Sam and Twitch

Last updated
Sam and Twitch
Sam&Twitch 01 cover.jpg
Sam and Twitch: Udaku #01
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
First appearance Spawn #1 (May 1992)
Created by Todd McFarlane
In-story information
Team affiliations New York Police Department
Supporting character of Spawn

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. [1] [2]

Contents

Sam Burke

Detective Sam Burke is often seen as the brawn of the group. Sam is a large, headstrong man with a penchant for foul language and gruff behavior. Sam is usually the one to take "action" against any type of villain they encounter. Though Sam has often been accused of police brutality, the charges have never stuck. In fact, Sam takes great pride in being one of the few honest cops in a precinct he sees as infested with corruption and scandal. Although his style with criminals is rough, and he comes across as boorish to most others, he is actually quite compassionate, beneath his rough exterior, to those in need. He has a real passion for doing the right thing and seeing justice done, even if he has to resort to not-so-civil means. Sam is very protective of those few he trusts and considers friends, especially his partner Twitch. Twitch's dedication to his work despite the corruption of the Police department is shown to be inspiring to Sam, and he often goes to great lengths to protect Twitch from even their fellow officers, who may mean verbal or physical harm to Sam's highly intelligent, diminutive partner. [3]

Despite his down-and-dirty, cynical, and hot-tempered personality, Sam is essentially a good man, with a strong sense of duty and honor. His straightforward ways have often put the detective duo at odds with even their fellow police, but while Twitch is considerably more reasonable than his larger partner (and often pokes fun at Sam's fiery temperament and statements), he shows a deep trust and respect for him as well. While Twitch often figures out and solves the duo's various cases and predicaments, Sam is unquestionably the drive and conviction which sees the two through. [2]

While not as talented as Twitch in deduction, Sam is skilled in being able to see through people and getting information. Even with a large and fat build, Sam has shown considerable strength, speed and durability in fighting superhuman foes. He is capable of going toe-to-toe in a fistfight against the Udaku, who is powerful enough to rip a man's head off. [4] Sam has also displayed some form of police intuition that warns him of traps and lies, which he jokingly calls a "spider-sense".

Twitch Williams

Maximilian Steven Percival "Twitch" Williams III is mainly seen as the "brains" of the partnership. He is the one who usually solves or puts the pieces together in the rare crimes the detectives encounter. A brilliant mathematician who excelled at trigonometry, he has used his knowledge of angles to become an excellent marksman. A shooting prodigy, Twitch makes up for his small size with his ability to handle twin pistols with extreme accuracy and efficiency. He claims to have earned the nickname "Twitch", as Sam once said, "because he doesn't, ever!" In reality, "Twitch" was his despised high-school nickname, which Sam learned after intercepting a reunion invitation asking for "Twitch" Williams. He refers to Sam Burke as "sir", as throughout the years Sam has, time and time again, earned his trust and respect. [2]

Twitch was once married and has several children, but due to his busy schedule with crime cases, his wife eventually divorced him, and denies him custody of his kids. This had a great emotional impact on Twitch, but did not seem to hinder him from his work. He eventually reconciled with his wife and since then does his best to spend as much time with his family as his duty allows. Twitch comes from a family with a proud tradition in law enforcement, his father and siblings all being cops themselves. Despite his reserved and soft-spoken manner, he is extremely passionate and proud of his job, in some ways more so than Sam. It is because of this that, despite his incredible intelligence, the apparent rampant corruption of the Police Department, which he works for, troubles him greatly. In some ways, Twitch is a little more naïve than the street-smart and more realistic Sam, and has had to deal with many harsh truths. [3]

Twitch has battled against many super-human foes such as Overt-Kill, a monstrous, mafia-hired cyborg. Despite Overt-Kill's seemingly bulletproof exterior, Twitch was able to defeat him with a single, well-aimed bullet through Overt-Kill's ear canal. [5]

Publication history

Spawn

Sam and Twitch were originally introduced in the comic book series Spawn as tertiary characters to the larger storyline of Al Simmons. The duo were at first at odds with Al, both due to Al's questionable methods and personality and Al's own distrust of the police. Eventually however, they had come to form a mutual respect and Al often sought help from the two, seeing them as two of the only people, cops, no less, that he could actually trust. Even after the detectives' own spin-off series had started the two often made appearances in Spawn. [6]

Sam and Twitch

Due to issues with publishing, Sam and Twitch was not always released in a timely manner. This affected sales. The series was subsequently cancelled in 2003 with only 26 issues after a four-year run. The delays continued until the end.

The character Spawn makes a small cameo appearance in Sam and Twitch and requests the duo's help. Sam and Twitch say that they are preoccupied and brush him off.

The series has been collected as these graphic novels:

Case Files: Sam & Twitch

The first issue of Case Files was released in June 2003, a few months before the November cancellation of the original Sam and Twitch series. Whereas the original series was concurrent with the duo's appearances in Spawn, the continuity of Case Files starts much later in their lives and revisits one of their old nemesis. [9]

Sam and Twitch: The Writer

A four-issue mini series.

Sam and Twitch: Case Files

A new series from the Spawn universe line.

Other notable characters

In other media

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spawn (character)</span> Comic book superhero

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd McFarlane</span> Canadian comic book creator

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garth Ennis</span> Northern Irish–American comics writer

Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and The Boys with artist Darick Robertson. He has collaborated with artists such as Dillon and Glenn Fabry on Preacher, John McCrea on Hitman, Marc Silvestri on The Darkness, and Carlos Ezquerra on both Preacher and Hitman. His work has won him recognition in the comics industry, including nominations for the Comics Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Writer in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Michael Bendis</span> American comic book writer and artist, born 1967

Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and artist.

<i>Powers</i> (comics) Comic book series

Powers is a creator-owned comic book series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming. The series' first volume was published by Image Comics from 2000 to 2004, the latter moving to Marvel Comics as a part of its Icon imprint. In 2018 it moved to DC Comics as part of its Jinxworld imprint. The Jinxworld imprint moved in 2021 to Dark Horse Comics. The characters and its creators appear in Crossover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe's Comics</span>

Joe's Comics is an American comic book imprint of Image Comics run by J. Michael Straczynski's Studio JMS and was originally published as an imprint of Top Cow Productions. As of 2014, key titles in the current line include Dream Police, The Book of Lost Souls, Ten Grand, Protectors Inc, and Sidekick.

<i>Spawn</i> (1997 film) Superhero film by Mark A.Z. Dippé

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Jenkins (writer)</span> British comic book writer

Paul Jenkins is a British comic book writer, screenwriter, novelist, and narrative director. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, Jenkins had a big part shaping the characters of the company, helping via the Marvel Knights imprint to propel Marvel from Chapter 11 bankruptcy before choosing to focus on independent publications. He is also noted for his groundbreaking narrative work in the field of video games, and is recognized as one of the world's preeminent "cross-media" creators for his work across such multiple media as animation, video games, comic books, and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violator (comics)</span> Comics character

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cogliostro</span> Comics character

Cogliostro, also simply Cog, is a character appearing in Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book series published by Image Comics. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Wood</span> Australian comic book artist and illustrator

Ashley Wood is Australian comic book artist and award-winning illustrator known for his cover art, concept design and his work as an art director. Wood initially worked in both the UK and international comic book industries, working on characters such as the British character Judge Dredd, before breaking into the US market, where he worked for such companies as Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Wood later worked for Image, creating graphic novels and cover art for the various Spawn properties of Todd McFarlane, and projects with IDW Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Wynn</span> Comics character

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.

<i>Curse of the Spawn</i>

Curse of the Spawn is a spin-off of Todd McFarlane's popular Spawn comic book series. The book introduced other Hellspawns and characters in the "Spawniverse". It was published by Image Comics from September 1996–March 1999 and has been collected into multiple trade paperbacks. There were 29 issues in all.

<i>Todd McFarlanes Spawn</i> American adult animated superhero television 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Capullo</span> American comic book artist and penciller

Gregory Capullo is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Quasar (1991–1992), X-Force (1992–1993), Angela (1994), Spawn, Batman (2011–2016), and Reborn (2016–2017). He also drew the DC Comics company-wide crossover storylines Dark Nights: Metal and Dark Nights: Death Metal. As part of his DC work, he co-created the characters, The Batman Who Laughs and the Court of Owls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Priest</span> Fictional character from the Spawn universe

Jessica Priest is a 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Remender</span> America comic writer

Rick Remender is an American animator, comic book writer and television producer who resides in Los Angeles, California. As a comic book creator, he is best known for his work on Uncanny X-Force, Venom, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers, published by Marvel, as well as his creator-owned series Fear Agent, Deadly Class, Black Science and Low, published by Image. In video games, he wrote EA's Dead Space and Epic Games' Bulletstorm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie McKelvie</span> British illustrator of comic books and graphic novels

Jamie McKelvie is a British cartoonist and illustrator, known for his both work on books such as Phonogram, Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine, and his approach to comic character design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Andreyko</span> American novelist

Marc Andreyko is an American comic book writer and screenwriter, best known for the true crime series Torso he co-wrote with Brian Michael Bendis and for co-creating the character Kate Spencer for DC Comics.

References

  1. ↑ Marnell, Blair (June 21, 2010). "Todd McFarlane Plans 'Sam And Twitch' TV Series". MTV.
  2. 1 2 3 Wigler, Josh (June 18, 2010). "McFarlane On The Anatomy Of "Sam & Twitch"".
  3. 1 2 Szadkowski, Joseph (May 1, 2004). "Host of Heroes Join Ranks with Sam and Twitch". The Washington Times. Washington, DC.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Sam and Twitch #2
  5. ↑ Boyd, Todd (30 October 2008). African Americans and Popular Culture [3 volumes]. Vol. 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 175. ISBN   978-0-313-06408-1.
  6. ↑ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Roach, David A. (1 January 2004). The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-book Icons and Hollywood Heroes. Visible Ink Press. p. 445. ISBN   978-1-57859-154-1.
  7. ↑ "Sam and Twitch: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 | Spawn Comic Books | SpawnWorld".
  8. ↑ "Sam and Twitch: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 | Spawn Comic Books | SpawnWorld".
  9. ↑ Blengino, Luca (2010). Sam and Twitch: The Writer. Image Comics. ISBN   978-1-60706-227-1.
  10. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (2008). The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 494. ISBN   978-0-7864-3755-9.
  11. ↑ Hughes, David (31 October 2012). Comic Book Movies - Virgin Film. Ebury Publishing. p. 201. ISBN   978-1-4481-3279-9.
  12. ↑ Szadkowski, Joseph (November 18, 2000). "Spawn Fights to Regain His Humanity after Death". The Washington Times.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Sam Voice - Spawn: In The Demon's Hand (Video Game) - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  14. ↑ "Twitch Voice - Spawn: In The Demon's Hand (Video Game) - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  15. ↑ Moen, Justin (3 September 2010). Toys & Prices 2011. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 106–107. ISBN   978-1-4402-1653-4.
  16. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (February 16, 2017). "Kevin Smith Helming Spawn Spin-off TV Show for BBC America". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  17. ↑ Patten, Dominic (February 16, 2017). "BBC America Boss On New Kevin Smith Show, How 'Orphan Black' Ends, The Next Doctor Who & 'Planet Earth II' Big Picture". Deadline. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Jeremy Renner Joins Jamie Foxx In Todd McFarlane's Blumhouse Pic 'Spawn'". Deadline. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.