In 2014-2015 I was hired by Todd McFarlane to write the long-running Spawn starting with issue #251. The plan was to have a single issue called “Spawn Resurrection” that would serve as an intro and sit between issues #250 and #251.
After the usual pitch/notes/revise process, I had a script done, approved by the man himself. Things got weird from that point on. The artist, someone I didn’t know prior, was a guy named Jonboy Meyers, and we ran into problems.
He didn’t refuse the job, he just didn’t want to draw what was in the script. Real blunt. Nope. Very confused, I tried to understand, and came away with the impression that he, a hardcore Spawn fan, was going to draw parts of story the way he prefers. Which, in the best of times, is fine, but these changes completley broke the story.
My point of view was: I was hired to write the story. My outline was approved. I signed a contract. I signed posters. I sat on a Spawn panel at NYCC and described the story. So I was at a loss. I tried to make deals, like, how about we do these scenes your way, Jonboy, and we’ll keep these other ones as I wrote them? He stood his ground. Is there any sort of arrangement we can come to, I asked? No.
That conversation was on a phone call with Todd listening in, silent. Other conversations were over email, Todd copied in. A few days later that I was paid for the issue, then fired. No reason given. One of the more baffling experiences I’ve had in comics. I can be very focused on and specific about what I’m trying to say in a script, but I’ve never not been able to find middle ground before.
If I google this situation I can find quotes from Jonboy claiming the script was “socio-political” in the manner I have always been known for, but Todd and I didn’t see eye to eye. Maybe? He never said.
But, you know, it was 11 years ago so there’s no bitterness. It’s become a fun story to tell. That poster is on sale for $160 on eBay, by the way.
This is the script, offered for free from my writing portfolio.
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