AN INTERVIEW WITH LEGENDARY COMIC BOOK ARTIST, TOYMAKER, FILM PRODUCER
The legendary Todd McFarlane, a trailblazer in comics and toys, graced MEGACON Orlando 2025. Known for his iconic work on The Amazing Spiderman, Venom, among many others, and the creation of Spawn, McFarlane co-founded Image Comics, revolutionizing the industry by giving creators more control over their work. His love for being left of center has consistently pushed boundaries, leading to innovative storytelling and complex themes resonating with fans.
Beyond comics, McFarlane founded McFarlane Toys, setting new standards with highly detailed action figures. At MEGACON, he shared his creative process and vision for the future, inspiring fans and creators with his unwavering dedication to artistic integrity. McFarlane’s presence was a testament to his enduring legacy and passion for challenging the status quo.
What was the first comic book you ever read?
An early issue of The Fantastic Four. I have an older and younger brother, and we would go on road trips. Mom and Dad would go into the store, grab a couple of comic books and chocolate bars, throw them in the backseat, and say, ‘Here, be quiet. I don’t want to hear any fighting.’ I remember the first time I ever read the line, ‘It’s clobbering time.’ Ever since then, The Thing has been my favorite.
There is a Before Todd McFarlane and After Todd McFarlane in both comics and toys. What would you say to the boy doodling in his notebook in school that you would someday revolutionize the industry?
The reality check would be that you don’t know you are, and you’re not going to change it because you know you are doing it. You’re going to change it because you are kind of immature, sort of stubborn guy and your mom will say, ‘You’ve been like that your whole life already, Todd.’ That personality that some people consider a negative will oddly benefit you when you get older, and you stand your ground. It’s hard for me to imagine, in hindsight, looking back that I would make the impact that I did artistically on Spiderman.
What is the story of branching off on your own, and is there a significance to the name Image Comics?
Three of us were going to start a new company, and each do a new comic book independently. So we thought, why not put it under one banner? One of the three said, ‘I have a fourth buddy who wants to join.’ We went to New York to quit, and in those twenty-four hours, from the time we landed until telling Marvel that we were going to quit, we picked up three more heavy-duty creators who happened to be in New York by pure coincidence. By the time we went to the meeting, we had seven. The name came from Rob Liefeld, one of the original guys. There was a camera commercial with Andre Agasti. The punchline at the end he’d take a picture and go, ‘Image is everything.’ Rob said, ‘Image is a good word. Let’s call ourselves Image.’ He drew up the Image eye, and it’s been that ever since.
Can you give an example of how you come up with character names?
The number one bad guy in Spawn named Violator was from my wife getting wine. I dropped her off and was sitting in the back alley waiting for her. I saw a sign that read, ‘No parking. Tow away zone. Violators will be will be prosecuted.’ I said, ‘Ohh man, Violator is a cool name. You just see words and go, ‘That would be a cool name.’
What do you enjoy most about the toy-making process?
Trying to solve the puzzle of each figure. There’s always something you are trying to figure out. There is the holy grail for me – it’s the perfect toy, but that’s like drawing the perfect page – it will never happen. You strive for it and then you die. This is every artist. This is why we’re neurotic. A couple of reasons – one – you never turnout perfection because you never accept anything in front of us is perfection and two – we have a million ideas in our head and we know we may only get 100 out before we die. We might die with our best ideas and take them to the grave without the world ever knowing because we can’t get them all out in a lifetime.
What is next for you?
A serious dark – hopefully closer to bordering on horror – Spawn movie. I think that is who that character is and in the superhero comic book one of the few who can live in that arena. Here’s an A+ character in the comic book world that can go into this place that the other characters have to live in PG13. This will be a dark, r-rated movie.
What challenges have you faced while choosing the path less traveled, and how have they shaped your journey?
When nobody’s doing it, that’s the reason to try. A guy like me and my personality – that’s the thrill. Going to path less traveled we don’t know if it’s a dead end, but we know where the other path leads because a hundred other guys have done it. If we survive down this path, they’ll call us geniuses, journeymen. I don’t want to be part of the crowd, never have wanted to. If you go left, I go right and reverse. I’m not married to my position. I just don’t want to be part of group think. I’d rather fail on my own merits than succeed with you telling me what to do.
After everything is said and done, what do you want your legacy to be?
On my tombstone, other than saying ‘Here’s Todd. He was a husband and father,’ is to read ‘he died a free man.’ I want to go to my grave living life as I see fit.
