which would tie in with the upcoming film.[29]
Spawn: Resurrection
A one-shot that takes place around the same time as Spawn 250 explaining how Al returned.
Spawn Kills Everyone
A one-shot focusing on a chibi Spawn killing everyone.
Spawn Kills Everyone Too!
A four-part mini-series sequel to the one-shot Spawn Kills Everyone.
Spawn's Universe
An oversized one-shot special, written by Todd McFarlane and features art by Stephen Segovia, Jim Cheung and Marcio Takara. This special sets up three other ongoing monthly titles which followed.
King Spawn
King Spawn was the first ongoing story from the Spawn universe, since the mainline series was released in 1992. The series is written by Sean Lewis with art primarily by Javier Fernández. The story follows Spawn has he faces old and new foes while becoming king.
Gunslinger Spawn
Gunslinger Spawn was the second ongoing series to be released, written by Todd McFarlane and illustrated by Brett Booth. This series focuses on the adventures of Gunslinger Spawn's after becoming trapped in modern times.
The Scorched
The third ongoing series launched as a part of the Spawn Universe is The Scorched. The series is written by Sean Lewis and illustrated by Stephen Segovia. The story focuses on a team of rotating roster of heroes, with the core group consisting of She-Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, Medieval Spawn, and Redeemer.
Batman/Spawn
In December 2022, a third intercompany crossover between Batman and Spawn.[30] Though the series could have been released as a mini-series it was ultimately released as a one-shot special. The one-shot was written by Todd McFarlane and artist Greg Capullo.
Spawn: Unwanted Violence
A two issue miniseries released in January-February 2023, was written by McFarlane and illustrated by Mike del Mundo. The story focused on a conflict between Spawn and The Freak.
Sam and Twitch: Case Files
A series focusing on Sam and Twitch written by McFarlane and illustrated by Syzmon Kudranski.[31]
No Home Here
A story about Kincaid's final victim from issue 5. Written and drawn by Jonathan Glapion.[32]
Spawn Kills every Spawn
A series about Spawn killing other versions of himself. Written and drawn by John Layman and Rob Duenes.[32]
Deadly Tales of The Gunslinger
A Gunslinger series about his days in the American Civil War. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Patric Reynolds.[32]
Misery
A series focusing on the title character helping innocents who've been victimized by evil. Written by McFarlane and illustrated by Kudranski.[31]
Violator
A series focusing on the title character by Kyle Hotz.[31]
Focus
A series focusing on the young speedster who gained his abilities from being experimented on and first appeared in Gunslinger Spawn. Written by McFarlane and illustrated by Marco Failla.[31]
Rat City
Peter Cairn is a Spawn of the future, a cybernetic Spawn in the future, who becomes a Hellspawn in an unlikely way. Written by Erica Schultz and illustrated by Ze Carlos.[31]
Spawn: The Dark Ages (vol. 2)
Set 700 years previously in the past, this is a 5th-century, post-Roman, rugged melodrama, with the last gasp of the old Celtic beliefs, and Britain being attacked from all sides. Written and drawn by Liam Sharp.[31]
Medieval Spawn
A mini-series focusing on Medieval Spawn's origins and how he ended up in the current times.
Legal disputes
Dispute with Neil Gaiman
In 1993, McFarlane contracted Neil Gaiman to write Spawn #9. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Cogliostro, Angela, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters were designed and co-created by Todd McFarlane and continued to be featured in the series after Gaiman's involvement, and some had tie-ins with McFarlane's toy company. Cogliostro had a prominent role in the live-action movie in 1997. McFarlane had agreed that Gaiman was a co-creator of the characters and paid him royalties for reprints, graphic novels, and action figures.[33] After a few years, he ceased the payment of royalties and gave Gaiman notice that he owned all rights to the characters, citing the copyright notice from #9 and claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane was the sole owner.[34]
In 2002, Gaiman filed suit against McFarlane and, in response, McFarlane counter-sued. Gaiman had partnered with Marvel Comics to form Marvels and Miracles, LLC, which bankrolled the lawsuit.[33] The main goal was to determine the issue of ownership for another character Gaiman felt he had a stake in, Miracleman, which at the time McFarlane was believed to hold a sizable stake in after his buyout of the assets of Eclipse Comics. This issue was thrown out. Instead, the court chose to rule on the breach of contract issue, the rights of ownership and the copyrightability of the characters from Spawn #9. Several arguments were presented by McFarlane and all were rejected, leading to a sizable judgment against McFarlane and Image Comics.[33] The matter went to appeal and the judgment was upheld in a 2003 decision.[27][34]
Gaiman's rights as co-creator and co-owner of Cogliostro, Angela, and Medieval Spawn were acknowledged.[34] The court's view was that Gaiman and McFarlane's collaboration led to each contributing half of the work.[34] Gaiman wrote the story while McFarlane illustrated the character; because of this, each held a 50% stake in the characters. Issue 9 was reprinted for the first time since the lawsuit was filed in the hardcover edition of Spawn Origins: Volume 1. In a reprint collection of the first twelve issues of Spawn, the contentious issue (along with Dave Sim's #10, featuring copyrighted character Cerebus) was excluded, but both issues have been reprinted in the hardcover and deluxe editions of Spawn Origins Collection: Volume 1, and the black and white 2012 (and the later 2021 color edition) softcover omnibusSpawn Compendium 1, collecting Spawn issues #1–50. In 2012, McFarlane and Gaiman settled their dispute,[35] and Gaiman was given full ownership of the character Angela.[36] Gaiman, in turn, sold all rights to the character to Marvel Comics.[37]
Tony Twist lawsuit
Todd McFarlane created a mob enforcer character named "Antonio 'Tony Twist' Twistelli", who McFarlane acknowledged was named after hockey player Tony Twist. Twist won a $15 million verdict in 2004 when a jury found Todd McFarlane Productions had profited from Twist's likeness.[38] The verdict was upheld after two appeals in June 2006, but the two later settled out of court for $5 million.[39]
Creative teams
Writers
Todd McFarlane (#'s 1–7, 12–15, 21–150, 185–current)[40] (wrote #'s 201–219 under pseudonym Will Carlton[41])
Many issues of Spawn have been gathered together in various trade paperbacks collections since the mid-nineties. The original US and UK trade releases contain issue 9, but not 10 (Cerebus' appearance).
Each containing four to five issues, the original Spawn trade paperbacks started in 1995 under a different trade cover design, going up to three volumes only. After the live-action 1997 movie, a new trade cover design was created, with Brent Ashe providing new covers for Books 1–7, and Ashley Wood for Books 8–12. These reissues were retitled with subtitles. The sequential trades stopped after Book 12, but several new volumes appeared in 2006–2008, collecting various story arcs. Beginning in 2009, a new series of volumes was released, collecting the "Endgame" storyline. From 2015 to 2020, with "Resurrection", "Satan Saga Wars", "Hell on Earth", "Dark Horror", "Enemy of the State", and "Vengeance" volumes, the trade paperbacks have started in sequential order again collecting issues #251–297.
After a two-year gap, the line resumed with three volumes released in 2022: "Spawn: Record Breaker" (May 2022), Spawn: Aftermath (July 2022) and Spawn: Omega (September 2022), between them collecting Spawn issues #298-314.
Book 1, "Beginnings", 1–5
Book 2, "Dark Discoveries", 6–9, 11
Book 3, "Book 3", 12–15
Book 4, "Book 4", 16–20
Book 5, "Death and Rebirth", 21–25
Book 6, "Pathway to Judgement", 26–30
Book 7, "Deadman's Touch", 31–34
Book 8, "Betrayal of Blood", 35–38
Book 9, "Urban Jungle", 39–42
Book 10, "Vengeance of the Dead", 43–47
Book 11, "Crossroads", 48–50 (50 is double-sized)
Book 12, "Immortality", 51–54
Spawn: Capital Collection (January 1993) – contains issues 1–3 (note: this was a limited edition hardcover exclusively available from Capital City Distribution, and only 1200 copies were made)
Spawn: The Armageddon Collection Part 1 – contains issues 150–155
Spawn: The Armageddon Collection Part 2 – contains issues 156–164
Spawn: The Complete Armageddon Collection – contains issues 150–164
Spawn: New Flesh Collection (December 2007) – contains issues 166–169, plus a short story from Image Holiday Special 2005 (note: Issue #165 wasn't included because it features the story of Mandarin Spawn)
Spawn: Neo Noir – contains issues 170–175
Spawn: EndGame Volume 1 (June 2009) – contains issues 185–190, with some altered artwork
Spawn: EndGame Volume 2 (April 2010) – contains issues 191–196, with some altered artwork
Spawn: EndGame Collection (January 2011) – combines Endgame Vol 1 and 2 (issues 185–196 with some altered artwork)
In 2005 the entire Spawn series began to appear in massive trade paperback releases under the title Spawn Collection, each containing (with the exception of Volume 1) approximately twenty issues. Released after the Gaiman lawsuit, these editions do not contain either Issue 9 (featuring the first appearance of Angela and Cogliostro, both created by Neil Gaiman) or Issue 10 (featuring Dave Sim's Cerebus).
Spawn Collection Volumes 1 and 2 were published in both hardcover and trade paperback formats, while Volume 3 onward were only released as trade paperbacks. As of 2009, Spawn Collection Volume 1 is currently out of print, with its fourth printing released in June 2007. In 2009 it was announced that the Spawn Collection would end with Volume 6, to be replaced by a new TBP format that includes soft- and hardcover versions, reprinting the entire Spawn series from the early issues once again (Spawn Origins Collection, see below).
Spawn Collection Volume 1 was ranked 17 in the top 100 graphic novels for December 2005 period, with pre-order sales of 3,227.[48]
Spawn Compendium
In 2012, in celebration of Image Comics' then 20 years as a publisher and Spawn being one of their longest running titles, Spawn Compendium was released, reprinting Spawn issues #1–50 at 1136 pages in black and white, though this volume does not collect the individual issues' covers. The book went to a second printing in March 2016.
A new edition of this volume, collected now in full color, was released in February 2021 with a different front cover art (from Spawn #95, and back cover art from Spawn #70). As with the previous edition, this book does not collect the individual issues' covers.[49] Subsequent volumes have been released since collecting every 50 issues per tome.
In 2009, a line of newly redesigned and reformatted trade paperbacks was announced, replacing the Spawn Collection line (see above) and once again collecting the early issues of Spawn. These new trades feature new cover art by Greg Capullo, recreating classic Spawn covers. In addition to the 6 issue trade paperbacks, this line features three oversized 12–13 issue hardcovers, and two large 25-issue limited slipcased deluxe editions (which come in both a standard edition and a signed and numbered edition limited to 500 copies). The 12-issue hardcover edition of Volume One was the first to reprint both Issues 9 and 10, and the 25-issue deluxe editions did as well. Spawn Origins Collection Volume 20 trade paperback was the final volume released in 2014, collecting issues #117–122.
In May 2019, a new edition of Spawn Origins Collection Volume 1 TPB (6th printing) was published at the low cover price of US$9.99.[50][51] The book went back to press again for a seventh printing a few months later in September 2019.
After an eight-year gap, the line resumed in April 2022 with Spawn Origins Collection Volume 21 collecting issues #123–128. Spawn Origins Collection Volume 22 collecting issues #129–134 was published in September 2022.
Spawn Origins Collection Volume 1 – collects issues #1–6 (May 2009) (sixth printing released in May 2019 at US$9.99 cover price) (seventh printing released in September 2019)
These releases were originally published in fifteen 5–6-issue volumes in the UK by Titan Books, with titles named by religious themes. The following books contained original series issues 1–82, with the exception of the previously mentioned Issue 10.
Creation – contains issues 1–5
Evolution – contains issues 6–9 and 11
Revelation – contains issues 12–15
Escalation – contains issues 16–20
Confrontation – contains issues 21–25
Retribution – contains issues 26–30
Transformation – contains issues 31–36
Abduction – contains issues 37–42
Sanction – contains issues 43–48
Damnation – contains issues 49–53
Corruption – contains issues 54–58
Devastation – contains issues 59–64
Termination – contains issues 65–70
Resurrection – contains issues 71–76
Ascension – contains issues 77–82
Spawn Universe Spin-off Collections
King Spawn
Title
Material collected
Pages
Publication date
King Spawn Volume 1
King Spawn #1 - 6
168
May 31, 2022
King Spawn Volume 2
King Spawn #7 - 12
144
March 28, 2023
King Spawn Volume 3
King Spawn #13 - 18
144
October 3, 2023
King Spawn Volume 4
King Spawn #19 - 24
144
March 5, 2024
Related collected editions
Spin-off trade paperback collections
Several Spawn-related mini-series has been collected in trade paperback editions.
Angela (later retitled Spawn: Angela's Hunt) – collects Neil Gaiman's Angela issues 1–3 and the 1995 one-shot.
Hellspawn: The Ashley Wood Collection – collects Hellspawn issues 1–10, replaces pages from issue 10 originally drawn by Ben Templesmith with new art by Ashley Wood[53]
Spawn: The Undead – collects Spawn: The Undead issues 1–9
In 2019, McFarlane revealed that there will be two animated shows based on the character, one for kids and the other for adults.[58]
Film
In 1997, a film adaptation featured Michael Jai White as Spawn.[59] As a result, White became the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, and received generally negative reviews.[60]
In early 2015, McFarlane announced a new Spawn film adaptation.[61] In February 2016 McFarlane confirmed he had completed the script for the film with a larger-than-normal page count because he was "putting in details for [him]self" in conjunction with his hopes to direct.[62] In July 2017, it was confirmed that McFarlane would direct the film, which is being produced under Jason Blum's production company Blumhouse.[63] In May 2018, it was reported that Jamie Foxx would portray the title character.[64] In July 2018, the working title was revealed to be Tony Dynamite.[65] In November 2019, the film restarted development due to the financial success of the R-rated comic book film Joker.[66][67] In August 2021, it was revealed that Broken City screenwriter Brian Tucker had been hired to rewrite McFarlane's screenplay.[68] In October 2022, McFarlane announced that Scott Silver, Malcolm Spellman, and Matthew Mixon had been hired to rewrite the screenplay.[69] In June 2023, Jason Blum announced that he is aiming for a 2025 release date.[70]
Spawn appears in Ready Player One (2018). He also appears as an avatar fighting the forces of IOI on Planet Doom during the final battle.[71]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2023) with Keith David reprising his role. Spawn headlines the battle pass of Season 6, with multiple other in-game operators receiving skins themed around characters related to Spawn.[73]
Merchandising
At the time of the release of the live action film, Spawn appeared in several commercials for Taco Bell.
In 1994 McFarlane Toys released the first line of Spawn toys produced, in later years the series would include alternate timeframes and different takes on the classic characters with toyline series.[74]
Music
The Dark Saga by Iced Earth is a concept album based upon the Spawn story.[75] The cover of the album, by Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane, depicts Spawn himself, though due to legal issues, Iced Earth could not use the names of the characters in the songs.[citation needed]
Reception
Spawn was ranked 60th on Wizard magazine's list of the Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time, 50th on Empire magazine's list of The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, and 36th on IGN's 2011 Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.[76]
^ abcd"Spawn Voice | Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. December 18, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.((cite web)): CS1 maint: postscript (link)
