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Image Comics has a Spawn shake-up, as Todd McFarlane & Brett Booth leave early for a new creative team and a time jump

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane is passing the fiery torch to a new writer & new artist.

Spawn #376 variant cover
Image credit: Simone Bianchi (Image Comics)

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has at various times been the writer, artist, inker, and even colorist of the Spawn series since its launch in the early '90s. But now he's passing the torch, with writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Stephen Segovia taking over Image Comics' Spawn series this June — and in the process, tearing up some of McFarlane's plans.

Spawn #376 main cover
Image credit: Don Aguillo (Image Comics)

Rosenberg and Segovia are now set to take over the series with Spawn #376 this June, despite McFarlane and artist Brett Booth being previously announced as the creators of that issue, and the two following. Instead, the new Spawn creative team is doing a one-year time jump to set up a new status quo.

"The revelation that Heaven and Hell are real—and have abandoned Earth—has destabilized society at every level. Institutions strain. Governments falter," reads the description from McFarlane's offices. "Spawn himself has vanished. Al Simmons, seemingly restored to humanity, lives anonymously in a fractured Manhattan until his return triggers the attention of 'The 400,' a powerful cabal of angels, demons, vampires, and alien entities who believe Spawn’s existence threatens their survival."

RELATED: Todd McFarlane almost had his own Batman series in 1992 (but he chose Spawn instead)

This is a change for not only the core Spawn title, but also its connected titles. Rosenberg and Thomas Nachlik are taking over King Spawn with May's #55, Carlo Barberi is joining Erica Schultz on Gunslinger Spawn with May's #54, and Thomas Healy and Alessandro Vitti are taking over The Scorched with May's #51.

“After all these years, it is always exciting to have talented creators jump on board and take the world of Spawn for a spin around the block,” says McFarlane. “I have been a great admirer of both Matt and Erica’s writing skills and asked them to come and give their own interpretation of how the Spawn Universe should work. Asking them to go into some corners, creatively, that no one has done before."

McFarlane says this is a chance to attract new readers as he focuses on plans for Spawn #400, which at this rate would be coming in 2028.


 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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