Todd McFarlane Does the Math to Prove His Spawn Record Will Never Be Broken (Exclusive)

Todd McFarlane's Spawn has carved out a unique space in the comic landscape, building a massive mythology in the decades since its debut. The Image Comics series has not only birthed movies, an animated series, and multiple video game appearances, but a record-breaking 350 issues of sequential comics. During a recent interview on ComicBook.com's That Collectibles Show, McFarlane spoke about the tenure he has had on Spawn thus far, and outlined just how difficult it would be for any creator to surpass his current record.

"My first Spider-Man I ever bought, Amazing Spider-Man. I started collecting late, right?" McFarlane explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "I was like 16. The first Spider-Man I ever bought [was] Amazing Spider-Man #167. I have clarity of exactly where I was when I bought it. So #167, that means that comic book had only been around for like 14 years, 13-14 years. By the time I got to draw it, I had to grow up, teach myself, break into comic books, make my chops, and then be able to get to Amazing Spider-Man. And my first issue was #298 and now I'm at #350 with Spawn. So Spawn has got fifty more issues than when I, basically, did my first issue, or it's over double what it was when I bought the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man. And I thought Spider-Man had been around forever at those points. And I go "Wow, time is passing by." And given that we started in 1992, you just do the math, right? I now know that any human being on this planet who's 31 or younger has never spent a day on this planet where my character didn't exist."

"We're going to do math," McFarlane continued. "Let's do the math. You do 120 [issues] every ten years, okay? So at #360, I'm at 30 years. So if I go another 30 years, which I plan on doing it, then I'll be up to over 700 issues. So somebody needs to beat that record. You have to start at twenty [years old]. I don't even know who this, I don't even know who this 20 year-old is that exists. They have to be sitting there right now saying 'I know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do it until I'm 81 years old, and I'm not gonna stop, and then I'll beat Todd."

Will Todd McFarlane Leave Spawn?

In a previous interview with ComicBook.com to promote Spawn #350, McFarlane indicated that he does not plan on leaving the book anytime soon, and argued that his ownership over the character provides a unique creative outlet.

"I've been with Spawn now for over 30 years. I know that seems like a long time," McFarlane explained in our interview. "I've been with my wife for 45 years, and I think I still got another 40 with her, so I don't know. When you enjoy doing what it is you're doing, it's not work, it's easy. And I've said before, I need it in my life because I deal with so much other stuff, especially on the toy side where I deal with corporations and getting people's approvals and getting people to sign off. I need my little creative paradise that is all mine, that I can just wake up, come up with whatever is in my head and do it, and not need anybody's approval. It's my chicken noodle for my soul. I know people go 'Todd, how do you do it for so long?' I think I'd be half crazy if I didn't have it, in all honesty."

Is Spawn Getting a Movie Reboot?

Another facet of the Spawn franchise that fans have been excitedly following is the long-awaited Spawn movie reboot. Spawn will follow the journey of Al Simmons (portrayed by Jamie Foxx), a man who makes a deal with the devil and is reborn as a Hellspawn-turned-vigilante. The new Spawn movie has been in the works since early 2015, with McFarlane initially planning to write and direct it himself. In the years that have followed, Brian Tucker, Scott Silver, Malcolm Spellman, and Matthew Mixon have all been brought on to rewrite the script. Blumhouse's Jason Blum has previously told ComicBook.com that the film is targeting a 2025 release date. 

"It's in very very active development," Blum explained in an interview last year. "What needs to happen is that my fellow friends the writers and the studios need to figure out their differences and get back to writing, but we've got a great group of folks putting it together, and my hope is that that movie -- my prediction is maybe we'll actually see a Spawn movie in '25. No promises, but that's my prediction."

What do you think of Todd McFarlane's new comments about Spawn? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Spawn #350 is now available wherever comics are sold.