10 Amazing Comic Books That Should Have Flopped
8. Spawn #1
Who would be crazy enough to leave a best-selling book at the number one comics company in the country, where he could essentially write his own ticket, to go independent with every chance of crashing and burning? Todd McFarlane, for one.
Along with six other creators, Todd created Image Comics. In many ways focusing on the visuals of the comic more than the story, this company is a departure from the way comics had been done, but was right in line with the visual style that McFarlane favored.
After a two-year run on DC’s Infinity Inc. and completing the final three issues of Batman: Year One in Detective Comics, Todd moved over to Marvel. He did a year on the Incredible Hulk with Peter David before moving over to Amazing Spider-Man in issue #298. McFarlane was given his own Spider-Man title to write and draw in 1990 but editorial interference caused him to quit by the 16th issue.
McFarlane created the occult-horror comic Spawn, based on a character from his childhood sketchbook, and the first issue sold 1.7 million copies, the highest-selling independent comic book to this day. In the story of a Hellspawn that returned to Earth, McFarlane retained all rights and full creative control of the character; something he couldn’t have done at either of the major comic companies.