Editing Todd McFarlane (section)

===Early work, DC, and Marvel===
[[Image:Batman423.JPG|right|thumb|McFarlane's cover for DC's ''Batman'' No. 423 (Sept 1988)]]
While still in college, McFarlane began sending 30–40 packages of submissions each month to comics editors, totaling over 700 submissions after a year and a half, most of which were in the form of pinups. Half resulted in no response, while the other half resulted in rejection letters, though he received some constructive criticism from a few editors. One of them, [[DC Comics]]' [[Sal Amendola]], gave McFarlane a dummy script to gauge McFarlane's page-to-page storytelling ability. Amendola's advice that McFarlane's submissions needed to focus on page-to-page stories rather than pinups led McFarlane to create a five-page ''[[Coyote (comics)|Coyote]]'' sample that he initially sent to ''[[Uncanny X-Men]]'' editor [[Ann Nocenti]] at [[Marvel Comics]], who passed it along to [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]] and [[Jo Duffy]], the editors of the Marvel imprint [[Epic Comics]], which published ''Coyote''; these in turn passed it onto ''Coyote'' creator [[Steve Englehart]], who contacted McFarlane in 1984 with an offer for Todd's first comic job:<ref name=DevilYouKnow/><ref name=SpokesmanReview/><ref name=ArtOfTodd/> a backup story in ''Coyote'' #11.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sergi |first=Joe |date=2015 |title=The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYuoBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |page=77 |isbn=978-0-7864-7360-1}}</ref>

McFarlane soon began drawing for both DC and Marvel, with his first major body of work being a two-year run (1985–1987) on DC's ''[[Infinity, Inc.]]'' In 1987, McFarlane illustrated the last three issues of ''[[Detective Comics]]''' four-issue "[[Batman: Year Two]]" storyline.<ref>{{cite book|author=Manning, Matthew K.|chapter= 1980s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 229 |quote = In 'Year Two', a four-part sequel [to "[[Batman: Year One]]"] set in Batman's second year as a crime fighter, writer Mike W. Barr and artists Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane challenged the Caped Crusader with the threat of the Reaper.}}</ref> From there, he moved to Marvel's ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|Incredible Hulk]]'', which he drew from 1987 to 1988, working with writer [[Peter David]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/todd-mcfarlane-early-unseen-hulk-drawings/ |title=Spawn Creator Todd McFarlane Shares His Early, Unseen Hulk Drawings |last=Ridlehoover |first=John |date=June 18, 2020 |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>

====''The Amazing Spider-Man''====
In 1988, McFarlane joined writer [[David Michelinie]] on Marvel's ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', beginning with issue 298, drawing the preliminary sketch for that cover's image on the back of one of his ''Incredible Hulk'' pages.<ref>McFarlane, Todd (April 25, 2017). [https://www.facebook.com/liketoddmcfarlane/videos/vb.160535290657228/1503963736314370/?type=2&theater&notif_id=1493072305617290 "LIVE Todd shows cover sketch for my first Marvel Spider-Man issue EVER!"]. [[Facebook]]. Retrieved January 17, 2018.</ref> McFarlane garnered notice for the more dynamic poses in which he depicted Spider-Man's aerial web-swinging, his enlarging of the eyes on the character's mask, and the greater detail in which he rendered his artwork—in particular, the elaborate detail he gave to Spider-Man's webbing. Whereas it had previously been rendered as essentially a series of X's between two lines, McFarlane embellished it by detailing far more individual strands, which came to be dubbed "spaghetti webbing".<ref name=ComicsBulletin/><ref name=C&G>{{cite news|last=Chapman|first=Adam|title=Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane Omnibus|url=http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/amazing-spider-man-by-david-michelinie-and-todd-mcfarlane-omnibus|newspaper=Comics and Gaming Magazine|date=September 11, 2011}}</ref><ref name=TCJ>[[Groth, Gary]] (August 1992). [http://www.tcj.com/thats-the-spice-of-life-bud-the-todd-mcfarlane-interview "'That's the Spice of Life, Bud': The Todd McFarlane Interview"]. ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' (#152). Retrieved January 17, 2018.</ref> (McFarlane was possibly influenced by artist [[Arthur Adams (comics)|Arthur Adams]], whose visual conception of Spider-Man with a large-eyed mask, webbing with more detailed strands, and more contorted poses while web-swinging, can be seen in ''[[Web of Spider-Man]]'' Annual #2, published in June 1986 – approximately 1½ years before McFarlane's first published Spider-Man work.) McFarlane drew the first full appearance of [[Eddie Brock]], the original incarnation of the villain [[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]]. He has been credited as the character's co-creator, though this has been a topic of dispute within the comic book industry (''see [[Eddie Brock#Creation and conception|Eddie Brock: Creation and conception]]'').<ref>''[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]'' #21 (May 1993)</ref><ref>''Wizard'' magazine #23, July 1993</ref><ref>''Comics Creators on Spider-Man'', pg 148, Tom DeFalco. (Titan Books, 2004)</ref>

McFarlane's work on ''Amazing Spider-Man'' made him an industry superstar.<ref name=TCJ/> His cover art for ''Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 313, for which he was originally paid $700 in 1989, for example, later sold for $71,200 in 2010.<ref name=SpideyCents>{{Cite episode|title=Spidey Cents|series=[[Pawn Stars]]|network=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|History]]|airdate=May 2, 2011|season=4|number=26}}</ref> One critic of McFarlane's detail-heavy style was ''[[Comics Journal]]'' editor [[Gary Groth]], who said of McFarlane in a 2017 interview, "He doesn't have any authentic virtues as a visual stylist. His work is so overembellished that it disguises the fact that the composition is chaotic and cluttered to the point of being almost unreadable. He never really learned the craft of comics — he just faked it really well."<ref name=Vulture>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/todd-mcfarlane-still-answers-to-no-one.html|title=Comic Book Icon Todd McFarlane (Still) Answers to No One|first=Abraham|last=Riesman|publisher=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|date=February 2017}}</ref>

During his run on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', McFarlane became increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of control over his work, as he wanted more say in the direction of storylines. He began to miss deadlines, requiring guest artists to fill in for him on some issues.<ref name=ComicsBulletin/> In 1990, after a 28-issue run of ''Amazing Spider-Man'', McFarlane told editor [[Jim Salicrup]] that he wanted to write his own stories, and would be leaving the book with issue No. 328, which was part of that year's company-wide "[[Acts of Vengeance]]" crossover storyline. In July 2012 the original artwork to that issue's cover, which features Spider-Man dispatching the Hulk, sold for a record-breaking $657,250 [[USD]], the highest auction price ever for any piece of American comic book art.<ref>[https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/todd-mcfarlane-1990-spider-man-328-cover-art-brings-world-record-657-250-at-heritage-auctions.s?releaseId=2236&ic=leftcol-mcfarlane-althome4-071012 "Todd McFarlane 1990 Spider-Man #328 Cover Art Brings World Record $657,250+ at Heritage Auctions"]. [[Heritage Auctions]], July 26, 2012.</ref><ref>Buttery, Jarrod (December 2016). "Captain Universe: The Hero Who Could Be You!", ''[[Back Issue!]]'', p. 48.</ref> McFarlane was succeeded on ''Amazing Spider-Man'' by McFarlane's future fellow [[Image Comics]] co-founder [[Erik Larsen]].<ref name="CBR11.23.14">Burgas, Greg (November 23, 2014). [http://www.cbr.com/year-of-the-artist-day-327-erik-larsen-part-4-amazing-spider-man-335/ "Year of the Artist, Day 327: Erik Larsen, Part 4 – Amazing Spider-Man #335"]. [[Comic Book Resources]]. Retrieved January 17, 2018.</ref>

====New ''Spider-Man'' title====
[[Image:Spiderman1cover.jpg|right|thumb|McFarlane's cover for Marvel's ''Spider-Man'' No. 1 (August 1990)]]
Wanting to appease McFarlane, Marvel gave McFarlane a new, adjectiveless ''Spider-Man'' title for him to both write and draw. ''[[Peter Parker: Spider-Man|Spider-Man]]'' #1 (August 1990) sold 2.5 million copies,<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Cowsill|editor-first1=Alan|editor-last2=Gilbert|editor-first2=Laura|chapter=1990s|title=Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2012|page=184|isbn=978-0756692360|quote=Todd McFarlane was at the top of his game as an artist, and with Marvel's release of this new Spidey series he also got the chance to take on the writing duties. The sales of this series were underwhelming, with approx. 2.5 million copies eventually printing, including special bagged editions and a number of [[variant covers]].}}</ref><ref name=saffel>{{cite book|last=Saffel|first=Steve|title= Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84576-324-4|chapter= Mutant Menace|page=173|quote=Marvel knew a good thing when they saw it, and the adjectiveless ''Spider-Man'' received Marvel's most aggressive launch in company history...the initial press run was 2.35 million, and 500,000 additional copies were printed to meet demand.}}</ref> largely due to the [[variant cover]]s with which Marvel, seeking to capitalize on McFarlane's popularity, published the issue to encourage [[comic book collecting|collectors]] into buying more than one edition. This practice was a result of the [[comics speculator bubble]] of the 1990s, which would burst later that decade.<ref name=ComicsBulletin/> McFarlane, unbeknownst to his parents at the time, was making about a million dollars a year.<ref name=DevilYouKnow/> McFarlane wrote and illustrated 15 of the series' first 16 issues, many issues of which featured other popular Marvel characters such as [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]] and [[Ghost Rider]] in guest roles.<ref name=ComicsBulletin/>

Despite his acclaim as an artist, according to David Wallace of [[Comics Bulletin]], many found McFarlane's writing to be "clumsy, unsophisticated and pretentious," and questioned the wisdom of allowing him to write a new ''Spider-Man'' title in the first place. At the same time, the editorial had problems with the dark tone of the stories McFarlane was telling, beginning with the inaugural "Torment" storyline, which depicted a more vicious version of the reptilian villain [[Lizard (character)|Lizard]] under the control of the voodoo priestess [[Calypso (comics)|Calypso]].<ref name=ComicsBulletin/> Subsequent storylines such as "Masques" featured Spider-Man confronting the demonic [[Hobgoblin (comics)|Hobgoblin]], while "Perceptions," which involved Spider-Man dealing with police corruption, child rape, and murder (a hint of the work he would later do on ''[[Spawn (comics)|Spawn]]''), led some stores to refuse to stock the book. This created further tensions between McFarlane and the editorial, which viewed Spider-Man as a historically light-hearted character, marketed to young readers. Editor, Jim Salicrup, in particular, was required to make a number of compromises for McFarlane's work, including enforcing his minor costume changes across the entire line of other Spidey comics, placing limitations on his choice of villains for his stories, and dealing with strong disagreement on the handling of the character, [[Mary Jane Watson]]. This strained McFarlane's relationship with Salicrup, which was expressed in the remarkable amount of public disagreement that appeared on the book's letters page. Eventually, McFarlane's attention to his deadlines, again, began to waver, and he missed issue 15 of the title. His final issue on the book, #16 (November 1991), was part of a [[fictional crossover|crossover]] storyline with ''[[X-Force (comic book)|X-Force]]'', and led to creative clashes with new editor [[Danny Fingeroth]].<ref name=ComicsBulletin/> According to McFarlane and editor, [[Tom DeFalco]], in the 2000 documentary, ''The Devil You Know: Inside the Mind of Todd McFarlane'', among the examples of the issues that prompted his departure were editorial's censorship of a panel in that issue in which the character, [[Juggernaut (character)|Juggernaut]] was graphically stabbed in the eye with a sword. DeFalco supported the editing of the panel, calling it "inappropriate," while McFarlane called this "lunacy," arguing that such graphic visuals are commonplace in Marvel's books.<ref name=DevilYouKnow/> Fed up with editorial interference, he left the company under something of a cloud. According to Wallace, "McFarlane's fifteen issues of Spider-Man are now (perhaps slightly unfairly) held up alongside the likes of ''X-Force'' as the epitome of everything wrong in 1990's comics, and their cash-in approach to the then-booming speculator market precipitated the near-collapse of the industry."<ref name=ComicsBulletin/>