Albert Francis "Al" Simmons, better known as Spawn, is an antihero appearing in a monthly comic book of the same name published by American company Image Comics, as well as in a number of films, television series, and video game adaptations set in the Image Universe. Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1.
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian comic book creator, best known for his work as the artist on The Amazing Spider-Man and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horror-fantasy series Spawn, as well as being the current President and a co-founder of Image Comics.
Spawn is a 1997 American superhero film based on the Image Comics character of the same name. Directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé, the film stars Michael Jai White in the title role, alongside John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle, D. B. Sweeney, Miko Hughes, and Nicol Williamson in his final film role. The film depicts the origin story of the title character, a murdered US Marine who is resurrected as the reluctant leader of Hell's army. Spawn is one of the first films to feature an African American actor portraying a major comic book superhero.
McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
Sam Burke and Maximilian "Twitch" Williams are two fictional NYPD homicide detectives, created by Todd McFarlane. Sam and Twitch were originally featured in McFarlane's hit comic series Spawn. Due to their popularity, they were later given their own title in 1999, called Sam and Twitch. In their self-titled series, the duo were the protagonists in a dark and gritty New York City. The fictional universe of Sam and Twitch is somewhat different from average comics in which costumed heroes are not the norm.
Violator is a supervillain who appears in the Spawn comic books published by Image Comics. The character first appeared in Spawn #2 and was created by writer-artist Todd McFarlane.
Cogliostro, also simply Cog, is a fictional character in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic series, set in the Image Universe. Cogliostro was created in 1993 by author Neil Gaiman and artist Todd McFarlane and introduced in Spawn issue #9. Originally depicted as a supporting character, he becomes an antagonist as the series progresses, eventually becoming the supervillain Sinn and the third main antagonist of the series.
Jason Wynn is a supervillain in the Todd McFarlane Image Universe comic book series Spawn. Wynn is the director of the United States Security Group. He is perhaps the most powerful man in the world, and has politicians throughout the government on his payroll. His actions caused Al Simmons' soul to be sent to Hell and transformed into Spawn in the first place, making him a major villain in the comics as a result.
The Man of Miracles is a fictional, ageless, mysterious, genderless, super-being, featured in the Spawn comic book series.
Todd McFarlane's Spawn, also known as Spawn: The Animated Series or simply Spawn, is an American adult animated superhero television series that aired on HBO from 1997 through 1999 and reran on Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block in Japan. It has also been released on DVD as a film series. The show is based on the character Spawn from Image Comics, and won an Emmy Award in 1999 for Outstanding Animation Program.
Spawn: In the Demon's Hand is a 3D fighting game developed and published by Capcom for the Dreamcast and arcade. It is based on the comic book character Spawn created by Todd McFarlane and produced by Image Comics. A port was planned for the PlayStation 2 as a launch title but was later canceled.
Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child is a first-person shooter video game developed by American studio Third Law Interactive and published by Gathering of Developers for Microsoft Windows in July 2000. It was also released later that year for Dreamcast following a port by Tremor Entertainment.
Jessica Priest is a fictional character from the Spawn universe. Specifically, Priest serves as a substitute in the Spawn film for Chapel, Al Simmons's killer in the comic book. Priest was played by Melinda Clarke in the film. She would later become the second She-Spawn and leader of the team called Scorched.
Clayton Crain is an American comic book artist known for his digital painted work on Marvel Comics books such as Ghost Rider, X-Force, and Carnage, and also on the Valiant Comics series Rai. Crain is also known for his work with Todd McFarlane, covers for DC, and his unique sketch cover acrylic paintings.
Tiffany is a fictional character in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book series. She was first introduced to the series in issues #44 and #45. Tiffany, like fellow angel Angela, is a Hellspawn hunter. Therefore, the most current Hellspawn, Al Simmons, is her primary target. She has a long-standing rivalry with Angela, but since Angela has gone rogue, Tiffany's aim is to fill her place as the top Hellspawn slayer in Heaven's army. In her first attempt to slay Spawn, she was over-zealous and was defeated in a grisly manner. Although she lost the fight, she escaped with her life, since the still inexperienced Spawn did not realize that merely destroying an angel's physical body is not enough to truly kill it. She has not appeared in the comic since.
The American rock band Kiss has licensed a large amount of merchandising throughout their career. According to Sandra O'Loughlin in an article for Brandweek magazine, "Kiss has licensed its name to more than 3,000 product categories, from lunch boxes and comic books to credit cards and condoms to become nearly a one-billion-dollar brand."
Action figures have been an important and integral staple of the vast merchandising empire created around popular American rock band, Kiss. Kiss merchandising currently includes more than 2,000 product categories, and the limited availability of many products means that is a popular area of interest with collectors.
Spawn is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Color, based on the Spawn comic book character. The game was noted for its extensive use of digitized speech in cutscenes, a largely uncommon feature in games for the system.
Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game is a video game based on the Spawn comic book character. It was released in the United States and Europe for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System console. Developed by Ukiyotei and published by Acclaim Entertainment and Sony Electronic Publishing in late 1995, it features Al Simmons, Spawn, trying to save the lives of thirteen children in a beat 'em up type of video game. The game received mixed reviews by critics; the graphics were praised while the unoriginality of the game was criticized.
Comic books have been an integral and popular part of the American rock group Kiss' merchandising since 1977, beginning with their appearance in Marvel Comics' Howard the Duck #12. Over their career of nearly four decades, Kiss has licensed their name to "more than 3,000 product(s). .. to become nearly a one-billion-dollar brand."
