402 McFARLANE, TODD
McFarlane took a hiatus from
Marvel in August, 1991. By early
1992, he left Marvel altogether
to form Image Comics with Erik
Larsen, Jim Lee , Rob Liefeld,
Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri,
and Jim Valentino. Under the new
organization, the artists kept the
rights to their intellectual prop-
erties. As both writer and artist,
McFarlane launched Spawn as
his fi rst project launched through
Todd McFarlane Productions, his
production studio under Image
Comics. Spawn #1 sold approxi-
mately 1.7 million copies, the
highest single-issue sale for an in-
dependent publisher to date. After
the fi rst seven issues, McFarlane
brought on additional writer tal-
ent while he continued on as artist.
In 1994, McFarlane oversaw the
Spawn /Batman crossover with
DC Comics; which was part of
the fanfare to drive comic specula-
tion and sales that dominated the
1990s.
McFarlane sought the maximum
potential for his intellectual properties. His creation of McFarlane Toys in 1994 provided
him a range of merchandizing opportunity for his properties including toys, clothing,
and other goods featuring Spawn. Th is company also picked up other properties to sell
merchandise for including Akira , Alien , KISS, Metal Gear Solid, and X-Files. By the end
of the 1990s, McFarlane Toys has become a powerhouse within the toy industry. While
continuing his work with Image Comics, in 1996, McFarlane also opened McFarlane En-
tertainment, the fi lm and animation studio which would work with New Line Cinema
for the feature fi lm adaptation of Spawn (1997) and with HBO for the animated series
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn (1997– 99). Spawn was also turned into a Japanese manga series,
Shadows of Spawn (1998 –99).
McFarlane’s legacy comes not just from his establishment of Image Comics and a
new business model for the creators of comics; he also stood ahead of the curve in terms
of marketing his intellectual properties in numerous venues, leading the way for major
players such as Marvel and DC Comics.Animator and executive producer Todd McFarlane poses
with Emmy award he won August 28, 1999 at the Prime-
time Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Pasadena for Out-
standing Animated Program for Todd McFarlane’s Spawn on
HBO. © Rose Prouser/Reuters/Corbis