The upcoming Batman Spawn #1 is on track to become the best-selling comic of 2022 by a wide margin, and it’s no secret why. Not only does this special bring the two superhero icons together for the first time since 1994, it’s also a reunion between Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and his longtime collaborator Greg Capullo. But Capullo is not the only DC artist to address the Batman/Spawn binomial this time. DC’s editor and chief creative officer, Jim Lee, is one of several superstar artists providing variant covers for this issue..
IGN can exclusively reveal Lee’s amazing dynamic cover for Batman/Spawn #1, which features inks by Scott Williams and colors by Alex Sinclair. Enjoy this clash of titans comic:
IGN also had the opportunity to briefly chat with Lee about the experience of contributing to the crossover. In particular, we were curious how Lee felt about reuniting with fellow Image Comics co-founder McFarlane, 30 years after they and their colleagues left Marvel to form their own independent publisher. Is it surreal to be doing comics with Todd McFarlane again?
“Surreal is a good word, to be sure, in the sense that I don’t think anyone could have drawn a timeline that saw a group of artists leave Marvel at the relative height of their influence to found their own comics company, but then also continuing as individuals to forge third and fourth acts on their own,” Lee told IGN. “But at the same time, coming to terms with Todd felt very natural and an extension of the bond that was forged when we all launched Image Comics. And the conversations since then have been about how much fun we can have with this crossover and, in Ultimately, how great can this event be if we just focus on the fun and sheer spectacle.”
But Spawn is a character Lee has relatively little experience with. We were curious to know how he approached the challenge of combining both characters in a single image and make the more horror-influenced Spawn feel right at home alongside the traditionally heroic Batman.
“It was 100% challenging because the two characters share a lot of visual similarities and they’re both driven by the need for justice, so the mission was: how can I compare and contrast who these characters are on one cover?” said Lee. “So with Spawn, I went with a leaner, more athletic build where the cape was a living extension of his powers. And with Batman, I went for a boxier, thicker, old-school boxer physique. Hunched over and muscled, this Batman reacts lightning fast to any threat and his cape is more of a camouflage element, a way for Batman to blend into the deepest shadows.”
In other Spawn news, McFarlane recently announced that the writers of Joker and Captain America: New World Order have signed on to write the long-awaited Spawn reboot movie.
