Spawn: the Dark Ages was probably the most frustrating almost-ran of my career. It launched at No.1 and stayed in the top 40 for my entire 13 issue run. It was unusual, gently experimental, highly researched. Yet you'd think it never existed! The press either slated or ignored it, and when my run was (ahem) over, I discovered none of the editors at DC or Marvel, who I went to see in search of work, had ever seen or heard of it. Very strange! They wanted me to do tryout pages for them, as if I hadn't been in the industry on fairly big books for pretty much ten years!
I still don't know why I got sacked. I read on the internet that they had fired the writer, Brian Holguin. They had already fired the original colorist, Brian Haberlin. I emailed, saying they should have told me. And asked if I would only find out if I had been fired reading it on the internet? It went omminously quiet for a few days - and sure enough I was called with what was, at the time, pretty devastating news.
Curiously it was one of Germany's biggest selling titles. My queues were two hours long at the Erlangen convention - longer than Moebius! - and I was actually told my pages were too cheep, and offered more money than I was asking for!
(I met Jan there too!)
I keep hearing that they are going to collect my run, but no sign as yet...
Frustratingly I saw McFarlane's company made a great toy figure using the horned skulls head I designed. They never told me, or gave me one, or paid me a penny for the design.
