Spawn is a comic book series created by Todd McFarlane and published by Image Comics (first issue May 1992).
The religion-heavy book began with a very superhero-like tone, much like McFarlane's previous work, but the title character evolved into a more flawed anti-hero. The current book has skewed significantly darker than early issues would suggest. McFarlane attributes this to being a necessary part of development. To introduce the book to readers it had to be slightly cleaner than he really wished it to be so that it read like a superhero tale. As the book took off and became more established he was able to alter the tone closer to his vision.
Largely due to the popularity McFarlane accumulated illustrating Marvel Comics' Spider-Man, Spawn became an instant sales sensation and perhaps the most popular comic book character owned by a third company since Marvel and DC dominated the market in the 1960s. The series has spun off several other comics, including Angela, Curse of the Spawn, Sam & Twitch and the Japanese manga Shadows of Spawn. Spawn was adapted into a 1997 feature film, an HBO animated series lasting from 1997 until 1999 and a series of action figures whose unprecedented detail made McFarlane Toys an industry giant.
Spawn's popularity cooled and creators other than McFarlane have been responsible for the monthly series, although McFarlane still makes decisions for the book's course. After David Hine took over the title, the monthly series, with a new focus on horror, began picking up heat again. On June 12, 2008, it was announced that Todd McFarlane and Brian Holguin return to the pages of Spawn with artist and Image founder Whilce Portacio, beginning with Issue #185 in October (2008). The new creative force promises to bring an entirely new energy to the world of Spawn.