The CEO of the company is Todd McFarlane. He's established himself as a force in the entertainment world and has more than 150 international awards in the fields of action figures, comic books, and publishing.
He's the co-author of Venom and Spawn, as well as the president of Image Comics, and he has two new premium TV series, "McFarland" and "Thumbs." He launched an NFT marketplace with Steve Aoki called OddKey, and has two
We talked about his career advice, his history with comics, and his approach with new projects.
When did you know that you could become a comic book writer?
I think it was a slow realization. I had friends who had comic-book collections when I was a teenager, and I knew I had an art talent. When I looked at the comic books, they weren't great but they gave me a focus for my work.
I decided to do the superhero Americana comic-book style, and I did it like a dog.
How did you create Venom and Spawn?
Venom was an accident. I grew up with Spider-Man in a red and blue costume, so I didn't want to draw him in a black costume.
The black costume was put on another character. I created a monster and we went there. I wish I had more accidents like that.
Spawn was created when I was in high school. I think almost all success in any business is longevity. You can be part of the conversation for a long time because of your longevity.
When you're early in your career, people will judge you on your work, and what you're doing matters. They will judge you on your entire body of work over time. That means there's nothing I can draw that will make my hardcore fan base like me.
You're also an NFT icon because you're a comic-book icon. Do you think they'll complement each other, or will one replace the other?
I believe that NFTs will replace the physical stuff for some people. The collection is the most interesting thing about any art. The delivery mechanism of how you get it shouldn't matter.
I have told people before that the comic-book medium is not going to go away, but the delivery mechanism could change over time.
There are many different projects happening at the same time. How do you decide which characters you use in different ways while not oversaturation?
I think I'm the undersaturater. After 30 years, I started my second monthly comic book. "Todd, you idiot, you could have done this 15 years ago." My job is to find enough customers so I can get up the next day and do art again.
I've been able to do this trick for over 30 years. I can put stuff in the ground that I think will be good for five or 10 years, and I'm still going to be here because I'm never fired from my company. I would say 80% to 85% of the decisions I've made for my company, and I would think about the 16-year-old Todd who didn't have money.
What is your best piece of career advice?
The person who is going to advocate the most for you is you. I've met many people who won't advocate for themselves.
If you don't give a shit about what you're doing, why should I? Do you want me to fight harder for you than you are? It's never going to happen.
It's a bit of a challenge to advocate for my business. I got my first comic-book job after getting 300 no's. You have to believe in yourself. Entrepreneurs are fearless.
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