Todd McFarlane’s Spawn Universe has been going great guns for the last few years. With the release of Spawn’s Universe #1 towards the end of 2021, readers were quickly introduced to 3 new companion titles that would run alongside the now record-breaking main series – the longest running independent comic in history.
Those original titles included King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn and The Scorched. Between them they covered a wide array of genres and purposes, with King Spawn acting like the Detective Comics to Spawn’s Batman and The Scorched delivering on an Avengers-like team-up between the various benevolent Hellspawn that have appeared throughout Spawn’s publication history.
McFarlane and editor Thomas Healy have long been teasing an expansion to their incredibly successful line of comics, and as of SDCC 2023 we now know what those next comic books are.
Returning Favourites of the Spawn Universe
First among the list of new Spawn Universe comics that were announced were two from the same artist, Szymon Kudranski.
Having previously served as a fan favourite artist on Spawn, bringing a dark, moody style that emphasised the horror elements of the series, Kudranski now returns to pencil two titles: Sam & Twitch and Misery.
Sam & Twitch will follow the titular detectives, who’ve recently been playing a major role in King Spawn’s current arc where they assist Al Simmons in investigating the human trafficking and illegal experimentation performed by the Exodus Foundation. This will also be a returning title, as Sam & Twitch was previously published towards the beginning of Spawn’s run and was written by Brian Michael Bendis.
On the other hand, Misery will follow a potentially new character – a young girl who has special powers. Specifically, she can attack evildoers using psychic abilities. It is unclear if this character will be in any way related the existing characters like Nyx or Cyan, or if she’ll be an entirely new addition to the Spawn Universe.
Expanding on the Spawn Universe
Following those announcements, McFarlane went on to deliver more good news to fans of the existing titles.
Gunslinger Spawn has been a much beloved character since his introduction in 2002, and nowadays he has his own series, drawn by none other than Brett Booth.
Well, now he doesn’t have a series – he has two! McFarlane confirmed that a second series, written by Jimmy Palmiotti, would run alongside the existing title, detailing his time fighting in the Civil War.
Palmiotti of course has great experience creating stories in and around this time period, with his long and acclaimed run on Jonah Hex (with co-writer Justin Gray) under his belt. No artist for this title was formally announced at SDCC 2023.
Furthermore, there were two other titles announced on Friday. A sequel to Spawn Kills Everything!… called Spawn Kills Every Spawn was slated. Written by John Layman, with art by Rob Deunas, this will continue the non-canon trend of seeing Al Simmons beat, shoot and stab the ever-loving pulp out of the poor symbiote-clad fools who cross his path.
Also, a fifth book called No Home Here was also announced as part of the Spawn Universe. This is a special piece of news, as veteran Spawn inkers Daniel Henriques and Jonathan Glapion will join forces as writer and artist respectively to tell an all-new tale. This series focuses on one of the surviving victims of classic Spawn villain Billy Kincaid, as they try their best to navigate (and survive) a harsh and cruel world.
This part is entirely speculation, but based on the description it is possible this series shares somewhat in the tone of DNA of a classic Spawn spin-off Curse of the Spawn. Time will tell how much inspiration, if any, the series draws from its post-apocalyptic cousin.
One Last Surprise
Before the McFarlane panel ended, an unexpected guest was brought on stage – actor and writer David Dastmalchian. Known in recent years for his portrayal of Polka Dot Man in DC’s The Suicide Squad, Dastmalchian has also taking to writing comics, most recently penning Count Crawley over at Dark Horse Comics.
An espoused fan of Todd McFarlane’s work, Dastmalchian served up one last announcement for the SDCC 2023 panel in the form of a new comic series called Knights vs Samurai. A character-focused tale, this series will be drawn by artist Fede Mele.
Given the success of Spawn and his associated Spawn Universe, it’s not hard to see why McFarlane is expanding so widely. Sales continue to track high, and fan engagement across social media and in the various title’s letters columns never wavers. Should these new comics prove a hit too, it’s entirely possible we hear some more great comic news at next year’s SDCC too.
