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It's Wednesday and you know what that means... ToyFarce review! This week, we're having a look at the first wave of new Spawn figures, from the Spawn's Universe line of McFarlane Toys! Spawn is Todd McFarlane's creation, and the very reason why he started McFarlane Toys in the first place nearly 3 decades ago (as other brands did not want to do Spawn figures for him). In the late 90's/early 00's, you couldn't go to a comic book store without seeing a ton of Spawn figures. Then, suddenly, it stopped. Sure, we got the Mortal Kombat Spawn figure in recent years, along with the Kickstarter Spawn, a new and improved version of the very first figure, but this is the first actual wave of Spawn figures. Exciting! First off, odd choice, but instead of going with a classic look for Spawn on that first wave, McFarlane Toys went for the Gunslinger Spawn instead, most likely because there is a new comic book about this Spawn coming out as well. The Gunslinger Spawn comes with 2 revolvers, a rifle and a rifle bag. The sculpt is amazing and the colors are great, with really vibrant red and green. You might hurt yourself while handling the figure with all those spikes. Still, a triumphant return for Spawn in toy form. The Redeemer, or Anti-Spawn, the heaven's equivalent to hell's Spawn, is also a nice figure, even if not my favorite from this wave. The details on the sculpt and the wings are stunning, and the Redeemer comes with his sword. The wings do leave a little to be desired, the articulation on them does not allow a lot of movement, and the peg is really thin, and one of the wings of my figure is 'locked' in a pose, and it looks like trying to move them more will break the peg. Raven Spawn also looks amazing in its creepiness. The dark colors and details, along with the axe/scythe and chains accessories will look perfectly gloomy on any shelf! The contrast with the bright green of the eyes is a nice touch. This is another figure that you might need gloves to pose, as the spikes on the gauntlets and legs are not pleasant. The Clown, a classic Spawn villain, looks just as creepy and evil as when we last saw him. This one comes with a gigantic backpack rocket launcher full of weapons, which can be a little heavy and make the figure fall backwards a lot. I don't think I know anybody who will display him with it anyway, it's kind of a weird accessory. He also comes with a knife and a razor blade. The figure itself is small, but because of the giant backpack accessory, its packaging ended up being one of the biggest of that wave... ...apart from Violator. That thing is a BEAST. Seriously, this is not a toy, it is a weapon. It is heavy, has horns and spikes growing all over and looks amazing. One of McFarlane Toys' strong suits has always been big monster figures, and we are very far from the first Violator figure, which was basically a glorified bend-em figure. This Violator looks more like the one in the modern version of the comic book (#beefy). Definitely the highlight of that wave. All that plastic for only about $50 is insane. Which was your favorite Spawn figure that you hope to see in that Spawn's Universe line? Let us know in the comments! More news at 11:00... WANDAAAA !

TODD MCFARLANE ANNOUNCES FOR 2021, HIS NEW ATTEMPT AT CREATING A SHARED UNIVERSE OF COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS THAT WILL GROW INTO A GLOBAL BRAND BY RECRUITING AN ALL-STAR LINE-UP OF CREATORS AND EXPANDING HIS SPAWN EMPIRE. While there is no word about a dedicated Spawn action figure line in this announcement to go along with this new Spawn comic book Universe, we have been several indications such a thing is in the works. First when an image leaked out earlier in the month for what looked like some kind of Zoom call possibly with retailers showing off new Spawn figures like 7" figures of Cowboy and Redeemer Spawn. Then just the other day Todd himself posted an image for what looked like an early prototype for a Violator figure. And with that image Todd asked folks who wants a new figure of it. Hopefully more details about Spawn figures will be coming soon, but for now check out the full press release put out by McFarlane for his Spawn Universe. Press Release: Today, Image Comics' President Todd McFarlane announced his bold attempt at creating his own multi-character, interconnected comic book universe. His stated goal is to establish a shared fictional universe over time in the vein of what the other comic industry giants, Marvel, and DC Comics, have accomplished with their comic book universes. The announcement was given by McFarlane during a first look presentation at the Direct Market Retailers at the Annual ComicsPRO Conference. The character Spawn, created by McFarlane, will be at the forefront of the initial launch of new titles, but the long-term goal is that Spawn will become but one of many characters that will succeed not only in the comics industry but in many mediums across the globe. McFarlane will capitalize on the twenty-eight-year success story of Spawn, which has seen sales increase between 150 to 600% from pre-pandemic orders. The Spawn title currently is a top 5 monthly selling title on the Diamond Distributors Top 100 Chart. Recently, a new release of a Spawn figure on Kickstarter set a new Kickstarter record, in its category, for raising just under $3. 5 million in 30 days. That figure was also recently awarded the prestigious People's Choice 2021 Toy of The Year (TOTY) by The Toy Association, Inc. As part of his announcement, McFarlane announced four new titles coming out in 2021, with three of them continuing as regular monthly titles, meaning that there will be an opportunity for fans of the Spawn character and his new expanding world to get their stories from it on a weekly basis instead of just twelve times a year. "The simple question is this: DC Comics started a shared universe in the late 1930s. Marvel Comics began theirs in the early 1960s… so, can lightning strike a third time beginning in 2021? I personally do not have the answer to that question right now, but the only way to get an answer to that question is to make the attempt in the first place, "said McFarlane, Image president, and Spawn Creator. "This is a long-intended plan that will need the help of dozens and dozens of creators to help create hundreds and hundreds of characters. And then to reward those creators if any of their ideas pay off in a big way outside of the comic industry. The quest isn't to have our ideas exclusively live in the comic book industry but to have merit and value outside of that industry as well. My character Spawn has been an example of what can happen with creation… so, what are the possibilities if hundreds of creations are brought together? Marvel and DC Comics have shown us that a collective group of characters, together, in a shared universe can resonate globally. I think it is time for David to attempt to join the same arena as the Goliaths of the world." In June, in what McFarlane is calling "2021 the Year of Spawn," comic retailers will be able to order SPAWN'S UNIVERSE #1. This will be a book that will set the stage with a story that will then spill out into the other new monthly titles. The first title will release in August with a book called KING SPAWN #1. The character Spawn will now join the rare company of stalwart characters, like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, that will have multiple monthly books for the same title character. It will also mark the first time in twenty-eight years that anyone can buy a monthly issue #1 Spawn book. It gives McFarlane hope of reaching a new generation of readers that missed out on the initial launch of the Spawn back in 1992. In October comes the second new monthly called GUNSLINGER SPAWN. This title character has been a huge hit among the fanbase over the past year, and each of his appearances has garnered enthusiasm at the stores and online. Finally, there will be a new #1 team book, which will band five characters together to fight against forces too big for any of them to take on alone. That book is titled THE SCORCHED. Spawn, Redeemer, Gunslinger, Medieval Spawn, and She-Spawn begins the group's adventures. However, McFarlane promises a rotating cast of heroes over the coming months to keep the roster of heroes fresh. He also said that he would be bringing in new major villains into the fold, too. To lend a creative hand on some of this expanding list of titles, McFarlane has recruited an all-star list of comic book creators such as Art Adams, Jason Shawn Alexander, Carlo Barberi, Brett Booth, J. Scott Campbell, Greg Capullo, Donny Cates, Jim Cheung, Mike del Mundo, Javier Fernandez, David Finch, Jonathan Glapion, Kevin Keane, Aleš Kot, Puppeteer Lee, Sean Lewis, Sean Gordon Murphy, Ben Oliver, Stephen Segovia, Paulo Siqueira, Marc Silvestri, Marcio Takara, and Frank Quitely, as well as others he will be announcing in the coming months. All of this just continued to build on the mythology of Spawn and his world. The original SPAWN book is one of the world's bestselling and longest-running comics, with over 100 million copies sold in more than 120 countries. In 2019, McFarlane made history with the release of the historic SPAWN #300 and record-breaking SPAWN #301. These milestones have earned McFarlane the Guinness World Records title for the world's longest-running creator-owned comic book series. SPAWN #300 became the 2nd highest-selling comic title and was also the only character to place two of its issues in the Top 11 for highest-selling issues for that year. A new movie of SPAWN is currently in development with BlumHouse Studios, Jamie Foxx, and Jeremy Renner, all attached to the project as McFarlane will be making his directorial debut on the film when it goes into production.