Todd McFarlane is one of the biggest names in the modern comic book industry. For years, he worked as an artist for both DC and Marvel Comics, having illustrated comics centered on Batman, Hulk, Spider-Man, and more. Of course, McFarlane really made his mark on the industry after he left DC and Marvel. McFarlane is best known for being the co-founder of Image Comics, as well as being the creator, writer, and artist for its first superhero, Spawn. Throughout the numerous companies and characters he’s worked on, McFarlane has always provided striking designs and poses that are impressively detailed. These are McFarlane’s most impactful covers of all time.
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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.
5) The Amazing Spider-Man #316
Since the character’s debut, the monstrous villain-turned-anti-hero Venom has been closely tied to McFarlane. And after his monumental introductory story, it was only a matter of time until Venom returned to once again torture Spider-Man. Amazing Spider-Man #316 has the distinction of being the first cover to prominently feature Venom, making it an instant classic which is beloved by readers. The image of Venom triumphantly standing over an unconscious Spider-Man is an incredibly menacing visual. This comic is so beloved that many other artists would imitate it for their own covers. It’s images like these that helped make Venom become the long-lasting and fan-favorite character that he is today.
4) Spawn #1
The cover that started it all, Spawn #1, launched not only the success of McFarlane’s original character but the entirety of Image Comics. The first comic Image Comics ever published, the striking visuals and story of Spawn #1 made it an immediate hit. With over 1.7 million copies sold, Spawn #1 is the best-selling individual comic issue of all time outside of DC and Marvel. It’s not hard to see why either, as Spawn’s cool costume, dynamic pose, and dark aesthetic made the cover stand out against its competitors. Spawn #1’s success also helped Image Comics become the comic book publishing juggernaut that it is today.
3) Spider-Man #1
Todd McFarlane’s incredible Spider-Man #1 is one of the most famous comic book covers to come out of the 1990s. Its striking image of Spider-Man crouching in a massive web of spiders was a huge hit right out the gate. The cover was such a massive success that it was one of the first comics to feature variant covers, a practice that is still practiced today by many comic lines. The silver, gold, and platinum covers helped make this comic an even greater success. At over 2.5 million copies sold, for a brief period, Spider-Man #1 became the highest-selling single comic issue in history before its record was beaten by X-Men #1 and X-Force #1. Still, this cover and its variants have remained iconic for decades.
2) The Incredible Hulk #340
Easily one of the most referenced comic covers in history, McFarlane’s The Incredible Hulk #340 creatively portrays the savage rivalry between the Hulk and Wolverine that has existed since the X-Man’s first appearance. Like many of McFarlane’s best works, it takes full advantage of the characters’ designs to offer unique perspectives. The cover has a striking close-up of a screaming and animalistic Wolverine getting ready for battle as he fully extends his adamantium claws. However, on those claws, the reader can see the distinctive reflection of the Hulk, who looks just as angry as Wolverine. Countless artists have paid homage to this brilliant cover, and it was even referenced in the film Deadpool & Wolverine.
1) Amazing Spider-Man #300
Arguably the most recognizable comic issue McFarlane ever worked on, Amazing Spider-Man #300, has the Wall-Crawler swinging into action high above the city in his non-symbiote black costume. The comic itself features both the debut of Eddie Brock and his merging with the alien symbiote to become Venom. The cover has many of McFarlane’s calling cards, including having Spider-Man contorted in an impossible yet dynamic pose. The “spaghetti webbing” design McFarlane implements, with the webbing twisting around itself to create the web line, became a company standard that every other artist has replicated. Additionally, as the 300th issue, McFarlane made the bold choice of having the background include the number repeatedly to show the magnitude of this milestone for the Amazing Spider-Man comic line.
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