Todd McFarlane Reveals Banned Marvel Artwork and Explains Why He Quit the Company (Exclusive)

During a tour of his studio for ComicBook.com's The Collectibles Show, artist and executive Todd McFarlane gave a look at a piece of art that had been censored at Marvel -- and apparently was the last straw before he decided to strike out on his own. Speaking with Chris Killian, McFarlane showed off a page from his Spider-Man/X-Force crossover with fellow Image Comics founder Rob Liefeld. It was a page that, according to McFarlane, wasn't meant to be a big statement, but ultimately ended up being one, after Marvel nixed it from publication based on their understanding of the Comics Code Authority's guidelines.

The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 as a self-censoring organization meant to prevent comics from being regulated by the U.S. federal government following a series of high profile controversies. Most mainstream publishers adhered to the code for around 50 years, with Marvel sticking with it until 2001.

"You would have thought I killed a baby or something like that," McFarlane said. "All of a sudden I'm on the phone with like five editors, and a bunch of people going, 'Todd, you can't do it, you can't do it?' and it's like, why? And they said, 'Becuase it's in the Comics Code.' I said, 'The Comics Code? I've been asking for the Comics Code for three years. Why didn't somebody send me the Comics Code? What is the Comics Code? Is there even a copy, or are you guys just making this up?' And they were like, 'Well, we just don't think it'll work,' and then the absurd conversation I had...they just went, 'Todd, you can't stab people.' I can't stab people? What are you talking about? I just bought an issue of Frank Miller, and the cover is Bullsyee gutting Elektra through the gut. 'Ohh, well, you can do it in the stomach, you're doign it in the eye.'"

You can see the complete interview below.

McFarlane pantomimed various other locations around the body that it was or wasn't okay to stab a character, and then delivered the most important part of the story.

"So, I go, 'Here's what's going to happen -- I'm a couple of days from having the baby. I'm going to be a father; I don't know how much that's goign to eat my time....I'm done. I'm done."

McFarlane and Rob Liefeld have both long enjoyed sharing the story of how they marched into Marvel one day to announce they and five other superstar artists were leaving the company to go start their own comics publisher. Of Image's seven original founders, McFarlane has arguably had the most financial success post-Marvel, starting his own toy company as well as publishing comics. A feature film was made based on Spawn -- a comic McFarlane owns in full -- and a few years ago, DC started subcontracting the production of their action figures to McFarlane Toys.