While 2020 was a milestone year for Todd McFarlane and McFarlane Toys, all things Spawn must go on, and 2021 is looking like another great year for Al Simmons, and co as Todd McFarlane announced, the beginning of the “world-building” Spawn universe. Kicking things off will be Spawn’s Universe #1 which expands on the 30-year mythos of Spawn and brings together the artistic talents of Brett Booth, Jim Cheung, McFarlane, and colorist FCO. Todd is pulling double duties as both an artist and a writer for the inaugural issue that serves as the launching point for the interconnected multi-character universe within the Spawn series.
“I’ve waited almost 30 years to be able to get to this moment. To deliver on ideas, I hope they will grow from this initial seed called SPAWN’S UNIVERSE #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.”
Todd Mcfarlane
As with all new series, you can expect plenty of variant covers, and this first will have some of the best in the game, including J. Scott Campbell, who will be doing a set of four covers, each depicting one of the major characters who will be making the biggest impact in all the 2021 comic titles McFarlane is unleashing. Additional variant covers will be created by McFarlane and a group cover by artist Brett Booth – with inks by McFarlane. More covers and incentives will be announced later. However, these initial six covers will set the stage for over a dozen high profile artists to add their depiction of Spawn and other fan-favorite heroes that will set the stage for three new monthly spin-off Spawn titles: King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, and The Scorched, all releasing nationwide in 2021.
SPAWN’S UNIVERSE interior page by artist Jim Cheung and colorist FCO Plascencia. 
SPAWN’S UNIVERSE interior page by artist Jim Cheung and colorist FCO Plascencia.
Spawn’s Universe #1 will contain four different stories featuring Spawn with art by Jim Cheung. She-Spawn with art by Marcio Takara, Medieval Spawn with art by Stephen Segovia, and fan-favorite Gunslinger Spawn with art by Brett Booth. We’ll also see iconic characters from past and present stories too. A universe needs villains to go with its heroes, and Spawn’s Universe will be no different, with new villains being introduced in issue #1.
Spawn’s Universe #1 will be a 52 page one-shot issue when it hits comic shop shelves in June and will have a retail price of $5.99. When you consider the debuting characters, packed issue and solid price picking this up if you’re a Spawn fan is a no-brainer.
It has been more than 28 years for collectors and fans since a Spawn #1 title has released, and 2021 will bring four new Spawn-related #1 titles to comic retailers nationwide. In 1992, the Spawn comic’s first issue was released and sold an unprecedented 1.7 million copies, a record still unsurpassed for a creator-owned comic book. The original Spawn book is one of the world’s bestselling and longest-running comics, with over 100 million copies sold in more than 120 countries.
Will you be checking out Spawn’s Universe when it hits shelves in June? Let us know in the comments.
