Spawn Is Getting a Meme-Inspired New Name, Creator Confirms

The next entry in the Spawn Universe is going to be defined by fans — literally.

Per Popverse, Todd McFarlane recently opened up about the hotly anticipated Spawn '77 series. McFarlane even admitted that "we haven't gotten that far yet" when it comes to what this new Spawn will be called, at least for the time being.

Fortunately, fans might just be able to fix that. "He's called Spawn '77," McFarlane noted. "At some point, we'll have to designate a moniker to the character that makes sense within the context of everything. But right now, we're just being goofy and going, hey, I created him '77? He's '77. We've just been using that over and over and over and over and over."

McFarlane specifically pointed towards readers themselves to help name the new character, albeit indirectly. "I'm sure that fans will probably form sort of a dialog around it. That's kind of what happens." McFarlane added, "Oddly, the fans might actually come up with something that makes me go, 'I'm going to borrow that!' Yeah. The fans can be way more creative and smarter than us creative people sometimes."

Spawn '77 #1

• Written by TODD McFARLANE
• Art by MARK SPEARS
• Main cover art by MARK SPEARS
• Variant covers by MARK SPEARS; TODD McFARLANE; and EMMA RÍOS

The official solicit synopsis for Spawn '77 #1 reads, "In 1977, a young artist had his first ideas for a character he would name Spawn. That man was TODD McFARLANE. Now, 49 years later, Spawn is an international sensation that has spawned (pun intended) a movie, toys, games, and an animated series. It has been translated into over a dozen languages with fans across the globe."

McFarlane previously discussed the evolution of Spawn '77, which was born out of his original designs for the character that would eventually become Al Simmons. "Going back to my roots of when I first developed Spawn as a high school kid, when I was just beginning to feel deeply passionate about collecting comics, and being able to use some of those ideas now 50 years later is really a personal treat for me," McFarlane explained.

The Spawn Universe Has Never Been Bigger

In recent years, the Spawn Universe has exploded not just in popularity with readers, but in terms of its overall scale and scope. While the franchise used to be defined by just a handful of titles, the Spawn Universe now consists of numerous ongoing and limited series, including The Scorched, King Spawn, Gunslinger Spawn, and She-Spawn.

The Spawn Universe has also expanded with some of the most unexpected titles of the year, such as The Curse of Sherlee Johnson, which brings its titular character back after she tragically lost her life all the way back in Spawn #5. Apart from offering readers a look at what happened to the young Sherlee following her untimely demise, the series also proved to be the perfect place for acclaimed creator Frank Miller to return to Image Comics, even if only for a short while.

Spawn '77 #1 from Image Comics goes on sale on Sept. 9.