Todd McFarlane brings his original 1977 Spawn design to comics

Nearly 50 years after creating the character as a teenager, McFarlane teams with Mark Spears for a three-issue miniseries built around his earliest Spawn concept art.

Todd McFarlane is going back to the well that spawned Spawn in a new three-issue miniseries with Mark Spears. Image Comics will release Spawn 77, which will be co-written by McFarlane and Spears, with Spears providing fully painted interior art.

The series takes its name from 1977, the year a budding 16-year-old McFarlane first sketched the character design that would eventually evolve into Spawn. Spawn 77 marks the first official comic appearance of that original design, though the story itself introduces a new character and narrative rooted in Spawn mythology rather than adapting McFarlane’s teenage concept directly.

“Going back to my roots of when I first developed Spawn as a high school kid, when I was just beginning to feel deeply passionate about collecting comics, and being able to use some of those ideas now 50 years later is really a personal treat for me,” said McFarlane. “To be able to do this miniseries alongside the super-talented Mark Spears will only make my enjoyment that much more special. Mark has been on the top of many fans’ wish lists to see more of his artwork, and we are all excited to show the readers what we have been looking at, from Mark, this past year. I promise you he will not disappoint anyone who is a fan of quality, sophisticated artwork.”

Spears, known for his recent cover work and his own series Monsters, steps into a writing and interior art role for the Spawn Universe.

“Getting to work with Todd McFarlane is the main reason I wanted to work in comics. I read every book, watched every video, and studied every panel he created. He inspired me to become both a writer and an artist, and with Spawn 77, everything feels like it has come full circle. Creating new characters within the Spawn Universe is something I’ve dreamed about ever since I picked up Spawn #1 off the rack at my local comic book store. I can’t wait for readers to see what we have in store,” Spears said.

Here’s a look inside:

The first 64-page issue of Spawn 77 #1 arrives in comic shops in September.

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