Spawn Comic Book Prices
Value of Spawn Titles
Todd McFarlane might not be able to tell you the current Spawn comic book prices, but I’m certain he knows how many cars and pieces of sports memorabilia he owns. That’s because McFarlane, the writer/artist responsible for creating the hit series from Image, has made a fortune distributing and licensing his hellish warrior. In fact, he’s raked in enough money over the years to become a co-owner of an NHL franchise and record-setting baseballs hit by Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds. Not bad for a guy who got his start drawing a back-up story in a comic book about a superhero named Coyote.
I remember purchasing the first Spawn comic when it hit the shelves in 1992. Since then, I’ve popped in to check out the storylines from time to time, although I was never a dedicated reader of the series. There are plenty of people who are, though, as Spawn is one of only two original Image comics to have been published continuously since the formation of the company.
In addition to looking at some of the more notable Spawn comic book prices, I’ll also discuss the basic premise of the book and detail a few of the characters. If you’ve never read Spawn before, this should serve as a fine jumping-on point.
Basic Information on Spawn
Any discussion of the Spawn series should begin with some of the more notable characters. These include:
Spawn (Al Simmons) – Al Simmons was a successful assassin for the U.S. government, but his increasing reluctance towards their policies came to the attention of his superiors. Deciding that he was too big of a risk, they had him murdered.
Due to unknowingly killing innocents during his days with the C.I.A., Al found himself in Hell. Tormented by knowledge that he would never see his wife again, Al made a deal with a demonic creature known as Malebolgia. But the creature tricked Al, and he found himself on Earth five years after he had died. His wife had remarried his best friend, and now Al was a Hellspawn expected to serve the whims of Hell. Al rejected this obligation, vowing to fight the forces of both Heaven and Hell in his quest for justice and revenge.
Since his early beginnings fighting drug dealers and other mortal scum, Spawn has teamed up with Batman, saved a friend from cancer, and even destroyed all the forces of Heaven and Hell. As of this writing, Al Simmons has been transformed into a malevolent being named Omega Spawn after committing suicide. His plan is the destroy the planet, something that the new Spawn is trying to prevent him from doing.
Angela – An angelic bounty hunter who first tried to kill Spawn and later ended up as a love interest. She was killed in Spawn #100 during a confrontation with Malebolgia. She made a number of crossover appearances over the years, as well as starring in her own three-issue limited series, Angela.
Spawn (Jim Downing) – The current Spawn, Jim Downing was in a coma when Al Simmons committed suicide. The powers transferred to Downing, and he immediately awoke as the latest incarnation of the Hellspawn warrior. While trying to unravel his mysterious past, Jim must fight to survive against Spawn’s many enemies and come to accept his new role.
Sam Burke and Twitch Williams – A pair of NYPD homicide Detectives who exist in the world of Spawn. They were initially in pursuit of Spawn for his vigilante activities, but they later became his allies. Their popularity led to a spin-off series called, appropriately enough, Sam and Twitch.
Violator – A demonic being who often takes the form of a stunted bald man with clown make-up (known as “The Clown”). His role is to teach young Hellspawn to realize their true purpose in Hell’s hierarchy, and the willful Spawn often clashes with the human-hating creature. While his actions are often uncouth and chaotic, the Violator is a dangerous opponent capable of rapid healing, telepathy, shape-shifting, fire-breathing, and necromancy.
Malebolgia – One of the major rulers of Hell, this powerful demon was Spawn’s original master and served as his primary antagonist for the first 100 issues of the series. While he was supposedly slain by Spawn in issue #100, he later returned in issue #199.
The Spawn series has attracted some of the biggest names in comics, with guest writers ranging from Alan Moore to Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller. McFarlane has served as writer and artist on many of the issues, although Brian Holguin, Greg Capullo, and David Hine have also made significant contributions.
All the Spawn issues, as well as its numerous spin-offs, can be found in trade paperback form, and those who still aren’t getting their desired Spawn fix can enjoy the character in numerous other media. An animated Spawn mini-series ran on HBO in the late ‘90s, numerous Spawn video games have been made, and the character even got his own feature film in 1997.
Spawn Comic Book Values
In the 1990’s, collectors would buy almost any comic book title in the hopes of seeing a rapid return on their investment. During that period, it wasn’t uncommon to see comics released with numerous variant covers, all of which would be purchased by cash-hungry collectors. Since Spawn was one of the most popular titles released as part of the trendy Image line, it immediately benefited. The first issue of the series sold 1.7 million copies, and its popularity would continue to rise until the feature film was released in 1997.
Since then, the Spawn craze has started to wane, with issues often falling outside of the top 100 monthly titles. But collectors who’ve held onto those first Spawn issues all this time can still make a mint, right?
Wrong. Thanks to a crappy economy and general downturn in the comic industry, most Spawn comic book values barely recoup the cover price.
I found that the first issue of Spawn is currently selling for $5 (assuming it’s graded at least 9.4). A special black-and-white edition of the first edition is also available, and it can fetch as much as $80. Another first issue done in 3D and limited to 1,000 copies can be had for $25.
Issues two through 99 have pedestrian values ranging from $2 to $4, with $3 being the norm. Things did pick up briefly for Spawn’s 100th issue, with variant covers by Frank Miller, Alex Ross, Todd McFarlane, and Mike Mignola all selling for $5. Still, that’s a far cry from the days of the early 1990′s boom.
The price drops back down to $3 until issue #150, where it rises to an average of $8 thanks to variant covers featuring the work of Jim Lee, Phillip Tan, and Todd McFarlane. A sketch cover of issue #150 by McFarlane has sold for $80 on eBay and is currently listed at $40 on ComicsPriceGuide.com.
From #150 to #200, most of the issues of Spawn are valued at $3 in mint condition. There are a few exceptions, however, such as a sketch incentive edition with artwork by Whilce Portacio. A copy sold for just over $500 in 2009, and it’s current value in mint condition is listed at $60.
Ten variant covers were released for the landmark 200th issue, and the most valuable is a limited-edition David Finch black-and-white edition. It currently sells for $60.
While the title can be a lot of fun to read, don’t expect to get rich off the current Spawn comic book prices. The series was a landmark achievement in the comics industry, but is was just too mass produced to fetch the kind of bucks being brought in by popular titles from the pre-Vietnam era. If you’re a serious collector, skip Spawn and search for something of more lasting value; If you’re a casual reader, skip the individual issues and save some money with the trade paperback editions.