Videos by ComicBook.com
McFarlane has always been a very accomplished artist, with many of his covers having helped shape the industry. Some of McFarlane’s design choices, like Spider-Man’s big eyes and “spaghetti webbing,” are still used to this day. Additionally, many of the covers McFarlane created have been imitated countless times by other artists who were inspired by his ingenious work.
10) Spawn #77
Part of the appeal of Todd McFarlane’s original character, Spawn, is that he’s an undead anti-hero who obtained his powers from the pits of Hell. However, for Spawn #77, McFarlane, alongside fellow artist Greg Capullo, depicts a much more holy portrayal of Image Comics’ premier character. This beautiful cover debuts Spawn’s all-powerful divine form. Basked in holy light while looking up towards the heavens, Divine Spawn had abandoned his iconic red cloak, chains, and spikes. Instead, in this new form Spawn is adorned with massive angelic wings. It was a shocking departure from Spawn’s regular look. And while Spawn didn’t assume this form in the comic, the cover did act as a teaser for its eventual emergence nearly a hundred issues later.
9) Amazing Spider-Man #311
Some of McFarlane’s best covers incorporate the character’s designs into the layout of the artwork. The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #311 is shown from the Web-Head’s point of view as he’s getting ready to attack the nefarious master of illusions known as Mysterio, all while the villain’s signature purple smoke encompasses the background. What makes this cover so phenomenal is that Spider-Man can see his own reflection on Mysterio’s bubble helmet. It’s a fun and creative artwork that takes full advantage of the villain’s costume. The cover is so popular that to promote the 2018 MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Mysterio, posted a video of himself reading this very comic.
8) Spawn/Batman #1
As someone who worked on both Spawn and Batman, McFarlane’s creation of a crossover between the two brooding heroes was inevitable. Collaborating with Frank Miller, McFarlane illustrated Spawn/Batman #1 with them leaping across the night sky together as a bolt of lightning strikes in the background. The comic was described as a companion story to Miller’s masterpiece The Dark Knight Returns, from which McFarlane clearly took inspiration in how he posed Batman and Spawn. This comic was the first crossover between DC and Image Comics, and it was such a massive hit that Batman and Spawn had another team-up story in 2022.
7) Amazing Spider-Man #313
No other artist made the Wall-Crawler’s longtime enemy, the Lizard, more terrifying than McFarlane. Amazing Spider-Man #423 features a nightmarish close-up of the Lizard overpowering the hero and getting ready to devour him. The Lizard’s detailed design, matched with his open jaws with numerous razor-sharp teeth, perfectly encapsulates the animalistic savagery of the character. Spider-Man himself is in pretty bad shape with his costume torn, blood leaking from his mouth, and his hands desperately trying to keep the Lizard’s deadly maw from chomping down. This is the best cover to feature the Lizard and is still praised and sought after by many collectors thanks to its amazing design and layout.
6) Batman #423
McFarlane is well-known for both his obsession with capes and his tendency to exaggerate bodily proportions. Batman #423 is a perfect example of both trends. While holding a civilian woman close to comfort her, Batman is portrayed as a massive and looming shroud-like figure with his face obscured, his shoulders impossibly sharp, and his immense cape billowing in the wind. The scene is framed by a blood-red sky and a bright yellow sun with a swarm of bats surrounding the pair. Lauded as one of the best Batman covers of all time, McFarlane perfectly balances the nightmarish urban-legend-style aura of the Dark Knight with the hero’s gentler and more human side.
