Todd McFarlane’s announcement of a new Image Comics “shared comic book universe” at the annual ComicsPRO Conference must have given those long-time retailers in attendance flashbacks to the early days of Image, as it looks like McFarlane is going to try to jump start a new wave of comics for the company he co-founded.
Mcfarlane told those in attendance that “This is a long-intended plan that will need the help of dozens and dozens of creators to help create hundreds and hundreds of characters. And then to reward those creators if any of their ideas pay off in a big way outside of the comic industry. The quest isn’t to have our ideas exclusively live in the comic book industry but to have merit and value outside of that industry as well. My character Spawn has been an example of what can happen with creation… so, what are the possibilities if hundreds of creations are brought together? Marvel and DC Comics have shown us that a collective group of characters, together, in a shared universe can resonate globally. I think it is time for David to attempt to join the same arena as the Goliaths of the world.”
With McFarlane’s Spawn as the centerpiece of the plan, the original Spawn creator announced that four new titles will be coming out in 2021, kicking off in June with Spawn’s Universe #1 as the core title. King Spawn #1 will follow in August, Gunslinger Spawn #1 in October, and a new currently untitled team book entitled The Scorched starring Spawn, Redeemer, Gunslinger, Medieval Spawn and She-Spawn (which will also include a rotating roster of heroes).
As he did in the past with the likes of Alan Moore, Dave Sim, Neil Gaiman, and others, McFarlane has recruited an all-star team of talent including Art Adams, Jason Shawn Alexander, Carlo Barberi, Brett Booth, J. Scott Campbell, Greg Capullo, Donny Cates, Jim Cheung, Mike del Mundo, Javier Fernandez, David Finch, Jonathan Glapion, Kevin Keane, Aleš Kot, Puppeteer Lee, Sean Lewis, Sean Gordon Murphy, Ben Oliver, Stephen Segovia, Paulo Siqueira, Marc Silvestri, Marcio Takara, and Frank Quitely who will work on the upcoming titles.
Check out some of the preview art by Campbell below and get ready for a new line of comics coming your way soon.
