Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn’s Universe,” a 52-page one-shot comic, goes on sale June 30.
The longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book of all time will soon chart new territory. Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn,” which is on the eve of its 316th issue being sold in stores, is getting some highly anticipated company this summer, starting with “Spawn’s Universe” in June.
The 52-page one-shot from Image Comics, which is meant to provide readers with some elaborate world-building to help establish McFarlane’s interconnected world featuring the antihero Spawn, hits store shelves on June 30 for $5.99, according to a press release from the Portland, Oregon-based publisher. The special issue will also help launch a handful of new ongoing series that will debut later this summer.
“I’ve waited almost 30 years to be able to get to this moment,” McFarlane said in a statement. “To deliver on ideas, I hope they will grow from this initial seed called 'Spawn's Universe' No. 1 into a fully formed world, populated with hundreds and hundreds of characters in the near future. The stage will be set with this book, and soon I’ll be launching into new monthly titles for the first time since 1992. I can’t wait to show comic readers all the crazy ideas in my head, as well as opening up the floodgate to so many talented creators that have said they’d like to join me on this journey.”
Written by McFarlane, president and co-founder of Image Comics, “Spawn’s Universe” No. 1 will contain four short stories. Superstar comic book artist Jim Cheung will provide artwork for a story about Spawn, while fellow standout artists Brett Booth, Stephen Segovia and Marcio Takara are illustrating chapters focusing on Gunslinger Spawn, Medieval Spawn and She-Spawn, respectively. Colorist FCO is also involved in producing the one-shot, and J. Scott Campbell is drawing a set of four covers, one for each of the characters being featured. At least six covers will be available, however more are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The spin-off ongoing titles that will be launched later in the year are: “King Spawn,” “Gunslinger Spawn” and “The Scorched.”
The character Spawn first appeared in “Spawn” No. 1, which was published in 1992 by Image Comics. More than 1.7 million copies of that first issue sold, according to the publisher, and to date more than 100 million Spawn comics have sold. The title broke the Guinness World Record for the longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series in 2019, when its 301st issue was published.