Art has been revealed for Todd McFarlane's upcoming one-shot Spawn's Universe #1, which promises to serve as a launchpad for Spawn's interconnecting universe. The book has been 30 years in the making and will feature several key Spawn characters. This will be the first time Spawn will lead his own universe.
Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, is also one of the founders of Image Comics, a company under which he created Todd McFarlane Productions. The company's focus is on creator-owned works, which McFarlane helped spearhead after leaving Marvel Comics. He worked on their Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man titles. McFarlane's Spawn series has been around since the first issue released in 1992, which sold 1.7 million copies. The series has hit several milestones throughout the decades and has been a major influence on comic book creators since its inception. In 2019 the series hit a new milestone with its 300th issue as one of the longest-running creator-owned titles, getting a spot in the Guinness World Records. Now, the series is expanding more starting this June with books like Spawn's Universe #1 setting the groundwork.
Image Comics issued a press release revealing some of the artwork in the upcoming Spawn's Universe #1 and teased a variety of covers. There will be four covers by J. Scott Campbell, each featuring a key character in Spawn's Universe #1, which likely means we'll be seeing Campbell's take on characters like Gunslinger Spawn and Medieval Spawn. There will also be variants by McFarlane, a group cover with pencils by Brett Booth and inks by McFarlane (revealed below), as well as more yet-to-be-unveiled covers. The one-shot will be 52 pages long with a $5.99 price tag and releases in comic book stores on June 30, 2021.
Spawn's Universe will feature four stories each focusing on different versions of the Hellspawn and will introduce new heroes and villains. Each story will be written by McFarlane but will feature a different artist. The Spawn story will be drawn by Jim Cheung. The Gunslinger Spawn story will be illustrated by Brett Booth. The Medieval Spawn story will feature artwork by Stephe Segovia. And the She-Spawn story will have art by Marcio Takara. These will set the stage for the three upcoming spin-off titles also being released by Image in 2021, which include King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, and The Scorched.
“I’ve waited almost 30 years to be able to get to this moment," McFarlane said. "To deliver on ideas, I hope they will grow from this initial seed called Spawn's Universe #1 into a fully formed world populated with hundreds and hundreds of characters in the near future. The stage will be set with this book, and soon I’ll be launching into new monthly titles for the first time since 1992. I can’t wait to show comic readers all the crazy ideas in my head as well as opening up the floodgate to so many talented creators that have said they’d like to join me on this journey.”
Spawn is an impressive feat of a comic book in the industry that shows no signs of slowing down. Just last year the Spawn Kickstarter raised over $1 million. With the increasing number of developments in the Spawn's Universe #1, could the renewed interest finally spawn Todd McFarlane's seemingly forever-in-development reboot movie of the franchise?
Source: Image Comics