Todd McFarlane (November 12th 2025)

Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn and co-creator of Venom, joined the show to discuss his groundbreaking career and philosophy. McFarlane detailed the monumental decision in 1992 when he, along with six other top comic artists (dubbed "The A-Team" or "Dream Team"), left Marvel Comics to form Image Comics. He states that the goal was simple: 100% creator ownership, arguing that at Marvel, creators were only keeping about 4% of the value of their creations. The debut issue of Spawn sold 1.7 million copies, a record that still stands. Image Comics is credited with changing the comic industry landscape, leading to later hits like The Walking Dead and Invincible. McFarlane explained that his company, McFarlane Toys, revolutionized the action figure market by focusing on superior sculpture, articulation, and detail, aiming to sell toys to a "26-year-old" collector rather than a "six-year-old." He confirmed the new Spawn movie, starring Jamie Foxx, is still in development, noting that a director has recently been hired. McFarlane is expecting a new script in January and stated the next major piece of news will be a definitive production date.Fan Philosophy: McFarlane expressed that he shouldn't get "added credit" for simply being nice to fans, as that should be the standard. He believes "there is no bad question" when a fan approaches him because "if it's important enough for an individual to ask, it should be important enough for me to answer."