Albert Francis "Al" Simmons, better known as Spawn, is a fictional antihero appearing in a monthly comic book of the same name published by American company Image Comics, as well as in a number of films, television series, and video game adaptations set in the Image Universe. Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1 (May 1992).
Simmons is a government assassin who died and went to Hell for his crimes against humanity. Following a deal with Malebolgia, Simmons is given new life as a hellspawn and the chance to see his wife Wanda once again. The deal is revealed to be a trick, as Simmons is brought back to life five years after his death, unrecognizable to his wife and missing many of his memories. With little other choice, Simmons adopts his new hell-inspired identity as Spawn in an effort to atone for his past sins and use his newfound powers for good.
The series has spun off several other comic books, including Angela, Curse of the Spawn, Sam & Twitch, and the Japanese manga Shadows of Spawn. Spawn was adapted into a 1997 feature film and portrayed by Michael Jai White, an HBO animated series lasting from 1997 until 1999 and voiced by, Keith David, a series of action figures from McFarlane Toys, and an upcoming reboot film starring Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Renner. The character appears in annual compilations, mini-series specials written by guest authors and artists, and numerous crossover storylines in other comic books, including Savage Dragon, Invincible, and three DC Comics crossovers with Batman.
Publication history
thumb|right|The Spawn prototype, designed by a teenaged McFarlane in 1977
Todd McFarlane's hobby of drawing began at an early age, and he created the character Spawn when he was 16, spending "countless hours" perfecting the appearance of each component of the character's visual design.
Spawn saw a decent amount of popularity upon its initial release in the early 1990s. Comic book collecting was growing exponentially at the time of ‘’Spawn’s’’ release, fueled by the speculator boom looking for the next hot book that would jump in value after its release. McFarlane had enjoyed superstar status among comic fans with his work on Spider-Man, which had featured McFarlane's name prominently as both writer and artist. McFarlane's subsequent break with Marvel Comics and the formation of Image Comics was seen by many as a sea-change event, changing the way in which comics were produced. Wizard, in May 2008, rated "The Launch of Image Comics" as #1 in the list of events that rocked the comic industry from 1991 to 2008.
The first issue of Spawn was very popular, selling 1.7 million copies. During Spawns second year of publication, Wizard noted that "The top dog at Image is undoubtedly Todd McFarlane's Spawn, which, without the added marketing push of fancy covers, poly bagged issues, or card inserts has become the best-selling comic on a consistent basis that is currently being published." Sales slumped around the time of Spawn #25, but by Spawn #45 it was again a consistently strong seller.
The popularity of the franchise peaked with the 1997 Spawn feature film, the pre-release publicity for which helped make Spawn the top-selling comic book for May 1997; However, the film was only a mild commercial success and failed to start a film franchise based on the character. A 2008 issue, Spawn #174, ranked 99th best-selling comic of the month with retail orders of 22,667. In October 2008, issue #185, which marked both a new creative direction and Todd McFarlane's return to the book, sold out at the distribution level and received a second printing. By issue #191 in May 2009, with estimated sales of 19,803 copies, Spawn had dropped below Top 100 titles sold monthly to comic shops as reported by Diamond Comic Distributors. As of September 2010, Spawn was ranked at #115 in the top 300 sales figures chart reported by Diamond Comic Distributors. On the day of its release in 2011, issue #200 sold out. This issue featured work by Greg Capullo, David Finch, Michael Golden, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Danny Miki, and Ashley Wood. A second printing was released the next month. It received a negative review from IGN. Spawn<nowiki/>'s sales continued to decline despite a series of homage covers designed to renew interest, ultimately hitting its lowest sales number of under 12,000 retail orders in Spawn #243.
Spawn began a resurgence in popularity as the title approached its 300th issue, with the title once again becoming a fixture in Diamond's Top 100. The 300th issue made Spawn the longest-running independent comic book series of all time.
In 2021, McFarlane expanded his Spawn Universe with 3 new ongoing titles and a one-shot titled Spawn Universe No. 1 which sold 211,000 copies. The first spinoff, titled King Spawn, was released in August 2021 having pre-order sales of 497,000 copies and total sales of 520,000 copies. The next title, released in October 2021, Gunslinger Spawn sold 385,000 copies, which made it the biggest launch for a new ongoing superhero title in 25 years.
McFarlane also stated in an interview that he wants Spawn to outlive him the same way characters like Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and even Disney have endured past their creators.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Albert Francis "Al" Simmons is the second of three siblings. His father, Bernard Simmons, is a traveling salesman, and his mother, Esther Simmons, is a devil worshipper. Al Simmons eventually becomes a highly decorated officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while serving with Force Recon. He later joins the Secret Service, becomes a high-ranking official, and is recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency. Simmons later joins the U.S. Security Group, an umbrella agency encompassing the CIA, NSA, and NSC, commanded by Director Jason Wynn, and becomes a formidable assassin.
During a mission in Botswana, Wynn grows tired of Simmons' increasing sense of morality. As a result of this, Simmons' friend and partner Bruce Stinson (codename Chapel) is secretly hired to kill him. Simmons is burned to death and sent to Hell. Making a deal with the devil Malebolgia, Simmons agrees to become a Hellspawn. After swearing to serve Malebolgia, he is allowed to see his wife Wanda one last time. Malebolgia returns Simmons to the living realm with a severely burned body, and a demonic guardian named the Violator.
Simmons, now a Hellspawn, returns to Earth with a lack of understanding of his previous identity. He wanders in a state of confusion with only vague memories of his former life, including his own name, his marriage to Wanda and the fact that he was once deceased. Spawn occasionally experiences painful flashbacks and eventually remembers his deal with Malebolgia. Using CIA files, he tracks down his wife and finds her married to his former best friend Terry, with whom she has a daughter named Cyan.
Angela & Aria
:A crossover between Angela and Aria.
Angela & Glory
:A crossover between Angela and Glory.
Celestine
:About Celestine. the angel from the Violator vs Badrock series in a two-shot series.
Violator vs Badrock (1995)
:A four-issue miniseries released in 1995 written by Alan Moore. Drawn by Brian Denham. Ink by Jonathan Sibal and Danny Miki.
Spawn: Blood Feud (1995)
:A four-issue miniseries released in 1995 written by Alan Moore. Drawn by Tony Daniel. Inked by Kevin Conrad.
Spawn the Impaler (1996)
:A three-issue miniseries released in October 1996, inspired by the story of the Wallachian voivode Vlad Țepeș. Written by Mike Grell with art by Rob Prior.
Medieval Spawn / Witchblade (1996)
:A three-issue miniseries was written by Garth Ennis. Medieval Spawn and the wielder of the Witchblade team up against Lord Cardinale, wielder of the Darkness.
Curse of the Spawn (1996–1999)
:The first long-term monthly spinoff series. Consisted of a number of story arcs centered on supporting characters from the main series, such as a future Hellspawn during the Apocalypse or Sam & Twitch. Aimed at an older demographic than the main series and is significantly darker in tone, with more disturbing visuals and themes. 29 issues.
Spawn: The Dark Ages (Vol. 1, 1999–2001)
:This series focused on Lord Covenant, a 12th-century knight killed in a holy crusade far from his homeland, who returns to Earth as a Hellspawn. As a plague of violence and turmoil cover the English countryside, the Dark Knight must choose whether to align himself with the innocent inhabitants of the once-thriving kingdom or with the malevolent forces of evil and corruption. The series ran for 28 issues. Issues 15–28 featured writer Steve Niles and artist Nat Jones.
Spawn: Fan Edition
:A three issue mini-series centered around the Norse hellspawn Nordik.
Spawn: Blood and Shadows (1999)
:A Spawn prestige-format one-shot released in 1999. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Ashley Wood.
Cy-Gor (1999)
:A six-issue spinoff miniseries.
Spawn: The Undead (1999–2000)
:This series concentrates on Al Simmons. Unlike the original Spawn series, it was a self-contained, single-issue story. Written by Paul Jenkins it lasted 9 issues.
Sam & Twitch (1999–2004)
:A spin-off series following the criminal investigations of detectives Sam Burke and Twitch Williams. 26 issues.
Case Files: Sam & Twitch (2003–2006)
:Continuation of Sam & Twitch. 25 issues.
Sam & Twitch: The Writer (2010)
:A four-issue miniseries.
Haunt (2009)
:A story of two brothers (one a ghost, the other a human) who fuse together to become Haunt, a character that appears in other Spawn stories.
Hellspawn (2000–2003)
:A relatively avant-garde spin-off comic inspired by Spawn. Darker and more atmospheric than Spawn, Hellspawn frequently dealt with the disturbing subject matter. It originally featured writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ashley Wood. It ran 16 issues.
Spawn: Simony (2003)
:One-shot. Published in 2003 by Semic, McFarlane allowed the creators (Jean-François Porchero and ) to create an original Spawn tale without using Image comics. This has Spawn fight against Necro Cop.
Shadows of Spawn (2005–2006)
:Three graphic novel compilations of the Spawn manga.
Spawn Toys
:A nine-issue series of one-shots packed in with early Spawn toys.
Spawn: Architects of Fear (2011)
:A prestige format one-shot released in February 2008. Written by Arthur Claire with artwork by Aleksi Briclot.
Spawn: Blood and Salvation
:A prestige-format one-shot that concludes the story of Daniel Llanso, the Hellspawn featured in the first four issues of Curse of the Spawn.
Spawn/Batman (1994)
:Intercompany crossover was written by Frank Miller with the art of Todd McFarlane. Considered part of Spawn and Miller's Dark Knight universe canon.
thumb|150px|Cover of [[Spawn/Batman Polish edition. Art by Kiko Taganashi and Todd McFarlane.]]
Batman/Spawn: War Devil
:Continuation of Spawn/Batman crossover, written by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and Alan Grant and drawn by Klaus Janson.
The Adventures of Spawn
:At the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that a new take on the Spawn mythos was in the works. This new Spawn story is known as The Adventures of Spawn and as stated by Jon Goff, a moderator on the Spawn.com Message Board and McFarlane employee, it is a re-imagining of the Spawn story that is essentially a "What if?" universe that hearkens back to classic kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoons. The story takes place in a webcomic format and has been tied into the action figure world through McFarlane Toys' Spawn Series 30.
Misery
:A future series announced by McFarlane about Cyan Fitzgerald and her titular alter-ego.
It was later released as a mini series.
Spawn/Witchblade
:A four-issue mini-series centered in medieval times focusing on the Medieval Spawn and the wielder of the Witchblade of that time. A sequel to the 1993 series.
Sam and Twitch True Detectives
:An eight-part mini-series focusing on Sam and Twitch which would tie in with the upcoming film.
However this did not happen and became the ongoing seres Sam and Twitch case files.
Spawn: Resurrection
:A one-shot that takes place around the same time as Spawn 250 explaining how Al returned.
Spawn Kills Everyone
:A one-shot focusing on a chibi Spawn killing everyone.
Spawn Kills Everyone Too!
:A four-part mini-series sequel to the one-shot Spawn Kills Everyone.
Spawn's Universe (2021–2024)
Starting in June 2021, a one-shot titled Spawn's Universe #1 was released. With it came the announcements and introductions to three new Spawn monthly titles. With the release of this one-shot, lead to three new titles being released that same year; King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn and The Scorched. The first issue for each of these four titles had a positive reception, with each title selling well over 200,000 units each.
Spawn's Universe (2021)
:In June 2021 an oversized one-shot special, written by Todd McFarlane and features art by Stephen Segovia, Jim Cheung and Marcio Takara. This special sets up three other ongoing monthly titles which followed.
King Spawn (2021 – present)
:King Spawn was the first ongoing story from the Spawn universe, since the mainline series was released in 1992. Starting in August 2021, the series first 24 issues were written by Sean Lewis with art primarily by Javier Fernández. McFarlane took over primary writing duties from 25 to 39 where he was then joined by co-writer Rory McConville and new series artist, Yıldıray Çınar. The story follows Spawn as he faces old and new foes while becoming king.
Gunslinger Spawn (2021 – present)
:Gunslinger Spawn was the second new-ongoing series was released in October 2021, written by Todd McFarlane and illustrated by Brett Booth. This series focuses on the adventures of Gunslinger Spawn's after becoming trapped in modern times. Following the events of Spawn #350, Gunslinger Spawn artist, Brett Booth, and main-line Spawn series artist, Carlo Barberi, switched art duties, with Barberi becoming the primary artist on Gunslinger Spawn following #29 and Booth taking over Spawn art duties with Spawn #350.
The Scorched (2022 – present)
:The third ongoing series launched as a part of the Spawn Universe is The Scorched. The series was released in January 2022, and was written by Sean Lewis with art by Stephen Segovia. Beginning with #23, John Layman became the new writer of the series. The story focuses on a team of rotating roster of heroes, with the core group consisting of She-Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, Medieval Spawn, and Redeemer.
Batman/Spawn (2022)
:In December 2022, a third intercompany crossover between Batman and Spawn. Though the series could have been released as a mini-series it was ultimately released as a one-shot special. The one-shot was written by Todd McFarlane and artist Greg Capullo.
Spawn: Unwanted Violence (2023)
:A two issue miniseries released in January–February 2023, was written by McFarlane and illustrated by Mike del Mundo. The story focused on a conflict between Spawn and The Freak.
The New U (2024 – present)
Following the events of Spawn #350, a new line-up of titles was announced in February 2024. "The New U" is set to build up on the foundations of Spawn's Universe and launch a new era of Spawn titles. Each title in The New U will have drastically different tones and genres. Ranging from Horror, Drama, Crime, Science-Fiction and Comedy. Each title in The New U retains a price point of $2.99 or $3.99 for first issues, with the rest in the series continuing to be $2.99.
Sam and Twitch: Case Files (2024 – present)
:In March 2024, an ongoing series title focusing on Sam and Twitch came out, created by McFarlane and co-plotted by Jon Goff, with art by Syzmon Kudranski for the first 8 issues. For issues 9–16, it was co-plotted by Jordan Barel, with series art by & Thomas Nachlik
Sam and Twitch: Gangland
:A two-issue mini-series focusing on Sam and Twitch.
Rat City (2024 – present)
:A new ongoing series, Rat City, written by Erica Schultz and illustrated by Ze Carlos, was released April 2024. The series follows Peter Cairn, known as 'The devient' set a hundred years in the future. Peter Cairn is the cybernetic Spawn of the future, who was transformed through the actions of Al Simmons in Spawn #350.
Monolith (2024)
:Monolith is a three-issue mini-series about the origins of the hell Spawn Monolith. Starting in May 2024, the series was written by Sean Lewis featuring art by Valerio Giangiordano, .
Spawn Kills Every Spawn (2024)
:A series about Spawn killing other versions of himself. Written and drawn by John Layman and Rob Duenes.
Deadly Tales of The Gunslinger (2024 - present)
:A Gunslinger series about his days in the American Civil War. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Patric Reynolds. the story follows Kincaid's final victim from issue 5 of Spawn, Sherlee Johnson. The series was written and drawn by Jonathan Glapion.
Focus
:A series focusing on the young speedster who gained his abilities from being experimented on and first appeared in Gunslinger Spawn. Written by McFarlane and illustrated by Marco Failla.
Spawn: The Dark Ages (vol. 2, 2025)
:A six-issue mini-series focusing on Devil Spawn from 700 years in the past, this is a 5th-century, post-Roman, rugged melodrama, with the last gasp of the old Celtic beliefs, and Britain being attacked from all sides. Written and drawn by Liam Sharp.
She-Spawn
:An upcoming mini-series about Jessica Priest as She-Spawn.
The Freak
:An upcoming mini-series centered around the Freak.
Black Ritual: The Book of NYX (2025)
:Originally called Cultus Noctis: The Book of Nyx it is a seven-issue mini-series about Nyx between the time she took on the She-Spawn mantle and becoming the Queen of Hell In an interview video Thomas said two more 7 issue mini series will come after the first is over.
Legal disputes
Dispute with Neil Gaiman
In 1993, McFarlane contracted Neil Gaiman to write Spawn #9. While doing so, Gaiman introduced the characters Cogliostro, Angela, and Medieval Spawn. All three characters were designed and co-created by Todd McFarlane and continued to be featured in the series after Gaiman's involvement, and some had tie-ins with McFarlane's toy company. Cogliostro had a prominent role in the live-action movie in 1997. McFarlane had agreed that Gaiman was a co-creator of the characters and paid him royalties for reprints, graphic novels, and action figures. After a few years, he ceased the payment of royalties and gave Gaiman notice that he owned all rights to the characters, citing the copyright notice from #9 and claimed that Gaiman's work had been work-for-hire and that McFarlane was the sole owner.
In 2002, Gaiman filed suit against McFarlane and, in response, McFarlane counter-sued. Gaiman had partnered with Marvel Comics to form Marvels and Miracles, LLC, which bankrolled the lawsuit. and Gaiman was given full ownership of the character Angela. Gaiman, in turn, sold all rights to the character to Marvel Comics.
Tony Twist lawsuit
Todd McFarlane created a mob enforcer character named "Antonio 'Tony Twist' Twistelli", who McFarlane acknowledged was named after hockey player Tony Twist. Twist won a $15 million verdict in 2004 when a jury found Todd McFarlane Productions had profited from Twist's likeness. The verdict was upheld after two appeals in June 2006, but the two later settled out of court for $5 million.
Creative teams
Writers
- Todd McFarlane (#'s 1–7, 12–15, 21–150, 185–current) (wrote #'s 201–219 under pseudonym Will Carlton)
- Brian Holguin (#'s 71–150, 185–190)
- Paul Jenkins (#'s 251–254)
- Erik Larsen (#'s 259–266)
- Darragh Savage (#'s 276–282)
- Rory McConville (#'s 327–current)
Artists
- Todd McFarlane (#'s 1–15, 21–24, 26–34, 50, 195–196, 200, 300)
- Greg Capullo (#'s 16–20, 26–37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49–75, 78–100, 193, 200, 300–301)
- Angel Medina (#'s 101–139, 142–150)
- Philip Tan (#'s 150–164, 306–307)
- Brian Haberlin (#'s 166–173, 176–178, 180–184)
- Whilce Portacio (#'s 185–192, 194–195, 197))
- Szymon Kudranski (#'s 201–250, 256–257, 267–275, 283, 291–292)
- Jonboy Meyers (#'s 251–256)
- Jason Shawn Alexander (#'s 276–282, 284–290, 293–305)
- Carlo Barberi (#'s 311–350)
- Brett Booth (#'s 351 onwards)
Guest writers
- Alan Moore (#'s 8, 37) (also wrote Spawn: Blood Feud prelude back-up story in #32)
- Neil Gaiman (#9) (also wrote a scene in #26 uncredited)
- Dave Sim (# 10)
- Frank Miller (#11)
- Grant Morrison (#'s 16–18)
- Andrew Grossenberg (#'s 19–20)
- Tom Orzechowski (#'s 19–20)
- Julia Simmons (#38)
- Steve Niles (#'s 105–106)
- Robert Kirkman (#200)
- Scott Snyder (#300)
Guest artists
- Marc Silvestri (#'s 25, 200)
- Tony Daniel (#'s 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48) (also drew Spawn: Blood Feud prelude back-up story in #32))
- Khary Randolph (#198)
- Robert Kirkman (#200)
- Michael Golden (#200)
- J. Scott Campbell (#300)
- Jerome Opeña (#'s 300–301)
- Clayton Crain (#301)
- Ken Lashley (#'s 308–309)
- Jim Muniz (#310)
Collected editions
Many issues of Spawn have been gathered together in various trade paperbacks collections since the mid-nineties. The original US and UK trade releases contain issue 9, but not 10 (Cerebus' appearance).
Each containing four to five issues, the original Spawn trade paperbacks started in 1995 under a different trade cover design, going up to three volumes only. After the live-action 1997 movie, a new trade cover design was created, with Brent Ashe providing new covers for Books 1–7, and Ashley Wood for Books 8–12. These reissues were retitled with subtitles. The sequential trades stopped after Book 12, but several new volumes appeared in 2006–2008, collecting various story arcs. Beginning in 2009, a new series of volumes was released, collecting the "Endgame" storyline. From 2015 to 2020, with "Resurrection", "Satan Saga Wars", "Hell on Earth", "Dark Horror", "Enemy of the State", and "Vengeance" volumes, the trade paperbacks have started in sequential order again collecting issues #251–297.
After a two-year gap, the line resumed with three volumes released in 2022: "Spawn: Record Breaker" (May 2022), Spawn: Aftermath (July 2022) and Spawn: Omega (September 2022), between them collecting Spawn issues #298-314.
- Book 1, "Beginnings", 1–5
- Book 2, "Dark Discoveries", 6–9, 11
- Book 3, "Book 3", 12–15
- Book 4, "Book 4", 16–20
- Book 5, "Death and Rebirth", 21–25
- Book 6, "Pathway to Judgement", 26–30
- Book 7, "Deadman's Touch", 31–34
- Book 8, "Betrayal of Blood", 35–38
- Book 9, "Urban Jungle", 39–42
- Book 10, "Vengeance of the Dead", 43–47
- Book 11, "Crossroads", 48–50 (50 is double-sized)
- Book 12, "Immortality", 51–54
- Spawn: Capital Collection (January 1993) – contains issues 1–3 (note: this was a limited edition hardcover exclusively available from Capital City Distribution, and only 1200 copies were made)
- Spawn: The Armageddon Collection Part 1 – contains issues 150–155
- Spawn: The Armageddon Collection Part 2 – contains issues 156–164
- Spawn: The Complete Armageddon Collection – contains issues 150–164
- Spawn: New Flesh Collection (December 2007) – contains issues 166–169, plus a short story from Image Holiday Special 2005 <br /> (note: Issue #165 wasn't included because it features the story of Mandarin Spawn)
- Spawn: Neo Noir – contains issues 170–175
- Spawn: EndGame Volume 1 (June 2009) – contains issues 185–190, with some altered artwork
- Spawn: EndGame Volume 2 (April 2010) – contains issues 191–196, with some altered artwork
- Spawn: EndGame Collection (January 2011) – combines Endgame Vol 1 and 2 (issues 185–196 with some altered artwork)
- Spawn: New Beginnings Volume 1 (July 2011) – contains issues 201–206.
- Spawn: New Beginnings Volume 2 (March 2012) – contains issues 207–212.
- Spawn: Resurrection (November 2015) – contains Spawn: Resurrection #1 and issues 251–255.
- Spawn: Satan Saga Wars (June 21, 2016) – collects SPAWN #256–262
- Spawn: Hell on Earth (September 20, 2017) – collects SPAWN #263–275
- Spawn: Dark Horror (April 23, 2019) – collects SPAWN #276–283
- Spawn: Enemy of the State (August 21, 2019) – collects SPAWN #284-290
- Spawn: Vengeance (May 27, 2020) – collects SPAWN #291-297
- Spawn: The Record Breaker (May 11, 2022) – collects SPAWN #298-301
- Spawn: Aftermath (July 13, 2022) – collects SPAWN #302-307
- Spawn: Omega (September 28, 2022) – collects SPAWN #308-314
- Spawn: Shadows (February 7, 2024) – collects SPAWN #316-323
- Spawn: Bad Business (August 27, 2024) - collects SPAWN #324-330
- Spawn: Sinn's War (February 19, 2025) - collects SPAWN #331-336
Spawn Collection
In 2005, the entire Spawn series began to appear in massive trade paperback releases under the title Spawn Collection – each volume containing approximately twenty issues, except for the first one, which contains ten. Released after the Gaiman lawsuit, these editions do not contain either Issue 9 (featuring the first appearance of Angela and Cogliostro, both created by Neil Gaiman) or Issue 10 (featuring Dave Sim's Cerebus).
Spawn Collection Volumes 1 and 2 were published in both hardcover and trade paperback formats, while Volume 3 onward were only released as trade paperbacks. As of 2009, Spawn Collection Volume 1 is currently out of print, with its fourth printing released in June 2007. In 2009 it was announced that the Spawn Collection would end with Volume 6, to be replaced by a new TBP format that includes soft- and hardcover versions, reprinting the entire Spawn series from the early issues once again (Spawn Origins Collection, see below).
- Spawn Collection Volume 1 – contains issues 1–8, 11–12 (December 2005)
- Spawn Collection Volume 2 – contains issues 13–33 (July 2006)
- Spawn Collection Volume 3 – contains issues 34–54 (March 2007)
- Spawn Collection Volume 4 – contains issues 55–75 (September 2007)
- Spawn Collection Volume 5 – contains issues 76–95 (April 2008)
- Spawn Collection Volume 6 – contains issues 96–116 (August 2008)
Spawn Collection Volume 1 was ranked 17 in the top 100 graphic novels for December 2005 period, with pre-order sales of 3,227.
Spawn Compendium
In 2012, in celebration of Image Comics' then 20 years as a publisher and Spawn being one of their longest running titles, Spawn Compendium was released, reprinting Spawn issues #1–50 at 1136 pages in black and white, though this volume does not collect the individual issues' covers. The book went to a second printing in March 2016.
A new edition of this volume, collected now in full color, was released in February 2021 with a different front cover art (from Spawn #95, and back cover art from Spawn #70). As with the previous edition, this book does not collect the individual issues' covers. Subsequent volumes have been released since collecting every 50 issues per tome.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
! style="width:20%;" | ISBN
|-
| Spawn Compendium 1
| Spawn #1–50 in black and white
| 1136
| 2012
|
|-
| Spawn Compendium 1 Color
| Spawn #1–50
| 1136
| March 2, 2021
|
|-
| Spawn Compendium 2
| Spawn #51–100
| 1084
| December 28, 2021
|
|-
| Spawn Compendium 3
| Spawn #101-150
| 1136
| August 16, 2022
|
|-
|Spawn Compendium 4
|Spawn #151-200
|1136
|December 20, 2022
|
|-
|Spawn Compendium 5
|Spawn #201-250
|1080
|September 12, 2023
|
|-
|Spawn Compendium 6
|Spawn #251-301, Resurrection 1
|1144
|August 20, 2024
|
|-
|Spawn Compendium 7
|Spawn #302-350
|1096
|September 9, 2025
|
|}
Spawn Origins Collection
In 2009, a line of newly redesigned and reformatted trade paperbacks was announced, replacing the Spawn Collection line (see above) and once again collecting the early issues of Spawn. These new trades feature new cover art by Greg Capullo, recreating classic Spawn covers. In addition to the 6 issue trade paperbacks, this line features three oversized 12–13 issue hardcovers, and two large 25-issue limited slipcased deluxe editions (which come in both a standard edition and a signed and numbered edition limited to 500 copies). The 12-issue hardcover edition of Volume One was the first to reprint both Issues 9 and 10, and the 25-issue deluxe editions did as well. Spawn Origins Collection Volume 20 trade paperback was the final volume released in 2014, collecting issues #117–122.
In May 2019, a new edition of Spawn Origins Collection Volume 1 TPB (6th printing) was published at the low cover price of US$9.99. The book went back to press again for a seventh printing a few months later in September 2019.
After an eight-year gap, the line resumed in April 2022 with Spawn Origins Collection Volume 21 collecting issues #123–128. Spawn Origins Collection Volume 22 collecting issues #129–134 was published in September 2022.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:15%;" | Original Publication date
! style="width:20%;" | ISBN
|-
| Spawn Origins Collection Volume 1
| Spawn #1–6
| May 2009
|
|-
| Spawn Origins Collection Volume 2
| Spawn #7–9, 11–14
| July 2009
|
|-
| Spawn Origins Collection Volume 3
| Spawn #15–20
| December 2009
|
|-
| Spawn Origins Collection Volume 4
| Spawn #21–26
| January 2010
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 5
|Spawn #27–32
|May 2010
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 6
|Spawn #33–38
|July 2010
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 7
|Spawn #39–44
|September 2010
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 8
|Spawn #45–50
|November 2010
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 9
|Spawn #51–56
|February 2011
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 10
|Spawn #57–62
|March 2011
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 11
|Spawn #63–68
|June 2011
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 12
|Spawn #69–74
|September 2011
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 13
|Spawn #75–80
|January 2012
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 14
|Spawn #81–86
|March 2012
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 15
|Spawn #87–92
|June 2012
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 16
|Spawn #93–98
|September 2012
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 17
|Spawn #99–104
|February 2013
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 18
|Spawn #105–110
|May 2013
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 19
|Spawn #111–116
|September 2013
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 20
|Spawn #117–122
|February 2014
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 21
|Spawn #123–128
|April 2022
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 22
|Spawn #129–134
|September 2022
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 23
|Spawn #135–140
|October 2022
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 24
|Spawn #141–146
|January 2023
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 25
|Spawn #147–152
|June 2023
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 26
|Spawn #153–160
|August 2023
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 27
|Spawn #161–166
|September 2023
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 28
|Spawn #167–172
|February 2024
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 29
|Spawn #173–178
|August 2024
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 30
|Spawn #179–184
|February 2025
|
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection Volume 31
|Spawn #185–190
|September 2025
|
|}
Hardcover edition
The Spawn: Origins Hardcover collections are the same size as US standard comic book deluxe editions, and typically collect 12 issues of Spawn.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
! style="width:20%;" | ISBN
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 1
| Spawn #1–12
| 300
| March 30, 2010
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 2
| Spawn #13–25
| 328
| November 2, 2010
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 3
| Spawn #26–37
| 328
| March 8, 2011
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 4
| Spawn #38–50
| 325
| September 27, 2011
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 5
| Spawn #51–62
| 325
| January 3, 2012
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 6
| Spawn #63–75
| 325
| May 1, 2012
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 7
| Spawn #76–87
| 320
| September 18, 2012
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 8
| Spawn #88–100
| 368
| April 9, 2013
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 9
| Spawn #101–112
| 384
| September 10, 2013
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 10
| Spawn #113–125
| 352
| October 11, 2016
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 11
| Spawn #126–138
| 352
| November 30, 2022
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 12
| Spawn #139–151
| 368
| April 19, 2023
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 13
| Spawn #152–163
| 312
| October 24, 2023
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 14
| Spawn #164–176
| 320
| July 23, 2024
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 15
| Spawn #177–188
| 296
| December 31, 2024
|
|-
| Spawn: Origins Collection, Book 16
| Spawn #189–200
| 312
| June 25, 2025
|
|}
Deluxe edition
The Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Editions are wider and taller than normal deluxe editions. Each book comes with a slipcase for the book.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
!Title
!Material collected
!Pages
!Publication date
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 1
|Spawn #1–25
|704
|First printing: June 9, 2010<br>Latest printing: December 27, 2022
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 2
|Spawn #26–50
|712
|First printing: December 8, 2010<br>Latest printing: December 27, 2022
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 3
|Spawn #51–75
|710
|First printing: November 21, 2012<br>Latest printing: December 27, 2022
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 4
|Spawn #76–100
|710
|First printing: November 27, 2013<br>Latest printing: December 27, 2022
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 5
|Spawn #101–125
|715
|December 28, 2022
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 6
|Spawn #126–150
|720
|July 4, 2023
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 7
|Spawn #151–175
|680
|June 4, 2024
|-
|Spawn Origins Collection: Deluxe Edition Volume 8
|Spawn #176–200
|680
|May 20, 2024
|}
UK releases
These releases were originally published in fifteen 5–6-issue volumes in the UK by Titan Books, with titles named by religious themes. The following books contained original series issues 1–82, with the exception of the previously mentioned Issue 10.
- Creation – contains issues 1–5
- Evolution – contains issues 6–9 and 11
- Revelation – contains issues 12–15
- Escalation – contains issues 16–20
- Confrontation – contains issues 21–25
- Retribution – contains issues 26–30
- Transformation – contains issues 31–36
- Abduction – contains issues 37–42
- Sanction – contains issues 43–48
- Damnation – contains issues 49–53
- Corruption – contains issues 54–58
- Devastation – contains issues 59–64
- Termination – contains issues 65–70
- Resurrection – contains issues 71–76
- Ascension – contains issues 77–82
Spawn Universe and related collections
King Spawn
King Spawn is the first ongoing spin-off of Spawn, written by Sean Lewis then Rory McConville with art by Javier Fernández and Yıldıray Çınar.
Trade Paperbacks
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
|-
| King Spawn Volume 1
| King Spawn #1 - 6
| 168
| May 31, 2022
|-
| King Spawn Volume 2
| King Spawn #7 - 12
| 144
| March 28, 2023
|-
| King Spawn Volume 3
| King Spawn #13 - 18
| 144
| October 3, 2023
|-
|King Spawn Volume 4
|King Spawn #19 - 24
|144
|March 5, 2024
|-
|King Spawn Volume 5
|King Spawn #25 - 30
|144
|September 24, 2024
|-
|King Spawn Volume 6
|King Spawn #31 - 36
|144
|April 1, 2025
|}
King Spawn Origins
Just like the Spawn: Origins hardcover collections, the King Spawn Origins are the same size as US standard comic book deluxe editions, and typically collect 12 issues of King Spawn. Starting in October 2025, the series started to be collected in oversized hardcovers.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
|-
| King Spawn Origins Vol. 1
| King Spawn #1 - 12
| 320
| Oct 1, 2025
|}
Gunslinger Spawn
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 1
| Gunslinger Spawn #1 - 6
| 170
| August 2, 2022
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 2
| Gunslinger Spawn #7 - 12
| 144
| May 23, 2023
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 3
| Gunslinger Spawn #13 - 18
| 144
| December 5, 2023
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 4
| Gunslinger Spawn #19 - 24
| 144
| May 21, 2024
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 5
| Gunslinger Spawn #25 - 30
| 144
| November 19, 2024
|-
| Gunslinger Spawn Volume 6
| Gunslinger Spawn #31 - 36
| 144
| June 3, 2025
|}
The Scorched
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
|-
| The Scorched Volume 1
| The Scorched #1 - 6
| 160
| November 9, 2022
|-
| The Scorched Volume 2
| The Scorched #7 - 12
| 144
| July 18, 2023
|-
| The Scorched Volume 3
| The Scorched #13 - 18
| 144
| January 9, 2023
|-
| The Scorched Volume 4
| The Scorched #19 - 26
| 144
| July 23, 2024
|-
| The Scorched Volume 5
| The Scorched #27 - 32
| 144
| March 4, 2025
|-
| The Scorched Volume 6
| The Scorched #33 - 38
| 144
| September 23, 2025
|}
Sam & Twitch
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:25%;" | Title
! style="width:35%;" | Material collected
! style="width:5%;" | Pages
!Format
! style="width:15%;" | Publication date
|-
! colspan="5" | Sam & Twitch (vol. 1)
|-
| Sam & Twitch Book 1: Udaku
| Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #1–8
| 192
|TPB
| December, 2000
|-
| Sam & Twitch: The Brian Michael Bendis Collection 1
| Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #1–9
| 224
|TPB
| May, 2006
|-
| Sam & Twitch: The Brian Michael Bendis Collection 2
| Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #10–19
| 224
|TPB
| July, 2007
|-
! colspan="5" |Sam & Twitch Origins
|-
| Sam and Twitch Origins Book 1
| Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #1-13
| 328
|HC
| July, 2024
|-
| Sam and Twitch Origins Book 2
| Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #14-26
| 336
|HC
| January, 2025
|-
! colspan="5" |Sam & Twitch: Case Files (vol. 3)
|-
|Sam & Twitch: Case Files Vol 1.
|Sam & Twitch: Case Files (vol 3.) #1-8
|208
|TPB
|April, 2025
|-
! colspan="5" |Sam & Twitch Compendium
|-
|Sam and Twitch Compendium Vol. 1
|Sam & Twitch (vol. 1) #1-26, Case Files: Sam & Twitch #1-25 and Sam & Twitch The Writer #1-4.
|1320
|TPB
|July, 2025
|}
Spin-off trade paperback collections
Several Spawn-related mini-series has been collected in trade paperback editions.
- Angela (later retitled Spawn: Angela's Hunt) – collects Neil Gaiman's Angela issues 1–3 and the 1995 one-shot.
- Spawn: Bloodfeud – collects Spawn: Bloodfeud 1–4
- Hellspawn: The Ashley Wood Collection – collects Hellspawn issues 1–10, replaces pages from issue 10 originally drawn by Ben Templesmith with new art by Ashley Wood
- Spawn: The Undead – collects Spawn: The Undead issues 1–9
- Medieval Spawn / Witchblade – collects Medieval Spawn / Witchblade 1–3
- Violator vs. Badrock – collects Alan Moore's crossover miniseries issues 1–4
- Shadows of Spawn Collection – collects the Spawn manga
- Spawn: Book of the Dead Released in both hardcover and softcover editions
- Alan Moore: Wild Worlds – collects Spawn/WildC.A.T.S. 1–4
One-shot editions
- Spawn: Blood and Shadows
- Spawn: Blood and Salvation
- Spawn: Simony
- Spawn: Architects of Fear
- Spawn: The Movie
- Spawn: The Book Of Souls ASIN: B0039ODNQW
- Spawn: Bible ASIN: B001M0G3NK
- Spawn Adult Coloring Book
- Spawn: Godslayer
- Spawn/Batman
- Batman/Spawn: War Devil
- Spawn & Batman: Inner Demons (Unreleased)
- Spawn/Savage Dragon: Newsstand edition of Savage Dragon issue 30
- Angela Special
- Angela/Glory
- Glory/Angela
- Glory/Celestine
- Aria-Angela Blank & Noir
Spin-off hardcover collection
A few Spawn-related mini-series have been collected in HC editions.
- Spawn: The Dark Ages Complete Collection – collects issues 1–28
- Hellspawn: Complete Collection – collects issues 1–16
- Batman/Spawn: The Classic Collection – collects Batman/Spawn: War Devil and Spawn/Batman
Curse of the Spawn
Most of the Curse of the Spawn – spin-off series has been collected in trade paperback editions.
- Curse of the Spawn: Book 1: Sacrifice of the Soul – issues 1–4
- Curse of the Spawn: Book 2: Blood and Sutures – issues 5–8
- Curse of the Spawn: Book 3: Shades of Grey – issues 9–11, 29
- Curse of the Spawn: Book 4: Lost Values – issues 12–14, 22
- The Best of Curse of the Spawn – contains issues 1–8, 12–16 and 20–29 without the coloring
In other media
Television
- Spawn made his animated debut in the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn in which Spawn is voiced by Keith David. The series won two Emmys (one in 1998 and another in 1999) and two Golden Reel Awards (1998/1999).
- In 2011, Spawn starred in the Death Battle! episode "Kratos vs. Spawn", in which he faced off against Kratos from the God of War franchise, defeating him in the series' titular duel to the death, complimented by Inverse as "cute".
- In 2025, Spawn returned to fight against Ghost Rider, who he would also defeat.
- In 2019, McFarlane revealed that there will be two animated shows based on the character, one for kids and the other for adults.
Film
- In 1997, a film adaptation featured Michael Jai White as Spawn. As a result, White became the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture. The film received generally negative reviews.
- In early 2015, McFarlane announced a new Spawn film adaptation. In February 2016 McFarlane confirmed he had completed the script for the film with a larger-than-normal page count because he was "putting in details for [him]self" in conjunction with his hopes to direct. In July 2017, it was confirmed that McFarlane would direct the film, which is being produced under Jason Blum's production company Blumhouse. In May 2018, it was reported that Jamie Foxx would portray the title character. In July 2018, the working title was revealed to be Tony Dynamite. In November 2019, the film restarted development due to the financial success of the R-rated comic book film Joker. In August 2021, it was revealed that Broken City screenwriter Brian Tucker had been hired to rewrite McFarlane's screenplay. In October 2022, McFarlane announced that Scott Silver, Malcolm Spellman, and Matthew Mixon had been hired to rewrite the screenplay. In June 2023, Jason Blum announced that he is aiming for a 2025 release date. On July 22, 2024, McFarlane announced on his Twitter page that the script was completed, and that the film would be retitled King Spawn.
- Spawn appears in Ready Player One (2018). He also appears as an avatar fighting the forces of IOI on Planet Doom during the final battle.
Video games
Spawn has starred in several video games:
- Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game (1995) (SNES)
- Spawn: The Eternal (1997) (PlayStation)
- Spawn: The Ultimate (1997) (PlayStation, only released in Japan)
- Spawn (1999) (Game Boy Color) voiced by Scott Keck.
- Spawn: In the Demon's Hand (1999, 2000; Dreamcast, arcade) voiced by Maurice Dean Wint. In his ending, he sends Kronika and Malebogia to hell for eternity and, with Scorpion's and Sub-Zero's assistance, makes a new goal to purge the eight Hells left.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2023) with Keith David reprising his role. Spawn headlines the battle pass of Season 6, with multiple other in-game operators receiving skins themed around characters related to Spawn.
Merchandising
- At the time of the release of the live action film, Spawn appeared in several commercials for Taco Bell.
- In 1994, McFarlane Toys released the first line of Spawn toys produced, in later years the series would include alternate timeframes and different takes on the classic characters with toyline series.
Music
The Dark Saga by Iced Earth is a concept album based upon the Spawn story. The cover of the album, by Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane, depicts Spawn himself, though due to legal issues, Iced Earth could not use the names of the characters in the songs.
Reception
Spawn was ranked 60th on Wizard magazine's list of the Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time, 50th on Empire magazine's list of The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, and 36th on IGNs 2011 Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.