Todd McFarlane (Canadian, b.1961)

Who is Comic Creator and Artist Todd Mcfarlane?

One of the towering comic success stories of the 1980s and 1990s, Todd McFarlane stands alone when it comes to shaping where comics could go. Besides being the creator of Spawn, the founder of Image Comics, and encouraging creator-owned comic characters, McFarlane also did seminal work for the Spider-Man franchise in the 1980s and helped create one of his most iconic villains -- the alien symbiote, Venom. 

What is Comic Artist Todd McFarlane Famous For?

Todd McFarlane is perhaps best known for his anti-hero, Spawn. An occultic superhero who fights the hosts of hell with extreme violence. Spawn has created a series of licensing and merchandising opportunities, and McFarlane has been able to capitalize through his creation of McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment. Besides this, his run on Spider-Man is still influential to many comic writers and artists to this day. Strangely, his work in illustration led him to being named the National Football League’s artist of the year in 2005. 

How Did Todd McFarlane Get Started?

Todd McFarlane started drawing as a young boy, inspired by the comic greats from the silver age like Jack Kirby, as well as the newer, darker artists and writers like Frank Miller and Alan Moore. While in 12th grade, McFarlane would create the prototype for Spawn, a character that he would eventually parlay into hundreds of comics, a feature-length film, and countless action figures. He submitted over 700 submissions to different comic editors while in college, eventually landing a gig as a cover artist for DC in the 1980s. 

What Comics Did Todd McFarlane Illustrate?

While McFarlane would start at DC, he quickly moved to Marvel and in 1988 began his run on The Amazing Spider-Man. McFarlane seemed to understand Spider-Man’s movements better than anyone and his depiction of Spider-Man’s famed web-swinging quickly became extremely popular with fans. It was during this time that he would co-create the villain and anti-hero, Venom, a mainstay in Spider-Man comics to this day. 

What Comic Characters Did Todd McFarlane Create?

After creating Venom and completing a successful run at Marvel Comics, McFarlane would leave to form Image Comics. It’s first superhero: Spawn. In 1992, the first issue of Spawn would sell 1.7 million copies -- a record for an independent comic book. During the course of the series, many legendary writers would work on Spawn, including Neil Gaiman Alan Moore, and Frank Miller. Spawn continues to publish today. In 2019, Spawn #01 became the longest-running creator-owned comic series of all time. 

What Comic Book Publisher(s) Did Todd McFarlane Work For?

Todd McFarlane created iconic work for Marvel Comics and DC, but it will be his creation of Image Comics that will be McFarlane’s legacy. 

How Much is a Todd McFarlane Original Comic Book Art Worth?

The best way to value original comic art is to compare past auction prices for similar works. View past sale prices below.