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There’s a new king of comics, and it kinda looks a lot like the old king. Creator Todd McFarlane’s new King Spawn is braking records and taking names.
Hail to the king
When you mention Spawn, as a comic book hero, most fans are king to know who you’re talking about. And while you might not realize it, that’s kind of a big deal, especially since comics are an industry that is still more or less dominated but the big two. That’s not something that’s ever bothered Todd McFarlane though, or Image Comics.
Created in 1992 by a cadre of the then-biggest names in comics, Image was an instant success with huge names, awesome new heroes, and incredible artwork. In the years since, Image has shifted priorities around some, but a few elements remain. And one of those is the popularity of Spawn.
McFarlane’s first creation for the publisher, Spawn has rocked and rolled with a single run ever since Image dawned. No cancellations, no ‘new’ number one issues as sales gimmicks; just Spawn. Now though, here in 2021, there’s a new and growing universe being built around this iconic hero. Spawn’s Universe kicked that off, but King Spawn is continuing it.
And when I say “continuing it”, I mean that in the biggest way possible. The first number one issue of a new ongoing Spawn comic since the original, King Spawn #1 has gathered up 497 thousand pre-orders. According to McFarlane, that’s bigger than any “any Marvel new monthly superhero launch, including Ironman, Hulk, Thor, or Captain America issue in the past quarter-century. McFarlane’s King Spawn #1 also topped any DC Comics new monthly title launch for the past two and a half decades, including Batman, Superman, Flash, or Wonder Woman.” Let that one sink in for a second.
Said McFarlane:
McFarlane said, “The numbers that came in were much higher than what I had projected. With sales that now have a historical impact in our industry. It proves that the character Spawn and the world he lives in still resonates to fans almost thirty years after I first introduced him. But the biggest thing for me is having King Spawn becoming another example to the creative community that you can have creator-owned success outside of the two huge publishing giants, Marvel, and DC Comics. Every story that shows you can make a career on your own will hopefully inspire other talented people to try. As President of Image Comics, advocating for the creators has been our goal since its inception in 1992.”
Todd McFarlane
King Spawn #1 hits stands on August 25th. Also don’t forget that Spawn’s titled book is hitting issue #321 on September 1st, and another new Spawn book, Gunslinger Spawn #1 arrives on October 6th.
