Spawn or Deadpool who is the king of the 1990s for new character? 0

[AmazingSaul]

I feel like I have to pop in here again.

 

Spawn ruled the 90s during the 90s. Simple fact. Visit comicchron.com and look at the sales numbers. For many years, Spawn was consistently one of the top five best-selling comics in production. That was during a time when tens of thousands of comics were being sold.

 

Spawn ruled the 90's...for about 5 months in 1992.

 

After that, the Death of Superman wiped him off the map, and he has remained there ever since. (Is this where I say "simple fact" to demonstrate how solidly I believe in my position?)

 

Spawn was, indeed, a consistent top seller...until McFarlane left the book.

 

It wasn't Spawn people wanted...it was TODD MCFARLANE.

 

McFarlane left to do what he really wanted to do: run a business empire. And once McFarlane left, no one cared. Spawn has been a mediocre book, written for mediocre 12-14 year old boys, for 22 years.

 

All the other factors you mentioned can be said of all sorts of other characters, including Batman and the X-Men. MAXX had his own cartoon on MTV, and he hardly comes close to ruling the 90's.

 

Don't get me wrong...of the first wave of Image #1s, Spawn definitely rules the roost...but that's not saying much.

 

And sales numbers means little, unless it is indeed sales numbers of the last 15 years you want to look at.

 

Remember: the top 6 selling comic books of 1993 were Adventures of Superman #500, 501, Action #687, Man of Steel #22, Superman #78, and Turok #1....all of which sold more copies than Spawn #1

 

And those are all some of the worst, most ridiculous comics ever printed.

 

I So we see that, at least IN the 1990s, Spawn completed dominated the decade in comparison to other characters that were created in the 1990s.

 

He was the least mediocre in the most mediocre decade in comics...?

 

 

I'll buy that.

 

I do dispute that, even IN the 90's, he "completely dominated the decade." He was dead and buried by issue #50, with a small spurt for the movie.

 

Make NO doubt about it: people didn't want Spawn. They wanted McFarlane.

 

McFarlane could have drawn Strawberry Shortcake, and it would have sold 1.75 million copies.

 

Batman had more movies and TV shows than any other hero in the 90s... But DC didn't really put enough effort into the comic line so the comics weren't that great other than Bane. Otherwise Batman still blows it all out of the water.

 

 

Well, we started off the decade coming off the greatest Batmania ever....

 

LOTDK was going, Robin was back....

 

Then, we got Knightfall/Knightquest, which, all things considered, was pretty much the IT event in comics for 1993.

 

 

I can see a lot of the rest of the decade being rather blah, BUT...we did close it out with one of the most critically acclaimed Bat crossovers ever, No Man's Land, which was the IT event in comics for 1999.

 

 

I dunno, there's a lot of really huge Bat stuff there in the 90's.....

 

I forgot about No Mans land. I guess that settles it. Batman ruled the 90s.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I feel like I have to pop in here again.

 

Spawn ruled the 90s during the 90s. Simple fact. Visit comicchron.com and look at the sales numbers. For many years, Spawn was consistently one of the top five best-selling comics in production. That was during a time when tens of thousands of comics were being sold.

 

Spawn ruled the 90's...for about 5 months in 1992.

 

After that, the Death of Superman wiped him off the map, and he has remained there ever since. (Is this where I say "simple fact" to demonstrate how solidly I believe in my position?)

 

Spawn was, indeed, a consistent top seller...until McFarlane left the book.

 

It wasn't Spawn people wanted...it was TODD MCFARLANE.

 

McFarlane left to do what he really wanted to do: run a business empire. And once McFarlane left, no one cared. Spawn has been a mediocre book, written for mediocre 12-14 year old boys, for 22 years.

 

All the other factors you mentioned can be said of all sorts of other characters, including Batman and the X-Men. MAXX had his own cartoon on MTV, and he hardly comes close to ruling the 90's.

 

Don't get me wrong...of the first wave of Image #1s, Spawn definitely rules the roost...but that's not saying much.

 

And sales numbers means little, unless it is indeed sales numbers of the last 15 years you want to look at.

 

Remember: the top 6 selling comic books of 1993 were Adventures of Superman #500, 501, Action #687, Man of Steel #22, Superman #78, and Turok #1....all of which sold more copies than Spawn #1

 

And those are all some of the worst, most ridiculous comics ever printed.

 

I So we see that, at least IN the 1990s, Spawn completed dominated the decade in comparison to other characters that were created in the 1990s.

 

He was the least mediocre in the most mediocre decade in comics...?

 

 

I'll buy that.

 

I do dispute that, even IN the 90's, he "completely dominated the decade." He was dead and buried by issue #50, with a small spurt for the movie.

 

Make NO doubt about it: people didn't want Spawn. They wanted McFarlane.

 

McFarlane could have drawn Strawberry Shortcake, and it would have sold 1.75 million copies.

 

Batman had more movies and TV shows than any other hero in the 90s... But DC didn't really put enough effort into the comic line so the comics weren't that great other than Bane. Otherwise Batman still blows it all out of the water.

 

 

Well, we started off the decade coming off the greatest Batmania ever....

 

LOTDK was going, Robin was back....

 

Then, we got Knightfall/Knightquest, which, all things considered, was pretty much the IT event in comics for 1993.

 

 

I can see a lot of the rest of the decade being rather blah, BUT...we did close it out with one of the most critically acclaimed Bat crossovers ever, No Man's Land, which was the IT event in comics for 1999.

 

 

I dunno, there's a lot of really huge Bat stuff there in the 90's.....

 

I forgot about No Mans land. I guess that settles it. Batman ruled the 90s.

True, but this thread`s intention was really to discuss what NEW character

ruled the 1990s.

What I got from this thread is that

Spawn was the new character that ruled the 1990s.

Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Hellboy all became very popular many years after the 1990s.

If we want to take it a little farther, then these four characters Spawn,Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Hellboy probably have become the four most famous new characters that came out of the 1990s.

If there is another famous new comic book character from 1990s,then please let us know.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2014 by ComicConnoisseur

[divad]

Well, here's an interesting Compendium.

[AmazingSaul]

I feel like I have to pop in here again.

 

Spawn ruled the 90s during the 90s. Simple fact. Visit comicchron.com and look at the sales numbers. For many years, Spawn was consistently one of the top five best-selling comics in production. That was during a time when tens of thousands of comics were being sold.

 

Spawn ruled the 90's...for about 5 months in 1992.

 

After that, the Death of Superman wiped him off the map, and he has remained there ever since. (Is this where I say "simple fact" to demonstrate how solidly I believe in my position?)

 

Spawn was, indeed, a consistent top seller...until McFarlane left the book.

 

It wasn't Spawn people wanted...it was TODD MCFARLANE.

 

McFarlane left to do what he really wanted to do: run a business empire. And once McFarlane left, no one cared. Spawn has been a mediocre book, written for mediocre 12-14 year old boys, for 22 years.

 

All the other factors you mentioned can be said of all sorts of other characters, including Batman and the X-Men. MAXX had his own cartoon on MTV, and he hardly comes close to ruling the 90's.

 

Don't get me wrong...of the first wave of Image #1s, Spawn definitely rules the roost...but that's not saying much.

 

And sales numbers means little, unless it is indeed sales numbers of the last 15 years you want to look at.

 

Remember: the top 6 selling comic books of 1993 were Adventures of Superman #500, 501, Action #687, Man of Steel #22, Superman #78, and Turok #1....all of which sold more copies than Spawn #1

 

And those are all some of the worst, most ridiculous comics ever printed.

 

I So we see that, at least IN the 1990s, Spawn completed dominated the decade in comparison to other characters that were created in the 1990s.

 

He was the least mediocre in the most mediocre decade in comics...?

 

 

I'll buy that.

 

I do dispute that, even IN the 90's, he "completely dominated the decade." He was dead and buried by issue #50, with a small spurt for the movie.

 

Make NO doubt about it: people didn't want Spawn. They wanted McFarlane.

 

McFarlane could have drawn Strawberry Shortcake, and it would have sold 1.75 million copies.

 

Batman had more movies and TV shows than any other hero in the 90s... But DC didn't really put enough effort into the comic line so the comics weren't that great other than Bane. Otherwise Batman still blows it all out of the water.

 

 

Well, we started off the decade coming off the greatest Batmania ever....

 

LOTDK was going, Robin was back....

 

Then, we got Knightfall/Knightquest, which, all things considered, was pretty much the IT event in comics for 1993.

 

 

I can see a lot of the rest of the decade being rather blah, BUT...we did close it out with one of the most critically acclaimed Bat crossovers ever, No Man's Land, which was the IT event in comics for 1999.

 

 

I dunno, there's a lot of really huge Bat stuff there in the 90's.....

 

I forgot about No Mans land. I guess that settles it. Batman ruled the 90s.

True, but this thread`s intention was really to discuss what NEW character

ruled the 1990s.

What I got from this thread is that

Spawn was the new character that ruled the 1990s.

Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Hellboy all became very popular many years after the 1990s.

If we want to take it a little farther, then these four characters Spawn,Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Hellboy probably have become the four most famous new characters that came out of the 1990s.

If there is another famous new comic book character from 1990s,then please let us know.

 

 

 

 

I was being sarcastic the conversation went off topic so I thought it would be funny...

[RockMyAmadeus]

I feel like I have to pop in here again.

 

Spawn ruled the 90s during the 90s. Simple fact. Visit comicchron.com and look at the sales numbers. For many years, Spawn was consistently one of the top five best-selling comics in production. That was during a time when tens of thousands of comics were being sold.

 

Spawn ruled the 90's...for about 5 months in 1992.

 

After that, the Death of Superman wiped him off the map, and he has remained there ever since. (Is this where I say "simple fact" to demonstrate how solidly I believe in my position?)

 

Spawn was, indeed, a consistent top seller...until McFarlane left the book.

 

It wasn't Spawn people wanted...it was TODD MCFARLANE.

 

McFarlane left to do what he really wanted to do: run a business empire. And once McFarlane left, no one cared. Spawn has been a mediocre book, written for mediocre 12-14 year old boys, for 22 years.

 

All the other factors you mentioned can be said of all sorts of other characters, including Batman and the X-Men. MAXX had his own cartoon on MTV, and he hardly comes close to ruling the 90's.

 

Don't get me wrong...of the first wave of Image #1s, Spawn definitely rules the roost...but that's not saying much.

 

And sales numbers means little, unless it is indeed sales numbers of the last 15 years you want to look at.

 

Remember: the top 6 selling comic books of 1993 were Adventures of Superman #500, 501, Action #687, Man of Steel #22, Superman #78, and Turok #1....all of which sold more copies than Spawn #1

 

And those are all some of the worst, most ridiculous comics ever printed.

 

I So we see that, at least IN the 1990s, Spawn completed dominated the decade in comparison to other characters that were created in the 1990s.

 

He was the least mediocre in the most mediocre decade in comics...?

 

 

I'll buy that.

 

I do dispute that, even IN the 90's, he "completely dominated the decade." He was dead and buried by issue #50, with a small spurt for the movie.

 

Make NO doubt about it: people didn't want Spawn. They wanted McFarlane.

 

McFarlane could have drawn Strawberry Shortcake, and it would have sold 1.75 million copies.

 

Batman had more movies and TV shows than any other hero in the 90s... But DC didn't really put enough effort into the comic line so the comics weren't that great other than Bane. Otherwise Batman still blows it all out of the water.

 

 

Well, we started off the decade coming off the greatest Batmania ever....

 

LOTDK was going, Robin was back....

 

Then, we got Knightfall/Knightquest, which, all things considered, was pretty much the IT event in comics for 1993.

 

 

I can see a lot of the rest of the decade being rather blah, BUT...we did close it out with one of the most critically acclaimed Bat crossovers ever, No Man's Land, which was the IT event in comics for 1999.

 

 

I dunno, there's a lot of really huge Bat stuff there in the 90's.....

 

I forgot about No Mans land. I guess that settles it. Batman ruled the 90s.

 

 

You're right!

 

Of course, in the most mediocre decade in comics, that's not too terribly hard to do.

 

And, as CC pointed out, we were talking about NEW characters....

[ComicConnoisseur]

Well, here's an interesting Compendium.

Thanks I bookmarked it for future study.

I forgot all about Static who had a TV show.

 

[newshane]

Amadeus....

 

once again, check out the sales numbers on comicchron. The reign lasted longer than 5 months.

 

Not sure if you know this or not, but Todd's been "back" on the Spawn title for about 60 issues now. If anything, that's bad news because Todd is a horrible writer. His concepts are good but his story telling sucks. The good news is that he's been churning out some pretty wicked art for the title.

 

Stories written for "mediocre" teen-age boys?

 

I guess you did stop reading Spawn after the first 20 issues or so. Spawn got really dark for a while.

 

I get that you don't like Spawn. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying he's the greatest of all-time, just the greatest to come from the 90s if you look at the history. You want to compare Maxx? Really? Go down through my list of FACTS and see how many of them apply to Maxx or any other character...

 

speaking of which, why even mention Maxx? He was created in 1983.

 

Why mention Superman and Batman? Is THAT the kind of ammo you need for this argument? They were products of the 30s.

 

We're talking products of the 90s.

 

I'd still like someone to present a clear, fact-based argument for Deadpool's superiority. This entire discussion has shifted gears to include Harley and Hellboy, but the original question was about Deadpool.

 

I just don't see how any of those characters can compete with what Spawn has done...even if it was done a long time ago.

 

 

[gaz973]

The nineties was a huge Wolverine decade.

 

...... but Wolvie wasn't created in the nineties so I guess it doesn't count for the purposes of this thread.

[newshane]

The nineties was a huge Wolverine decade.

 

...... but Wolvie wasn't created in the nineties so I guess it doesn't count for the purposes of this thread.

 

Yes, thank you. You get the point of the original argument.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Amadeus....

 

once again, check out the sales numbers on comicchron. The reign lasted longer than 5 months.

 

I addressed sales numbers. Sales numbers do not (necessarily) mean "dominance" and neither do they not mean it. They are just one factor.

 

And, as I said before....people wanted Todd McFarlane, not Spawn.

 

Not sure if you know this or not, but Todd's been "back" on the Spawn title for about 60 issues now. If anything, that's bad news because Todd is a horrible writer. His concepts are good but his story telling sucks. The good news is that he's been churning out some pretty wicked art for the title.

 

 

Thanks for the info, I wasn't aware of that. Which issues did he draw?

 

Stories written for "mediocre" teen-age boys?

 

I guess you did stop reading Spawn after the first 20 issues or so. Spawn got really dark for a while.

I stopped reading Spawn at around issue 37. That I could get through 37 issues is pretty amazing, because it's very, very bad.

 

Disjointed, illogical, inconsistent. It makes no sense.

 

Cool splash pages, though.

 

I get that you don't like Spawn. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying he's the greatest of all-time, just the greatest to come from the 90s if you look at the history. You want to compare Maxx? Really? Go down through my list of FACTS and see how many of them apply to Maxx or any other character...

 

speaking of which, why even mention Maxx? He was created in 1983.

 

I mentioned Maxx to illustrate the point that all those things you mentioned Spawn having, which made him "the king" of the 90's, weren't exclusive to Spawn. You've missed the point. Maxx had an MTV cartoon, and Maxx was....as you rightfully point out...not all that big a deal. I didn't even remotely suggest that Maxx could compare with Spawn in terms of popularity, because Spawn wins, hands down. I only brought him up to illustrate the problem with a point *you* made.

 

And no, Maxx was not created in 1983.

 

Why mention Superman and Batman? Is THAT the kind of ammo you need for this argument? They were products of the 30s.

 

"Ammo"? "Argument"?

 

I'm just having a discussion. I'm not out to "win" anything. If that's your goal, then, whatever your point may ever be, you win. I have no interest in "winning arguments."

 

I mentioned Superman because the Death of Superman happened in 1992...not the 1930's...and was relevant to the point I was making. Do you think Superman wasn't published in the 90's? Do you think that what was happening in the rest of the market had no bearing on Spawn?

 

I didn't bring up Batman...someone else did. I wasn't aware we couldn't stray from the original topic in threads...

 

We're talking products of the 90s.

 

That's correct. I'm not sure where you see others disagreeing with that.

 

[newshane]

"Sales numbers do not (necessarily) mean "dominance" and neither do they not mean it. They are just one factor."

 

Yes, they are just one factor. One factor that Spawn succeeded in dominating. There are other factors when it comes to describing dominance. I offered several factors in my original post. I'm still not seeing a proper defense of Deadpool, by the way.

 

"I stopped reading Spawn at around issue 37. That I could get through 37 issues is pretty amazing, because it's very, very bad. Disjointed, illogical, inconsistent. It makes no sense."

 

I agree with the early issues written by Todd...but there are currently 207 other issues that you'd need to consider before making a judgement. Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, David Sim, Grant Morrison, Steven Niles, David Hine, Brian Holguin, Jon Goff, and a few other authors made their contributions to the title. What other 90s title is that stacked with talent? How is Deadpool superior in this sense? We could talk about all the fantastic artists who have contributed, and there is no disputing the title is loaded. Did it always cohere? No. But just because it was at times a bad read does not take away from the IMPACT and popularity of the character during the 90s.

 

 

"And no, Maxx was not created in 1983."

 

The first appearance of The Maxx was in Primer #5, published by Comico Comics. Date on the release was 1983. I know that the character was not the same in the 90s, but it was still an evolution of the character. X-Men 1 in the 60s was the first appearance of The Beast, even though he looked little like the character would become in the 70s. Most collectors know that. Same with The Maxx.

 

"I mentioned Maxx to illustrate the point that all those things you mentioned Spawn having, which made him "the king" of the 90's, weren't exclusive to Spawn."

 

Not "all those things" but some of those things, and even then not to the same degree.

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

"Sales numbers do not (necessarily) mean "dominance" and neither do they not mean it. They are just one factor."

 

Yes, they are just one factor. One factor that Spawn succeeded in dominating.

 

For how long? How many months was Spawn the #1 selling comic of the month? How many months was it top 5? Top 10? Top 100?

 

I went back to your original post, and noted that you said Spawn was in the Top 5 selling comics, in an era when tens of thousands of comics were being sold"....those two statements are in conflict. There were tens of thousands of COPIES being sold, but there were never tens of thousands of TITLES being sold. I don't think, even at the absolute height of the market in 1993, that there was even 1,000 different titles a month being sold. I think the most was a figure around 700 or so. Where do you get tens of thousands from?

 

There are other factors when it comes to describing dominance. I offered several factors in my original post. I'm still not seeing a proper defense of Deadpool, by the way.

 

I'm not interested in that aspect of the conversation, sorry.

 

"I stopped reading Spawn at around issue 37. That I could get through 37 issues is pretty amazing, because it's very, very bad. Disjointed, illogical, inconsistent. It makes no sense."

 

I agree with the early issues written by Todd...but there are currently 207 other issues that you'd need to consider before making a judgement. Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, David Sim, Grant Morrison, Steven Niles, David Hine, Brian Holguin, Jon Goff, and a few other authors made their contributions to the title. What other 90s title is that stacked with talent? How is Deadpool superior in this sense? We could talk about all the fantastic artists who have contributed, and there is no disputing the title is loaded. Did it always cohere? No. But just because it was at times a bad read does not take away from the IMPACT and popularity of the character during the 90s.

 

You're being disingenuous. Neil Gaiman, Dave Sim, Frank Miller, and Alan Moore wrote a single issue each, as a publicity stunt. Morrison wrote three issues. They hardly contributed to the enduring legacy of Spawn. I'll even grant you Angela, though she no longer is a part of the Spawn universe.

 

And who is David Hine? Brian Holguin? Jon Goff? What else have they done?

 

Why does a title need to be "stacked with talent" to be great? Doesn't that mean that the title is, rather, listless and directionless?

 

Warren Ellis turned Stormwatch into Authority, and created some of the best damn comics of the 90's. No "stacking" needed.

 

Kurt Busiek made Astro City, also some of the best damn comics of the 90's...just the one writer.

 

"And no, Maxx was not created in 1983."

 

The first appearance of The Maxx was in Primer #5, published by Comico Comics. Date on the release was 1983.

 

You mean, this:

 

 

(my copy.)

 

I know that the character was not the same in the 90s, but it was still an evolution of the character. X-Men 1 in the 60s was the first appearance of The Beast, even though he looked little like the character would become in the 70s. Most collectors know that. Same with The Maxx.

 

No. That's not the same character, it's not the same name, it's not the same at all. It has been called "the same" because someone confused "Max" with "Maxx" at Wizard, and it stuck.

 

The Beast is, and always has been, Hank McCoy, whose mutation was developed in the context of the stories.

 

The first appearance of the Maxx is Darker Image #1, published in 1993.

 

None of which, of course, is relevant to the discussion. It was a simple example to demonstrate that there were other characters who did the things that Spawn did that you list as "dominant" features.

 

"I mentioned Maxx to illustrate the point that all those things you mentioned Spawn having, which made him "the king" of the 90's, weren't exclusive to Spawn."

 

Not "all those things" but some of those things, and even then not to the same degree.

 

 

No, but then there were other things to a far greater degree than Spawn.

 

You didn't answer my question, though...how many recent issues has Todd McFarlane drawn?

[RockMyAmadeus]

(all that to say that Newshane is probably right. Lacking any other contender, as far as NEW characters go, Spawn in the 90's was probably it. )

[TXReplicant]

Pitt and Shadowhawk!

 

 

[newshane]

Alan Moore wrote two issues and a mini-series.

 

Todd's been on as the main writer since issue 185 and wrote under a pseudonym (Will Carlton) for a while. He's done the interior art on a few issues and has drawn nearly every cover for the last few years...starting with 219 to be exact.

 

Once again, I'm not sure his involvement is a plus. He's pretty much responsible for turning his back on the comic to focus on toys. A profitable move, perhaps, but a move that took a great deal out of the characters momentum.

 

Once again, my thesis is that Spawn is the biggest character born in the 90s and had the most impact over the years. Furthermore, my argument is that he was bigger than Deadpool. That's it. I won't argue that it's great literature or cohesive over the long term. I won't argue that he's currently the most popular character from the 90s..

 

but to say that a character was king of the decade means the character ruled the decade. I know that the 90s feel like a million years ago after all that's since happened in the world, but if you can fire up your brain's memory banks you should be able to remember how hot Spawn was throughout that time.

 

You're asking about sales figures? Okay, here you go:

 

Prior to issue 32 (released in June 1995), it's hard to get an exact grip on numbers because of the distributors reporting system, but I'd bet my paycheck that ALL of those issues were in the top five.

 

Issues 32 - 53 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 55-68 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 71-79 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 82 was in the top five monthly sales

Issues 84-90 were all in the top five monthly sales

 

This was without the gimmick cover and variants that were popular with almost every other book of the period.

 

Spawn didn't drop out of the top ten until issue 107, released in April 2001.

 

So that is a consistent top ten sales run for 69 months, not counting the first 31 issues! If you count the first 31, you have 100 consecutive months of being in the top ten. That's a little over 8 years.

 

Has a Deadpool title enjoyed a reign of that nature? Harley? Venom? Hellboy? Maxx? Of course not! And neither did any other character created in the 90s.

 

By the way, that is an awesome copy of Primer. I certainly bow to your knowledge regarding the Maxx.

 

But as far as Spawn? I don't think you have an argument. You just think the character is and that's perfectly fine. That doesn't take away from the character's place in history.

 

 

 

 

 

[TXReplicant]

If I find out RMA doesn't like Spawn in this thread I'll cry myself to sleep tonight.

[valiantman]

Any chance, at all, that the long-term answer for this question ("king of the 1990s for new character") is actually going to be...

 

Bone?

 

Great comics, in the long run, usually require great writing.

Not sure if Spawn or Deadpool has the "legs" to make it past nostalgia to "literary classic".

 

Meanwhile... Bone has...

• 1993 Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication
  
• 1994 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story: "The Great Cow Race"; Bone #7-11
  
• 1994 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series
  
• 1994 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
  
• 1994 Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication
  
• 1995 Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication
  
• 1995 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist: Humor: Jeff Smith
  
• 1995 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series
  
• 1998 Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist: Humor: Jeff Smith
  
• 2005 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: Reprint: Bone One Volume Edition
  

• 1994 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 1994 Harvey Award Special Award for Humor: Jeff Smith
  
• 1994 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work: The Complete Bone Adventures; reissued in color as Bone: Out from Boneville (Scholastic Corporation)
  
• 1995 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 1996 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 1997 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 1999 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith, for his body of work in 1998, including Bone
  
• 2000 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 2003 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 2005 Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Jeff Smith
  
• 2005 Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work: Bone: One Volume Edition
  

[RockMyAmadeus]

Alan Moore wrote two issues and a mini-series.

 

Todd's been on as the main writer since issue 185 and wrote under a pseudonym (Will Carlton) for a while. He's done the interior art on a few issues and has drawn nearly every cover for the last few years...starting with 219 to be exact.

 

That gets to my point. People want Todd McFarlane ART. Not stories. Not covers. Not inks. ART.

 

Even now, if McFarlane did the title regularly, sales would be up substantially.

 

I wish I knew what interior art he's done, but you won't tell me.

 

Once again, I'm not sure his involvement is a plus. He's pretty much responsible for turning his back on the comic to focus on toys. A profitable move, perhaps, but a move that took a great deal out of the characters momentum.

 

Once again, my thesis is that Spawn is the biggest character born in the 90s and had the most impact over the years. Furthermore, my argument is that he was bigger than Deadpool. That's it. I won't argue that it's great literature or cohesive over the long term. I won't argue that he's currently the most popular character from the 90s..

 

No doubt. No one cared about Deadpool until around 2008.

 

but to say that a character was king of the decade means the character ruled the decade. I know that the 90s feel like a million years ago after all that's since happened in the world, but if you can fire up your brain's memory banks you should be able to remember how hot Spawn was throughout that time.

 

That's where I'm going to disagree with you. Spawn was at the top for a few years, but after #50, things took a drastic turn for the worse.

 

You're asking about sales figures? Okay, here you go:

 

Prior to issue 32 (released in June 1995), it's hard to get an exact grip on numbers because of the distributors reporting system, but I'd bet my paycheck that ALL of those issues were in the top five.

 

Issues 32 - 53 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 55-68 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 71-79 were all in the top five monthly sales

Issues 82 was in the top five monthly sales

Issues 84-90 were all in the top five monthly sales

 

Spawn didn't drop out of the top ten until issue 107, released in April 2001.

 

Spawn was #11 by issue #54, in Sept. of 96.

 

Source? Comichron? Because Comichron does not include all relevant information. Marvel was not carried by Diamond for a good chunk of 1995 and most of 1996. That means there are NO MARVEL TITLES represented. Late 1996/1997 are estimates (good estimates, but still estimates.)

 

And, you're looking at Diamond, and Diamond was not the only distributor until 1997.

 

There are no reliable numbers until April of 1997.

 

AND...you're not including newsstand sales, which are reflected in none of those numbers.

 

You know what the #1 best selling newsstand books are now, and have been for some time...?

 

Archies. Yup.

 

So that is a consistent top ten sales run for 69 months, not counting the first 31 issues!

 

Has a Deadpool title enjoyed a reign of that nature? Harley? Venom? Hellboy? Maxx? Of course not! And neither did any other character created in the 90s.

 

Nope. But again...do sales determine who was the most dominant?

 

 

By the way, that is an awesome copy of Primer. I certainly bow to your knowledge regarding the Maxx.

 

So, my having a "cool book" means I know more about it than you thought...?

 

 

But as far as Spawn? I don't think you have an argument. You just think the character is and that's perfectly fine. That doesn't take away from the character's place in history.

 

 

I already conceded that you were right that Spawn was probably the best new character of the 90's. But being the best of a pile of trash isn't much to write home about. THAT was my point.

 

And it wasn't Spawn people wanted...it was McFarlane.

 

He could have drawn Strawberry Shortcake, and it would have sold bazillions.

 

Ever notice how every OTHER title featuring Spawn, or a Spawn spinoff, has gone down the tubes...?

 

That says something significant.

[RockMyAmadeus]

If I find out RMA doesn't like Spawn in this thread I'll cry myself to sleep tonight.

 

 

I love Todd McFarlane's art. Even the ultra-angular, flat faced Spawn stuff.

 

Does that count?

[Broke as a Joke]

Is Spawn #1 the first appearance book that sold the most copies ever? I can't think of another book that did Spawn 1 type numbers that was a first appearance.