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What Makes a First Appearance?
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In the past, the question of a comic character’s first appearance was a simple one. The first comic with the character was also their first appearance: Such as Superman in Action Comics #1, or Batman in Detective Comics #27.
As time has gone on, the answer has gotten a little more nuanced: For example, Wolverine had a small cameo appearance in Incredible Hulk #180, but his first “Full” appearance was in Incredible Hulk #181. Which is his true first appearance?
The question gets even more complicated across various media. Harley Quinn, for example, first appeared on the television series “Batman: The Animated Series”, but her first appearance in a comic book was Batman Adventures #12.
Factions in the comic collecting community have developed. Purists might say X-Factor #6 is Apocalypse’s first appearance because it meets the traditional definition, whereas a completionist might say that his brief 1-panel cameo in X-Factor #5 is his first appearance. Who is correct?
I contend that the modern answer of a character’s first appearance must be qualified: “First Cameo Appearance”, “First Full Appearance”, etc.
When it comes to Spawn, a search online for Spawn’s first appearance will yield all sorts of strange results: Malibu Sun #13, Rust #1, Rocket Ranger #4...so, to put an end to the confusion once and for all, I bring you this deep dive into Spawn’s True First Appearance(s).
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Follow along below on the timeline of Spawn’s origin, and decide for yourself which is his “true” first appearance!
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Late 1991 |
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Rob Liefeld struck a deal with Malibu Comics to publish a title called “Youngblood”, the first in what was to be a line of Liefeld-Universe titles. The imprint was sometimes referred to as either Image Press, Image Universe, or Liefeld Universe. It wouldn’t be long before he joined forces with McFarlane to expand on the idea.
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December 1, 1991 |
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McFarlane attended a signing at Curious Comics in Victoria BC, and mentioned plans for an upcoming comic project, despite having been “retired” since Spider-Man.
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December 17, 1991 |
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On this day, the fateful meeting between some of the founders of Image Comics, and the publishers at both Marvel and DC took place. It was in these two meetings that McFarlane and the others relayed their plans to leave the ‘big two’ and form their own company.
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Late December 1991 |
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 A series of videos called "Stan Lee Presents: The Comic Book Greats" began to be released. Volume 1 featured Todd McFarlane, and showcased the artwork later dubbed “Spawn:The Beginning” (when it was made into a statue years later).
This artwork was the first Spawn piece Todd created as an adult. It can also be seen during the video in the background, along with Todd's early Spawn design from high school.
The cover for the VHS tape featured “Spawn: The Beginning” in color. This was the very first public appearance of the character, although he was not named (or even discussed) in the video or on the packaging. Also note that at this time, Spawn’s eyes were red.
- First Visual Appearance
- First Cover Appearance
- First use of "Spawn: The Beginning" artwork
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February 1, 1992 |
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The day that Image Comics was announced to the comics industry in a press release! Rumors had been floating around for weeks, but on this day it was made official that Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, and Whilce Portacio would be forming a new company and recruiting other talent from the big two.
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February 12, 1992 |
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 Comic Shop News #242 hit stores and features a large article about the formation of Image, and includes the Spawn #1 cover art (in black & white).
 CBG #954 is mailed out, featuring a small portion of the "Spawn: The Beginning" artwork repurposed into an ad. It's also a good example of the original logos for both Spawn and Image. |
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February 15, 1992 |
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Spawn copyright officially registered with the Library of Congress.
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February 17, 1992 |
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The repercussions of the birth of Image hit the mainstream, as an article in Barron’s discusses an exodus of their top talent (and a number of other issues that reflect poorly on Marvel). Their stock price plummets.
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February 26, 1992 |
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 Previews Vol 2 #3 features Spawn on the cover in full color and includes a full color fold-out poster. Inside there is a discussion with McFarlane about Spawn, and a few images, including a “Spawn in Profile” image never seen before. In the interview, McFarlane discusses some of Spawn’s character traits for the first time, including the fact that he was created in an act of love rather than hate, and that he has finite power.
 
- First Color Appearance in a Publication
- First Spawn Poster
- First use of the "Spawn Profile" art
- First Color Logo (prototype)
- First Description of Spawn Character Traits
- First use of Spawn #1 Poster art (partial)
 Also on this day, Comic Buyer’s Guide #956 was mailed out. Inside, there are a few images of Spawn, including the art for the poster to be included inside Spawn #1, and an article that discusses some of Spawn’s character traits.
- First use of Spawn #1 Poster art (full)
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Last Week of February 1992 |
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 Advance Comics #41 features a number of Spawn images, including a black & white image of the cover art for Spawn #1 which uses the (old) logo in the masthead for the first time.
- First Spawn #1 Cover Art with a Logo in Masthead
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March 2, 1992 |
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 Up’N Coming! #16 is mailed out, featuring Spawn on the cover in full color (still with red eyes, and using the ‘old’ logo). Also features the first use of the artwork later used for the cover of Wizard #11.
- First use of Wizard #11 cover art
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March 11, 1992 |
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 Comic Buyer’s Guide #958 features a full color Spawn ad on the inside cover.
 Notably, it also inlcudes a congratulations article for Youngblood’s pre-sales numbers, which is the first use of a newly revised Image logo.
- First Revised Image Comics Logo |
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March 13, 1992 |
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The first Image Comic book goes on sale - sort of. A limited number of Youngblood #1 “Ashcan editions” are released.
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March 18, 1992 |
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 Comic Buyer’s Guide #959 is mailed out featuring a parody comic strip of Spawn called “Spend”.
- First Parody of Spawn
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March 20, 1992 |
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 An enterprising young high-school journalist in Richfield, Ohio managed to get himself an interview with McFarlane about Spawn and the formation of Image. The article appeared in Volume 39, Issue 8 of the “Revere High School Lantern” and featured art for the cover of Spawn #1. |
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March 25, 1992 |
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Comic Buyer’s Guide #960 is mailed out and features a number of Spawn images inside, notably used in the advertisements of a few retailers.
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First Week of April 1992 |
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Advance Comics #42 is mailed out, which includes the new art for Wizard #11, and also discusses the upcoming appearance of The Violator.
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April 16, 1992 |
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Youngblood #1, the first comic published by Image Comics is officially released.
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April 17, 1992 |
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Most of the new comic releases from Adventure Comics this week include ads for Spawn, including Rust #1, Rust #1 Special Edition, Torg #3, Rocket Ranger #3, and also Evil Ernie #5 from Eternity. Additionally, Re-Animator: Dawn of the Re-Animator #2, and Southern Squadron: Freedom of Information 4 which were also released in April, have large Spawn ads.
   
  
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April 22, 1992 |
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 Comic Buyer's Guide #964 is mailed out, and ads for Image Comics use the newly revised Image Logo. This is the version that will eventually end up on the cover of Spawn.
- First Revised Image Comics Logo (2nd Revision)
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May 13, 1992 |
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 Comic Shop News #255 features Spawn on the cover in full color. |
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June 3, 1992 |
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Spawn #1 arrives in most comic outlets, but is not officially to be sold until the 4th.
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Addendum: The Image Comics Logo
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The Image Logo is a prominent component on the cover of most Spawn comics, but the design of the logo has changed several times before and after the release of Spawn #1. These are the prominent revisions as they relate to Spawn:
Protoypes:
  
The Prototype logos varied in color and text placement, as well as the height of the "i".
Additionally, some of them contained images of characters within the "i".
They all share the "high shoulders" though - a feature that soon disappeared.
1st Revision (Bent):
 
The "bent" logo revision removed the high shoulders of the "i", but the bezier placements resulted in a bent right shoulder, as well as a "flat" top and bottom to the dot on top of the "i". This logo appeared occasionally with a character inside the shape.
2nd Revision (Broken):
 
The "broken" logo revision fixed the bent right shoulder and the dot was rounded, but the bezier points on the left shoulder resulted in a broken point. This logo design has appeared in many colors and configurations, and is the version used on the cover of Spawn #1 (with Spawn placed inside the shape).
Modern Logo:
  
The Modern logo fixed the broken left shoulder and made the shoulder points sharper. Its first use on Spawn covers didn't appear until Spawn #54 though. The above images are from Spawn #1 and Spawn #54 respectively.
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FAQ
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So what’s the answer? What’s Spawn’s first appearance?
Well that’s just it - the world of comic collecting is so nuanced now, I don’t think there is a “right” answer for everyone.
How can you be sure you didn’t miss anything?
I made substantial efforts to make sure this list is accurate and complete. It’s very difficult tracking down some of these archival magazines and newspapers. That said - there could be things I’ve missed. This will be a living article, and I'll be happy to make any necessary adjustments or corrections if anyone has any new information.
Does this list include every appearance prior to Spawn #1?
No - this isn’t a checklist. For example, many magazines and advertisements in 1992 used the cover art for Spawn #1. In this timeline, I’ve made sure to list the first use of the art, and any prominent subsequent uses. But I have not listed the multitude of minor uses.
But I heard (Rust #1, Previews, etc.) was the first appearance?
Odds are, whoever told you that was trying to sell you something.
What is a good price for _____?
As always, I stay away from listing or speculating on prices. Your best price guide typically will be ‘sold’ prices on eBay...not ‘asking’ prices.
What resources did you use to figure this out?
I spent many months scouring the Earth looking for any industry/collecting/trade publications from 1991-1993, looking through comics, and contacting people in the industry. Spawn debuted in a (mostly) pre-internet world, so all discussion about its upcoming debut was limited to publications such as these, and word of mouth. You can find my list of resources below.
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Bibliography
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Advance Comics #37-47
Alien Nation: Public Enemy #2-4
Amazing Heroes #198-202
The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil in the Details
Comic Book Greats Video Series Vol #1-9
Comic Buyer’s Guide #946-970 (excluding 947, 950-952, 955, 957, 962-963, 966, 968)
Comic Shop News #236-265
Comic Values Monthly #66-71
Comics Journal #147-150
Comics Retailer #1
Comics Scene #25-27
The Dark Age: Grim, Gritty, and Gimmicky Post Modern Comics
Demonic Toys #4
Diamond Dialogue May 1992, October 1992
Entertainment This Month #30-39
Evil Ernie #5 (Eternity)
Evil Ernie Special Limited Edition
Famous Comic Book Creators Trading Cards
The History of Image Comics (So Much Damage)
Image Comics: The Road to Independence
Inside Comics #1
Inside Image #1-2
The Image Revolution
Interview with Matthew Weiss (of Revere High School)
Interview with Paul Burke (of the Comic Book Greats Video Series)
Logan’s World #5-6
Lovecraft in Full Color #1-4
Like Hell I Won't
Malibu Sun #10-31
Mike’s Amazing World of Comics
Miss Fury #3-4
Non-Sport Update Vol 3 #1-4
Paranoia #3-5
Pendulum #3-4
Planet of the Apes #20-23
Planet of the Apes: Blood of the Apes #3-4
Planet of the Apes: Sins of the Father #1
Previews Vol 2 #1-9
Re-Animator #3
Re-Animator: Dawn of the Re-Animator #1-4
Robotech II: #13
Rocket Ranger #2-4
Roger Wilco #1-3
Rust #1-2
Rust Special Edition #1
Southern Squadron: Freedom of Information #4
Spawn #1-54
Spawn #1 Director’s Cut
Spawn #117
Spawn Vault Edition #1
Strange Sports Stories #1a/b
Tarzan the Warrior #2
Torg #1-4
Up’n Coming! #12-16
Wizard #5-16
Wizard Image Comics Special Edition
Youngblood #1-4
Youngblood #1 Ashcan
Last updated 11/5/2020
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McFarlane first designed the character called “Spawn” as a high school student in 1977.
Up’N Coming! #13 uses the art for Youngblood #1, and in doing so , becomes the first public use of the “Image” logo - although it was redesigned before Youngblood (or Spawn) were released.
Just 2 days after the industry got word of the new company, copies of the Canadian distribution catalogue Up’N Coming! #15 were mailed, announcing McFarlane’s new title called “Spawn” in an article, and showing the “Spawn:The Beginning” art, as well as the first Spawn logo (in black & white).
Comics Buyer’s Guide #953 was mailed, announcing McFarlane’s title “Spawn” to US audiences (describing it as a mini-series), and showcasing the “Spawn: The Beginning” art on the cover.
Inside, it shows the Spawn #1 cover art for the first time (in black & white).
Comic Book Greats Volume 4 is released, which features McFarlane, Liefeld and Stan Lee all creating a character together. They named the character Overkill - and he would later be redesigned and renamed Overt-kill and appear as a villain in Spawn.
Spawn begins an advertising campaign in Adventure and Eternity Comics, with 2-page black & white ads featured in “Robotech II: The Sentinels #13” and “Torg #2”.
Also this month, the trading card series “Famous Comic Book Creators” was released by Eclipse. The Todd McFarlane card (#57) features art for the cover of Spawn #2 on the back, as well as the first prototype of the “new” Spawn logo.
Previews Vol 2 #4 is released, and inside it shows the cover art for Wizard #11 in color for the first time - which also happens to be the first time Spawn is shown with green eyes! When discussing Spawn, it also makes the first mention of his new nemesis “The Violator”. 
Comic Buyer’s Guide #965 is mailed out and features Spawn on the cover, but with the “new” Spawn logo in color (well, 1-color anyway). Notice that the logo now has the shadow lettering, but no skull on the ‘A’.
Previews Vol 2 #5 shows an image of the cover for Spawn #3, and also has the newly revised Image Comics logo.
Malibu Sun #13 features Spawn on the cover in color, and also has a couple additional images - one of which is the first use of a Spawn head icon that went on to become the logo for Todd’s Spawn-tastic Apparel company.
Entertainment This Month #31 also features Spawn on the cover in color.
Wizard #9 has a large article about the formation of Image and interviews all the major players. In the McFarlane portion, one can find a revised version of the Spawn Profile art behind Todd in a photo.
Spawn #1 officially goes on sale! In addition to lots of new interior artwork, this issue features the first use of the new logo in full color (also with the skull restored back on the ‘A’) and the first use of the Image Comics logo with Spawn inside.
