Todd McFarlane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Todd McFarlane |
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McFarlane at the 2025 WonderCon
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| Born | March 16, 1961 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Inker, Publisher |
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Notable works
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| Awards |
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| Spouse(s) |
Wanda Kolomyjec
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 3 |
Todd McFarlane (born March 16, 1961) is a famous Canadian comic book artist and writer. He is well-known for his art on The Amazing Spider-Man. He also created, wrote, and drew the popular superhero horror-fantasy series Spawn. Todd McFarlane is also the current President and a co-founder of Image Comics.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, McFarlane became a huge star in the comic book world. This was because of his best-selling work on Marvel Comics' Spider-Man comics. He was the first artist to fully draw the character Venom. In 1992, he helped start Image Comics. He took his character Spawn, an anti-hero he created in high school, and updated him. The first issue of Spawn sold 1.7 million copies. This was a record for an independent comic book. His character's popularity also helped make "creator-owned" comics more common. This means the creators own their characters and stories.
After drawing less for Spawn starting in 1998, McFarlane focused on other businesses. These include McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment. This second company is a film and animation studio. He was also a co-owner of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers team for a time. He is also a big collector of famous baseballs. As a filmmaker, he produced the 1997 movie based on Spawn.
Contents
Early Life and Art Beginnings
Todd McFarlane was born on March 16, 1961, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His parents were Bob and Sherlee McFarlane. He was the second of three sons. His father worked in printing, which meant the family moved a lot. They lived in many different places across Canada and California.
Todd started drawing early as a hobby. He loved comics and learned to draw by studying them. He admired artists like John Byrne, Jack Kirby, and Frank Miller. When he was 16, McFarlane created the character Spawn. He spent many hours making sure every part of the character's look was perfect.
In high school, he met Wanda Kolomyjec. She was a bat girl for a baseball team he worked for. They started dating and later married in 1985.
After high school, McFarlane tried out for professional baseball. He was a good fielder and fast, but not a strong hitter. He also injured his ankle in college. This led him to focus more on his art. He worked at a comic book store to help pay for his education. He also spent hours practicing his comic art late at night. Wanda helped him develop his Spawn character. He graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1984.
Comic Book Career
Starting Out: DC and Marvel
While still in college, McFarlane sent many drawings to comic book editors. He sent over 700 submissions in a year and a half. Most were rejected, but some editors gave him helpful advice. One editor told him to focus on telling stories page by page. This led to his first comic book job in 1984.
He soon began drawing for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. His first big project was a two-year run on DC's Infinity, Inc. from 1985 to 1987. In 1987, he drew the last three issues of DC's "Batman: Year Two" story. After that, he moved to Marvel's Incredible Hulk from 1987 to 1988.
Drawing Spider-Man
In 1988, McFarlane started working on Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man. He became known for his unique style. He drew Spider-Man in more active, dynamic poses. He also made the eyes on Spider-Man's mask larger. He added much more detail to his art, especially to Spider-Man's webbing. He drew many individual strands, which fans called "spaghetti webbing."
McFarlane also drew the first full appearance of Eddie Brock, who became the villain Venom. His work on Amazing Spider-Man made him a huge star in the comic world. For example, a cover he drew in 1989 for $700 later sold for $71,200 in 2010.
During his time on The Amazing Spider-Man, McFarlane wanted more control over the stories. He started missing deadlines sometimes. In 1990, he decided to leave the comic to write his own stories. The original artwork for his cover of Amazing Spider-Man No. 328 sold for a record $657,250 in 2012. This was the highest price ever for American comic book art.
A New Spider-Man Comic
To keep McFarlane happy, Marvel gave him a new Spider-Man comic. He would both write and draw it. Spider-Man #1 (August 1990) sold 2.5 million copies. This was partly because Marvel released many different covers. This encouraged collectors to buy more than one copy. This practice was common during the "comics speculator bubble" of the 1990s. McFarlane wrote and drew 15 of the first 16 issues. Many of these featured other popular Marvel characters like Wolverine.
Even though he was a great artist, some people found McFarlane's writing difficult. His stories were often darker than typical Spider-Man comics. For example, his first story, "Torment," showed a more vicious Lizard. Another story, "Perceptions," dealt with serious topics like police corruption. This caused problems with Marvel's editors. They saw Spider-Man as a light-hearted character for young readers. McFarlane eventually left Marvel because of these creative disagreements.
Image Comics and Spawn
McFarlane then joined six other popular artists to create Image Comics. This was a new company where each artist owned their own publishing studio. McFarlane's studio, Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc. (TMP), published his own creation, the dark character Spawn. Spawn was Image's second comic book release in 1992. Spawn #1 sold 1.7 million copies. This is still a record for an independent comic book.
To improve the writing, McFarlane hired famous writers to work on Spawn. These included Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller. The series continued to be very popular. Spawn is one of only two Image comics from its 1992 launch that is still being published today.
In 1994, McFarlane and DC Comics worked together on a special crossover. They created two books featuring Batman and Spawn. One book was Batman-Spawn: War Devil, published by DC. The other was Spawn/Batman, drawn by McFarlane. Around this time, McFarlane stopped being the regular writer and artist for Spawn. He hired other writers and artists for the series. He would sometimes help with the story or ink covers.
In 2006, McFarlane announced plans for another Spawn/Batman comic. He wrote and inked it, and it honored the artist Jack Kirby. He also started publishing collections of his Spawn comics.
In 2019, McFarlane wrote and drew Spawn #301. This made Spawn the longest-running creator-owned comic series ever. This achievement earned McFarlane a place in the Guinness World Records. In 2022, it was announced that McFarlane would write a new Batman/Spawn crossover comic.
Other Ventures
McFarlane Toys and Entertainment
In 1994, McFarlane started a toy company called Todd Toys. He wanted to make action figures of his Spawn characters. The company quickly sold over 2.2 million action figures. After a legal issue with Mattel, he changed the company name to McFarlane Toys. The company soon made figures of other popular characters. These included members of the band Kiss, characters from Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, and sports figures. By 2017, McFarlane Toys was one of the largest action-figure makers in the United States.
Todd McFarlane also created Todd McFarlane Entertainment in 1997. This company is a film and animation studio. It produced the 1997 Spawn movie. The movie earned over $87 million worldwide. Todd McFarlane Entertainment also made the animated TV series Todd McFarlane's Spawn for HBO. This animated series won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1998 for its animation.
The studio also produced several music videos:
- 1998: "Do the Evolution" by Pearl Jam.
- 1999: "Freak on a Leash" by KoЯn. This video won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
- 2006: "Land of Confusion" by Disturbed.
- 2022: "Patient Number 9" by Ozzy Osbourne.
In 2011, McFarlane and Stan Lee launched a new comic called Blood Red Dragon. This series was a collaboration with musician Yoshiki.
McFarlane also worked with baseball pitcher Curt Schilling to form a gaming studio called 38 Studios. McFarlane helped with the art direction for their games. In 2012, they released a game called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
In 2017, Blumhouse Productions announced that McFarlane would direct a new King Spawn movie. Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner were set to star. As of 2021, new writers were hired to work on the movie's script.
In 2021, McFarlane started a new company called McFarlane Films. This company focuses on developing TV shows. They are working on a Spawn spin-off show called Sam & Twitch.
Sports Interests
McFarlane is a big baseball fan. In 1998, he paid $2.6 million for the baseball that Mark McGwire hit for his record-breaking 70th home run. He also bought Sammy Sosa's 66th home run ball for $175,000. In 2003, he paid about $517,500 for Barry Bonds' record-breaking 73rd home run ball.
McFarlane was also a part-owner of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team. He designed the logo for the team's alternate jersey, which was used from 2001 to 2007. The Oilers brought back his design in 2022.
Video Games and Other Media
Spawn has appeared as a character in video games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Soulcalibur II. McFarlane also designed a unique character named Necrid for Soulcalibur II.
A PlayStation 2 game called McFarlane's Evil Prophecy was released in 2004. In this game, players fight creatures based on McFarlane's action figures. These include classic movie monsters like Frankenstein's monster and Dracula.
For the video game Halo 3, McFarlane helped design a series of action figures. In 2011, he worked as an artist for the game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Awards and Recognition
Todd McFarlane has won many awards for his work:
- 1992 National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book
- 1992 Inkpot Award
- 2000 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video for "Freak on a Leash"
- National Football League's 2005 Artist of the Year Award
- Induction into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame in 2011.
- In 2013, he gave a speech at his old university, Eastern Washington University.
Personal Life
Todd McFarlane and his wife Wanda married in 1985. They have three children: Cyan, Kate, and Jake. Cyan's love for the TV show Lost inspired her father to make action figures based on the show. Kate voiced the young Cyan in the animated Spawn TV series. The characters Wanda Blake and Cyan Fitzgerald in Spawn were named after McFarlane's wife and daughter. McFarlane's offices are located near Phoenix, Arizona, where he and his family live.
See also
In Spanish: Todd McFarlane para niños
