One of the most highly-anticipated events this year is the new Batman Spawn crossover from DC Comics, bringing together the legendary creative team of writer Todd McFarlane and artist Greg Capullo. Announced at San Diego Comic-Con this year, McFarlane has already billed Batman Spawn as the century’s best-selling comic, with new details from DC cementing what will unquestionably be a blockbuster event this December.
Batman and Spawn have had some notable crossovers in the past, evident in Spawn/Batman by Frank Miller and Todd McFarlane, and Batman/Spawn: War Devil #1 by Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, and Klaus Janson. Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo’s return for this year’s crossover is especially exciting for fans, given that Capullo’s work on Spawn in the 1990s quickly established him as a fan-favorite artist. Later, during DC’s New 52 era, Capullo’s work continued to shine on Batman with writer Scott Snyder, beginning with the iconic Court of Owls storyline. As such, Capullo is an era-defining artist for both Spawn and Batman, making his return to the characters with Todd McFarlane all the better.
Now, DC Comics has revealed more details of the upcoming crossover, landing in stores on December 13th, 2022. In an excellent callback to Capullo’s work on Batman’s New 52 title, the storyline of Batman Spawn will feature the Court of Owls as the villainous Gotham City group tries “to use Spawn to beat Batman” once and for all. Given that the Court of Owls was unsuccessful in defeating Batman with their army of Talons in the “Night of the Owls” crossover during the New 52, their employment of Spawn this time around promises a battle that fans can look forwards to. The official solicit for Batman Spawn #1 is as follows:
“Two dark heroes, cursed by tragedy, find their paths crossing again…but not by choice! What sinister foe is at work, pitting the Dark Knight against the Hellspawn? From the shadows of Gotham City to New York City, this epic event is the blockbuster you’ve been waiting almost two decades for!“
Along with plot details, DC released covers for the epic crossover. Batman Spawn #1’s main cover will be drawn by Greg Capullo, and will feature variants by Todd McFarlane, Gabriele Dell’otto, Sean Murphy, Francesco Mattina, J. Scott Campbell, and Jim Lee. In addition, Batman Spawn will have ratio variants from Jason Fabok (1:25), Brett Booth (1:50), and Jim Lee (1:100). The comic’s 1:250 variant will be a “signed inked variant of the main cover by McFarlane,” while Capullo and McFarlane will each create a signed 1:666 variant. The 1:1000 variant will be signed by both Capullo and McFarlane. The 48-page comic will be priced at $6.99, printed on cardstock, and published in DC’s prestige format.
Lastly, fans can reacquaint themselves with Batman and Spawn’s previous crossovers with the all-new Batman/Spawn: The Classic Collection hardcover, which collects Spawn/Batman and Batman/Spawn: War Devil #1. Batman/Spawn: The Classic Collection will release one month before Batman Spawn #1, and will be available wherever comics are sold on November 15th, 2022. McFarlane and Capullo’s enthusiasm for the crossover cannot be understated. With all these details in mind, Batman and Spawn fans have much to look forwards to when this latest crossover drops this fall.
Batman Spawn #1 will be available from DC Comics on December 13th, 2022.
