I was thinking the exact thing through the whole video. His knowledge and wisdom is universal. This is definitely a video anyone and everyone should see to get inspired.
This video inspired me beyond belief. Todd is a personal hero of mine. I have almost every issue of SPAWN! When I lived in half way homes for the mentally ill, while living off of social security, I had to sell all of my McFarlane action figures. It was heartbreaking. His art, impact, and drive has given me so much passion to have a great work ethic myself. I went from halfway homes living off of 3 dollars a day to being the most successful global speaker in the brain and mental health fields. Thank you for making this video it totally made my day. His story is incredible and I’m incredibly grateful for his inspiration, and your creation of this vid.
19:49 Another reason I have the utmost respect for him, his realness, A lot of people have those thoughts & try to skirt around the question & act like they are so morally above others like they never once have those thoughts etc but he's open and honest about it. Got nothin but respect for that.
And that was years back, imagine how strongly he feels about what's going on now with all the light being shed on organized pedophiles rings. Nothing but respect for Todd, got my first issues of Spawn from a yard sale at 10. Been a lifelong fan ever since. Big fan of yours too.
I worked with Todd on action figures back almost 20 years now .he paid very well and on time .great time in my life .THANKS TODD MC .my name is SHAWN NAGLE
Congratulations Sean that truly is a blessing in a nice success story to work with a creator of such magnitude. No Doubt for him to work with you. means that most definitely contribute something of Value & worth to him. thumbs up 4 sharing that with us in the comment section.
No one remembers how crap action figures were before Todd came along. He legit revolutionized the whole industry. Crazy thing is, all the old guard condescended him and told him what he was trying to do could never happened, so he said screw it and started his own company. Flash forward to now and McFarlane Toys is still one of the most respected names in the industry.
Honestly, this is the best Blueprint episode so far! He's dropping a lot of knowledge. I'm walking away with two pages worth of notes. I'm definitely adding this to my playlist.
That was an amazing interview. I'm 38 and have been a Todd MacFarlane fan for 25 yrs...watching this has given me more insight and understanding of who he is, his business approach, and his thought processes than anything Ive ever seen before.
Marvel: don't make his eyes big, don't make his suit so dark, and stop the spaghetti webbing. Those are literally the top 3 things I remember about Spidey from the comics as a young child.
kal kella I think I know the secret. The editors move up the ladder to become editors from non-creative jobs sometimes. They don’t know art. But all of a sudden they are in charge of it. Big mistake.
Everytime Todd does an interview, his passion jumps out so much and is great to see. He gives a great message here - don't ever let people tell you you can't do or achieve something.
The first time an interviewer ACTUALLY let the person speak a FULL FUCKING SENTENCE *BEFORE* interrupting them! I hardly EVER see this! I got in-depth answers from him, and it was fluent and it was great. Thanks for this! THIS is how interviews SHOULD be!
I really really enjoyed this interview. To those watching I recommend not skipping anything at all. That being said here are the time stamps so that you can go back for reference. *Part One: FOUNDATION **0:45* 1.Find Your Passion 1:15 2. Learn The Details 1:43 3. Look For An Opening 2:09 4. Be Persistent 2:52 5. Make It Sexy 4:52 6. Fight The Status Quo 5:02 7. Know Your Weakness 6:00 8. Hit Your Deadlines 6:36 9. Entertain Yourself 7:59 10. Make Business Serve Art 9:42 *“I’m In business for one reason: to drive my art” **8:39* *“Come up with a good idea, do the thing you like, put it out there” **9:20* *Part Two: SECOND STORY **10:30* 1. Know Your Value 11:32 2. Watch Your Back 12:46 3. Do The Math 13:37 4. Empower The Artists 14:53 5. Own Your Ideas 16:13 6. Have A Sustainable Plan 16:49 7. Create Stories You Don’t See 18:32 *PART 3: RENOVATIONS **20:29* 1. Find The White Space 22:12 2. Demand Excellence 22:31 3. Always Say Yes 28:28 4. Diversify Your Brand 30:28 5. Get Help When You Need It 6. Learn From Pain 33:47 7. Know Your Limits 33:34 8. Finance Is Freedom 38:02 9. Stay Immature 40:26 *“Always spend your own money” **25:15* *"Time should teach you something” **33:57* SPAWN HBO Series 36:13 *"Nirvana is: Finding The Space, Doing It Your Way, And It Works"* 38:20
41 minutes and every second was worth it. As a kid of the 90's that grew up collecting comics, this man has always been a legend. First time I ever got to see him speak. This might be one of my favorite interviews ever. Thank you for posting this.
Great by the interviewer as he asked great questions, great by the interviewee as he gave great responses; great all around. I was literally stuck to the screen, and could be watching another 40 minutes of it _easily._
I never expected to see such an insightful, down to earth and inspiring interview with Todd McFarlane. This is truly a great interview. And Todd is so cool. Definitely going in my playlist for sure.
James Halliday his name is todd, fuckin hate when people mistake him for the godforsaken creator of family guy. his art is second to none and everyone should pickup his work.
I don't get it...... How the hell can you dislike this video? The Man is pouring out his wisdom and knowledge, and people will spit on it. Good job sir thank you for your words of wisdom and knowledge.
One of the most dopest and underrated interviews that have ever been made. Todd is freaking awesome his mentality and the way he go about things in uncanny. Todd is my Steve Jobs of the Comic Industry.
Amazing video!👍👏 I just began my comic book collection and found Toon Haven. They have an incredible range of digital comics for every genre, including the hard to find ones. Lifetime updates too!😁
Todd McFarlane is one of the greatest comic book illustrator of all time! I have always been a fan of his artwork when he created "Spawn." Him and Greg Capullo dominated the comic book industry in the late 1990s, because the detail characters was just mind-blowing.
"If someone can't stop him from hurting the children, then me and another dad is gonna pay that guy a visit and stop him from hurting the children." Haha dude is awesome and it's why spawn was my all time favorite.
Best 41 mins i ever spent on youtube! Todd is a G.O.A.T!!! Spawn was the reason i got into comics and the visuals are so dope. Great interview and can’t wait for new Spawn projects to come🤞🏼
I wish he would be more self-appreciating, he doesn’t seem to realise the impact he’s had over all these years. It may be simple ideas that he came up with but they were ideas people didn’t have or were too afraid to bring to life. He left the biggest comics franchise and stood toe to toe with them, giving chances to kids who probably never would’ve been paid to draw had it not been for him. The dude was revolutionary.
@@liberispuritatem It's not his own art that he doesn't appreciate, he thinks his style and ideas aren't that extraordinary. To him, everything he has ever done was just common sense and not something profound. So emphasizing the more insect-like (Spider's aren't insects, I know) appearance of Spider-Man or making Mary Jane resemble someone like Pamela Anderson to him was a no brainer.
I just think he’s really honest. He knows how big he is and what he’s worth, but at the same time doesn’t understand why anyone before him couldn’t have improved their work to match his.
Damn man...He would be perfect. Now that I think about it...Bale is probably the only actor, at this point in time, that could pull it off. Because we know Todd has such a personality....so open and animated, with such a flow when he is speaking...it would take a strong talent to pull it off.
I absolutely love this interview. Out of all my saved videos on health, entrepreneurship, sales, self-awareness, how-to (DIY), music, and others, it is 1 of the only ones if not the only 1 I come back to experience. It touches my heart like no other.
The highlight of my "Art" major (no I never graduated), was a phone call from Todd McFarlane in early 1992, I had sent Todd a letter, (yes through the mail) to ask Todd if I could "re-draw a few of his images and use them in an art fair. While on the phone, he told me about a new character he was developing that was going to be a combination of Spider-man and Batman... that character was Spawn. It was a cool experience to talk with a Marvel comic book artist, and not any artist... it was Todd McFarlane!
I just watched Spawn today on DVD (I collect/watch DVDs). It makes me think of Knight, Batman, Spider-Man, Darkman, and Ghost Rider. Also, some Green Lantern in the cape which can do anything. Also, the 'Clown' makes me think of King's IT a bit, and some other elements. Spawn was quite a genius form and character, though not unheard of, still, fairly fresh, and did well for the 1990s. He threw everything to the wall and it all stuck! I grew up on that film, liked it a lot, along with The Crow, Watchmen, X-Men, and other great 1980s comics, and later, films. The cape is wonderful. He clearly likes that massive mist-cape idea (also seen in his Batman art, right). I like it a lot.
I was a lost 22 yearold college kid when I stumbled on this interview. The two messages that stayed with me til this day are: be persistent and always say yes. These lessons have benefited me a lot in life. I am now 28, dont have it all figured out, but am happy to say I am doing better in life.
Oh man.... I'm not a comic fan at all... I just clicked on the video because I watch Complex videos every once in a while and I loved to listen to this man. Just pay attention and enjoy his words... such a creative, weird and beautiful personality.
Actually what he repeated throughout was put deadlines first. Deliver what you said you are going to deliver when you said, consistently. But to do it for the love of creativity and let that be a lead over the financial aspects (but be sure to be strong there too).
@@RoyalKnightVIII Can't say I do. Never liked how he drew faces, at minimum. But Gaiman's far from the only person he was not only petty to, but lied to and about, cheated, and otherwise acted awful toward. Spaghetti webbing is great--but Michael Golden did it first, and Art Adams did it second, Todd just gets credit for it sometimes despite that, which is pretty well in keeping with his other business dealings, as already noted.
@Guld thats a damn good point. Its just like watching netflix. Ultimately you spend more time browsing than you do watching, and part of the time end up watching nothing. Comics are the best they have ever been right now, but there is so much to choose from its hard to get a focus on what you really want to read, especially if youve been outta the game for a couple decades
Todd McFarlane has been that way for a long time now. As a big comic book fan, I was always aware that McFarlane has a massive ego(and anyone who isn`t a fan of comics and who has never heard of him before watching this interview can just hear and see the cockiness in him). But I never found that McFarlane`s arrogance reached the point where it was actually off-putting and repellent, like the arrogance and hubris of someone like Kanye West or Donald Trump or Gene Simmons(but I do know that just as McFarlane has his fans, he has his detractors and there are people who dislike him precisely because of his vanity).
J R I get what you mean. Some people might be offended with the way he speaks. Well even if he is really cocky, its because he can hahaha. But I don't think he meant it that way. Like you said, its just the way he portrays himself. All the people I know that ever met him in person before, they all said he was super cool and nice. He seems super enjoyable to be around with, but intimidating at the same time lolol.
Great Interview. I worked at a Toys R Us in Mesa Az, in ‘95-‘97. Todd would come in from time to time. Always stopping in the video game dept. never in the Toys section. After a while, I would get the head-nod of acknowledgment. I never mentioned that his toys didn’t last one day on the shelves. Good times.
By far the best McFarlane interview online. Thank you! Filled with the classics and also chock full of new material. Completely awesome. The only thing it's missing is a reference to PAC 10 baseball, otherwise it's basically all there...and then some.
Joshua Jung just simple fact wolf of wall street was made because it was everything about money drugs sex here they will not make a biography movie since this guy is all about moral hard work and finally after many years of patience his resilience pays off.
@@lonewolf3314 i have the utmost respect for this. With that being said, i think its naive to assume that he never dabbled with drugs. Im not saying for sure he has, i obviously dont know, but i think it would be a fair assumption. Lol.
Where have I been? Spawn is still going?! Issue 300?! I remember when #1 came out. I remember when spaghetti webbing was new. Image was kicking ass back then! Spawn, Wildcats, Savage Dragon, Cyberforce... waiting for Wet Works to finally come out. I miss those days!
How much wisdom there... It's quite difficult to see an artist that can do business as artist tend to be more on the "bohemmian" side of things and tend to oversee the finalcial side of life. This man is truly one of a kind.
this show is fire! this is coming from a guy who has never read a comic book or knew who Todd McFarlane was this was an awesome interview you can tell this dude does not give a crap about what other people think he just does what he loves. cant wait for the next video because I know it will be great. keep it up complex.
You can have it,too if you become an entrepreneur. That's my goal,to start my own business and to be my own boss and work for no one but myself! And like Todd,I also want to start my own toy company!
Love this interview! What Tod pretends to ignore is that, as an outsider, he alone raised the standards of the toy and comic industries to get a piece of the cake. It is not artists who decide these things usually, but businessmen whose sole interest is to sell. And higher standards mean less profit. Thanks to him we the customers won this once.
2018 - and this is still one of the best. This was awesome to watch. Well done team, for putting this together. And well done Todd-Father. Brilliant as always.
I am extremely impressed by the depth of these interviews and the amount of valuable insights provided. Blueprint has to be my favorite series on TH-cam. I am so glad I found this channel.
As an artist, this is the most inspiring video I’ve seen in years, thank you for being a great interviewer, the pro camera work and perfect graphics 🔥💀
Man, I loved this man's art in the 90s when I was reading Spiderman, and somehow never heard an interview with him until now. He is such an inspiration. So passionate, intelligent, awesome, amazing interview!
Todd is a very cool guy and good to me. I had a Comicbook store called Comic Town USA 🇺🇸 in Miami FL. He called me to Thank me for painting a SPAWN mural in my store that was in Hero illustrated. He even sent me 2 signed figures for me. Class act Love 💕 you Todd. He gave me inspiration to create and I even made my own comic book called SKEEMA sold through Diamond Distribution if it wasn't for him I don't Think I would have created that character or done my own book. Sadly my mom passed away and I fell into depression so only 1 book was released. Maybe one day I be able to finish the series and deliver the issues to the fans that were waiting for the next issue.
I FELL THAT WAY WHEN I'M ALONE LOOKING BACK AT MY ART WORK AND NOW LOOKING 25 YEARS LATER I GET GOOSE BUMPS NOT SUCCESSFUL BUT PROUD OF HOW FAR AND STILL GOING THANKS TODD
Damn he just put his stamp on complex! I didnt watch much complex on youtube outside of sneaker shopping vids. I saw his name beside complex and literally sat for the length of the video. Clap clap Mr. Mcfarlane!
I was like that at first. I mostly collect volumes and trades cause it's better than collecting floppies without any variant covers. Plus, you get more bang for your buck: more pages, better prices.
Hi Todd, this was literally the most inspiring interview I have ever seen. I am a life long fan boy and have I collected all your titles my whole life. I have always been blown away by your attention to detail and unique style. I still feel you have the best style of art I have ever seen. Your art is very very distinctive. Thank you for sharing about your experience and life path. Its really so cool to see my fav artist still now ad as far as I can see always has had a true passion for what they do. You are clearly still you after all your success and I find it very inspiring. Thank you so much for your contribution to art:)
I remember that moment when Todd got Spider-Man. I worked at a comic book store and people were going nuts (In a good way and not-so-good way) about his Spider-Man: They either hated it ('Look at this stupid webbing! It's like spaghetti all over the ****** page!') or were blown away by it. Either way, it breathed new life into Spider-Man and the sales skyrocketed.
When I discovered Spider-man as a kid in the mid-80's the standard was the Romita Sr. style, which was amazing. But after venturing out and discovering McFarlane's bold influence (via editorial mandate, Alex Saviuk's "Web Of" work for example) and eventually his own issues, I was astonished and overly happy to embrace THIS ERA as my own, and with time having passed I've gained the ability to speak of that timeframe with a sense of joy and giving legendary praise of those times....!
I love how McFarlane says he's an innovator rather than a creator. "Sexy" innovation. I love drawing and I'm like "everything has been done already, is it worth it?". You can't create everything out of the blue ex-nihilo like a pure genius, you just transform what's around you, filter through you and you happen to stumble on new ways through the process. Sometimes appropriating something derivative opens up your eyes to something artistically personal.
I love Todd McFarlane and his work! Spawn is my favorite super anti hero of all time, his work in Spiderman is why I became a Spiderman fan in the first place! But this interview has alot of heart!! You can apply all this knowledge in other aspects in life and it works this guys passion shows that dedication and grit is all you need everything else just comes with it. It’s that dumb luck.
Todd McFarlane is my favorite artist He inspires me to draw comic book heroes And I have some venom,spawn,and Spider-Man comic books that are created by Todd McFarlane
I have never been a huge fan of Todd McFarlane the artist, but I can say I'm a fan of Todd McFarlane the dreamer. The older I get, the more I appreciate and admire his enthusiasm, energy and drive for what he does. It's inspiring.
I listened through the whole thing and I gotta say that this was the best comic creator interview by this guy. I really needed this. As a young 19 old girl. I feel like I can never give up on art, I don't necessarily have a style yet. But with everything that he said, I feel much more confident that I can also do it. But surely it will take time to get at that level. I'm already an artist in my own little world, as in I don't make any money from it. As I hope in the future I would have made a bunch of artwork that can somehow inspire others, and also give it a new perspective to my ideas for them to see. Very well done with the questions and for Todd to answer them fully.
This series is amazing, I absolutely love it. Great amazing content, great job to Noah and team. I also enjoy that episodes are getting longer. Keep it up, you guys got something great here.
I love hearing his story and the way he tells it,, I swear it's like I'm back in time with him the way he breaks it down so visually and honest,, And to say I'm a huge fan of him would be an understatement,, as a kid I used to buy comic books I didn't like just because he was the artist. And when it came to the front covers of comics ,,Todd and his entire image crew would kick Marvel and DC's ass every month💯 Real Talk
Wow, fantastic interview. GREAT advice from Todd. Thoughtful questions very conversational, maybe the editing, but smooth as glass. Worth the 45 minutes of attention! "Something to be said about immaturity"
Wow. As a regular wannabe artist who loves drawing to express myself I am so inspired by this guy and this interview! I’m forwarding this to my friends and people I love. Thank you so much. This gives us all hope
The knowledge he’s giving away can apply to anything you passionately want to do.. love it
I was thinking the exact thing through the whole video. His knowledge and wisdom is universal. This is definitely a video anyone and everyone should see to get inspired.
Absolutely. The skills & habits of success are universal. Regardless of the field of work.
Definitely... I know what I need to do.
To paraphrase him: "People who look at how to become rich are just reverse engineering the process. Just do what you love and work from there".
Exactly, very useful tbh
This video inspired me beyond belief. Todd is a personal hero of mine. I have almost every issue of SPAWN! When I lived in half way homes for the mentally ill, while living off of social security, I had to sell all of my McFarlane action figures. It was heartbreaking. His art, impact, and drive has given me so much passion to have a great work ethic myself. I went from halfway homes living off of 3 dollars a day to being the most successful global speaker in the brain and mental health fields. Thank you for making this video it totally made my day. His story is incredible and I’m incredibly grateful for his inspiration, and your creation of this vid.
very nice. if I were you I would buy back everything that I sold! If you got the money for it of course.
19:49 Another reason I have the utmost respect for him, his realness, A lot of people have those thoughts & try to skirt around the question & act like they are so morally above others like they never once have those thoughts etc but he's open and honest about it. Got nothin but respect for that.
And that was years back, imagine how strongly he feels about what's going on now with all the light being shed on organized pedophiles rings.
Nothing but respect for Todd, got my first issues of Spawn from a yard sale at 10. Been a lifelong fan ever since.
Big fan of yours too.
@@Neyonius big fan from way back when, love to see genuine people expressing themselves
What's popping Jax!
This guy is not being egotistic, he's a genius and he's telling you how and why! AND he makes it exciting at the same time. Respect Todd, love Spawn.
I worked with Todd on action figures back almost 20 years now .he paid very well and on time .great time in my life .THANKS TODD MC .my name is SHAWN NAGLE
Congratulations Sean that truly is a blessing in a nice success story to work with a creator of such magnitude. No Doubt for him to work with you. means that most definitely contribute something of Value & worth to him. thumbs up 4 sharing that with us in the comment section.
No one remembers how crap action figures were before Todd came along. He legit revolutionized the whole industry. Crazy thing is, all the old guard condescended him and told him what he was trying to do could never happened, so he said screw it and started his own company. Flash forward to now and McFarlane Toys is still one of the most respected names in the industry.
@@Mr_JohnBlaze 11dw1
I NEED a spawn figure
@@mygumshurt5193 buy one online lol
Honestly, this is the best Blueprint episode so far! He's dropping a lot of knowledge. I'm walking away with two pages worth of notes. I'm definitely adding this to my playlist.
That was an amazing interview. I'm 38 and have been a Todd MacFarlane fan for 25 yrs...watching this has given me more insight and understanding of who he is, his business approach, and his thought processes than anything Ive ever seen before.
iamtrmayesTV are you an aspiring comic book artist ?
I'm going to be a colorist
@Holy Hand Grenades I don't know man
Holy Hand Grenades Share your Evernotes people!
Marvel: don't make his eyes big, don't make his suit so dark, and stop the spaghetti webbing.
Those are literally the top 3 things I remember about Spidey from the comics as a young child.
kal kella I think I know the secret. The editors move up the ladder to become editors from non-creative jobs sometimes. They don’t know art. But all of a sudden they are in charge of it. Big mistake.
They never realy gave writers and artists much.
Funnily enough my favourite art style of Spidey too.
As well as what Asian comics do now when they draw Spiderman.
@Joe Dick ok clown
Shout-out to the interviewer for actually seeming to know his stuff when it comes to Comic Books/Comic Art as a whole. Props.
Grae seriously, he looks like a male Rogue too! 🔥💀
Yeah, it makes me mad when the interviewer knows nothing about the people he's interviewing
Yes. He was very prepared. Great interview!
Everytime Todd does an interview, his passion jumps out so much and is great to see. He gives a great message here - don't ever let people tell you you can't do or achieve something.
The first time an interviewer ACTUALLY let the person speak a FULL FUCKING SENTENCE *BEFORE* interrupting them! I hardly EVER see this! I got in-depth answers from him, and it was fluent and it was great. Thanks for this! THIS is how interviews SHOULD be!
I really really enjoyed this interview. To those watching I recommend not skipping anything at all. That being said here are the time stamps so that you can go back for reference.
*Part One: FOUNDATION **0:45*
1.Find Your Passion 1:15
2. Learn The Details 1:43
3. Look For An Opening 2:09
4. Be Persistent 2:52
5. Make It Sexy 4:52
6. Fight The Status Quo 5:02
7. Know Your Weakness 6:00
8. Hit Your Deadlines 6:36
9. Entertain Yourself 7:59
10. Make Business Serve Art 9:42
*“I’m In business for one reason: to drive my art” **8:39*
*“Come up with a good idea, do the thing you like, put it out there” **9:20*
*Part Two: SECOND STORY **10:30*
1. Know Your Value 11:32
2. Watch Your Back 12:46
3. Do The Math 13:37
4. Empower The Artists 14:53
5. Own Your Ideas 16:13
6. Have A Sustainable Plan 16:49
7. Create Stories You Don’t See 18:32
*PART 3: RENOVATIONS **20:29*
1. Find The White Space 22:12
2. Demand Excellence 22:31
3. Always Say Yes 28:28
4. Diversify Your Brand 30:28
5. Get Help When You Need It
6. Learn From Pain 33:47
7. Know Your Limits 33:34
8. Finance Is Freedom 38:02
9. Stay Immature 40:26
*“Always spend your own money” **25:15*
*"Time should teach you something” **33:57*
SPAWN HBO Series 36:13
*"Nirvana is: Finding The Space, Doing It Your Way, And It Works"* 38:20
John Smith agreed he is giving so much amazing intel
John Smith
EXCELLENT! Thanks, man!
John Smith Thank you
You forgot 36:27 when says the new movie is coming
John Smith thank you
41 minutes and every second was worth it. As a kid of the 90's that grew up collecting comics, this man has always been a legend. First time I ever got to see him speak. This might be one of my favorite interviews ever. Thank you for posting this.
The interviewer crushed it! Best comics related youtube clip ever!
Great by the interviewer as he asked great questions, great by the interviewee as he gave great responses; great all around.
I was literally stuck to the screen, and could be watching another 40 minutes of it _easily._
11:43 omg that takes me back. Six of the best comic artists that ever existed and their friend Rob Liefeld
😂
I never expected to see such an insightful, down to earth and inspiring interview with Todd McFarlane. This is truly a great interview. And Todd is so cool. Definitely going in my playlist for sure.
im not even into comic books and i did not even know who this guy was, but this was very entertaining and is a good listen
James Halliday his name is todd, fuckin hate when people mistake him for the godforsaken creator of family guy. his art is second to none and everyone should pickup his work.
brian busse He's a great artist and writer. He's the one who revitalized Spider-Man and created Venom.
watch the show.
Super motivational. Great series by Complex and Noah kills it with those questions
Me too. Very inspirational guy.
I don't get it......
How the hell can you dislike this video?
The Man is pouring out his wisdom and knowledge, and people will spit on it.
Good job sir thank you for your words of wisdom and knowledge.
Crabs in a bucket will pull the ones that are trying to get out back down.
One of the most dopest and underrated interviews that have ever been made. Todd is freaking awesome his mentality and the way he go about things in uncanny. Todd is my Steve Jobs of the Comic Industry.
Amazing video!👍👏 I just began my comic book collection and found Toon Haven. They have an incredible range of digital comics for every genre, including the hard to find ones. Lifetime updates too!😁
This is lowkey better than Sneaker Shoopping, Complex Life, and Hot Ones
The Peoples Elbow lol fuck yeah
The Peoples Elbow nigga high key this and that logic interview w/ the science guy was pretty cool too.
The Peoples Elbow your right it is. These are guys top of there fails explaining how they got there and teaching things
high key haha
HIGHKEY better than all of them combined
Todd McFarlane is one of the greatest comic book illustrator of all time! I have always been a fan of his artwork when he created "Spawn." Him and Greg Capullo dominated the comic book industry in the late 1990s, because the detail characters was just mind-blowing.
As an artist, I am inspired by this guys conviction and passion in himself, what a great interview!
"If someone can't stop him from hurting the children, then me and another dad is gonna pay that guy a visit and stop him from hurting the children." Haha dude is awesome and it's why spawn was my all time favorite.
I wrote an essay back in 2006 on this guy. Legend. Spawn is the best comicbook character ever
Complex gets a W for today for this interview. Can't wait for the Spawn reboot!!!
Spawn reboot?
Toddy just got the green light for his Spawn movie, he's working with Blumhouse.
Cody Henderson I wanted the animated series to come back
nomia el winda I'm pretty sure with the reboot movie Todd will try to get the show going with it
Raheam X would love to see Todd collaborate with Tarantino.
Best 41 mins i ever spent on youtube! Todd is a G.O.A.T!!!
Spawn was the reason i got into comics and the visuals are so dope. Great interview and can’t wait for new Spawn projects to come🤞🏼
I wish he would be more self-appreciating, he doesn’t seem to realise the impact he’s had over all these years. It may be simple ideas that he came up with but they were ideas people didn’t have or were too afraid to bring to life. He left the biggest comics franchise and stood toe to toe with them, giving chances to kids who probably never would’ve been paid to draw had it not been for him. The dude was revolutionary.
I like that about him though. He could be very pretentious and have a big ego but doesn't. Makes him more likeable.
No he’s humble just the way he should be
He literally said "I'm still one of the better artists of my company". That seems pretti self-appreciating to me.
@@liberispuritatem It's not his own art that he doesn't appreciate, he thinks his style and ideas aren't that extraordinary. To him, everything he has ever done was just common sense and not something profound. So emphasizing the more insect-like (Spider's aren't insects, I know) appearance of Spider-Man or making Mary Jane resemble someone like Pamela Anderson to him was a no brainer.
I just think he’s really honest. He knows how big he is and what he’s worth, but at the same time doesn’t understand why anyone before him couldn’t have improved their work to match his.
This man is the *definition* of *confidence.* He is truly an inspiration.
i swear this guy is a legend... i would like to see Christian Bale play him in a movie
I always thought Bale would play him good too
Damn man...He would be perfect. Now that I think about it...Bale is probably the only actor, at this point in time, that could pull it off. Because we know Todd has such a personality....so open and animated, with such a flow when he is speaking...it would take a strong talent to pull it off.
OOOOOrrr John Turtutto...
Fuck that. McFarlane can play McFarlane
Bale just needs to learn to write with his left hand then ^^
I absolutely love this interview. Out of all my saved videos on health, entrepreneurship, sales, self-awareness, how-to (DIY), music, and others, it is 1 of the only ones if not the only 1 I come back to experience. It touches my heart like no other.
This is an absolutely amazing episode.
so amazing it went for a really long time. so incredible
Great interview fascinating
primarily because the interview guy does NOT talk! i hate interviews where the damn interview guy talks so much and cuts people off.
The highlight of my "Art" major (no I never graduated), was a phone call from Todd McFarlane in early 1992, I had sent Todd a letter, (yes through the mail) to ask Todd if I could "re-draw a few of his images and use them in an art fair. While on the phone, he told me about a new character he was developing that was going to be a combination of Spider-man and Batman... that character was Spawn.
It was a cool experience to talk with a Marvel comic book artist, and not any artist... it was Todd McFarlane!
this didn't happen
He said he drew spawn at 16 years old
This did not happen
I just watched Spawn today on DVD (I collect/watch DVDs). It makes me think of Knight, Batman, Spider-Man, Darkman, and Ghost Rider. Also, some Green Lantern in the cape which can do anything. Also, the 'Clown' makes me think of King's IT a bit, and some other elements. Spawn was quite a genius form and character, though not unheard of, still, fairly fresh, and did well for the 1990s. He threw everything to the wall and it all stuck! I grew up on that film, liked it a lot, along with The Crow, Watchmen, X-Men, and other great 1980s comics, and later, films. The cape is wonderful. He clearly likes that massive mist-cape idea (also seen in his Batman art, right). I like it a lot.
Yea right (sarcasm)
I was a lost 22 yearold college kid when I stumbled on this interview. The two messages that stayed with me til this day are: be persistent and always say yes. These lessons have benefited me a lot in life. I am now 28, dont have it all figured out, but am happy to say I am doing better in life.
This interview actually gave me cold chills. Todd is an amazing human being.
Fascinating interview. Todd dropped so many gems in this. These interviews are the best thing from Complex, period!
Spawn got me into comic books. I owe my passion for drawing to Todd McFarlane & Greg Capullo.
Are you interested in a writer/artist collab?
Stone Village yo I'm trying to bring my art skills back since i was in my youth tho and trying to do writing aswell bro i jus need som practice tho
Oh man.... I'm not a comic fan at all... I just clicked on the video because I watch Complex videos every once in a while and I loved to listen to this man. Just pay attention and enjoy his words... such a creative, weird and beautiful personality.
Yeah, he's an interesting person and a helluva success story
Zed them scram
He’s mastered that “Thanos Snap”
This is an Amazing interview. I learned a lot about the Comics and Toy industries. I love how honest Todd is with his answers.
Amazing interview. Watch this if you need to kick yourself in the pants about why you should be putting creativity FIRST!!
Robert Marzullo Exactly! Success is a byproduct of creating something of value FIRST!
So good!
ive never ever had the problem of not putting the creativity first but im sure we all run into different problems on our personal missions.
Robert Marzullo ABSOLUTELY 💯
Actually what he repeated throughout was put deadlines first. Deliver what you said you are going to deliver when you said, consistently. But to do it for the love of creativity and let that be a lead over the financial aspects (but be sure to be strong there too).
I love Todd. He's always been a straight shooter
Ashraf Ghori Well almost, ask Gaiman
@@RoyalKnightVIII Or a variety of other people...
@@FangsFirst XD I still like Todd in spite of it all but yeah he can be unfortunately petty
@@RoyalKnightVIII Can't say I do. Never liked how he drew faces, at minimum. But Gaiman's far from the only person he was not only petty to, but lied to and about, cheated, and otherwise acted awful toward.
Spaghetti webbing is great--but Michael Golden did it first, and Art Adams did it second, Todd just gets credit for it sometimes despite that, which is pretty well in keeping with his other business dealings, as already noted.
@@FangsFirst damn, I still respect him for being part of the creation of image but yeah as a businessman he learned too well from Marvel
the best 41 minutes ive spent recently, appreciate yall and TODD!!
19:35 This is the reason why we love superheroes, especially Spawn. This is why they are so relatable. Todd gets it. Respect to him!
This is one of my favourite Complex interviews. Amazing to see the creative and financial independence that Todd McFarlane has achieved!
“Your business is selling comic books” someone tell modern Marvel editors.
Yes and also tell the new Star Wars trilogy heads....
Sometimes giants need to die off so new life can emerge from their rotting corpse.
My theory? In 2024 Marvel goes bankrupt.
It wouldn't go through their heads.
@Guld thats a damn good point. Its just like watching netflix. Ultimately you spend more time browsing than you do watching, and part of the time end up watching nothing. Comics are the best they have ever been right now, but there is so much to choose from its hard to get a focus on what you really want to read, especially if youve been outta the game for a couple decades
This guy is like a combo between Michael Scott and Steve Jobs. So fascinating.
no
I saw Michael Scott too!
He is a very talented artist and entrepreneur, but a little too much full of himself.
Todd McFarlane has been that way for a long time now. As a big comic book fan, I was always aware that McFarlane has a massive ego(and anyone who isn`t a fan of comics and who has never heard of him before watching this interview can just hear and see the cockiness in him).
But I never found that McFarlane`s arrogance reached the point where it was actually off-putting and repellent, like the arrogance and hubris of someone like Kanye West or Donald Trump or Gene Simmons(but I do know that just as McFarlane has his fans, he has his detractors and there are people who dislike him precisely because of his vanity).
J R
I get what you mean. Some people might be offended with the way he speaks. Well even if he is really cocky, its because he can hahaha. But I don't think he meant it that way. Like you said, its just the way he portrays himself. All the people I know that ever met him in person before, they all said he was super cool and nice. He seems super enjoyable to be around with, but intimidating at the same time lolol.
or a dumbass. but i love todd.
I didn’t even realize this was 40 minutes whenever Todd starts talking I’m just pulled in/mesmerized.
This is a compelling, realistic, informative assessment of what it takes to follow your dreams in the modern world. I respect this man.
Great Interview. I worked at a Toys R Us in Mesa Az, in ‘95-‘97. Todd would come in from time to time. Always stopping in the video game dept. never in the Toys section. After a while, I would get the head-nod of acknowledgment. I never mentioned that his toys didn’t last one day on the shelves. Good times.
By far the best McFarlane interview online. Thank you!
Filled with the classics and also chock full of new material. Completely awesome. The only thing it's missing is a reference to PAC 10 baseball, otherwise it's basically all there...and then some.
The wolf of Comic Street.
He doesnt dip his nose in coke, he dips his pen in ink!
Joshua Jung just simple fact wolf of wall street was made because it was everything about money drugs sex here they will not make a biography movie since this guy is all about moral hard work and finally after many years of patience his resilience pays off.
@@lonewolf3314 i have the utmost respect for this. With that being said, i think its naive to assume that he never dabbled with drugs. Im not saying for sure he has, i obviously dont know, but i think it would be a fair assumption. Lol.
Ryan Linn i dont know but at least even if he did it did not affect his life.
Bek Coddington did he steal that style of drawing as well?
Where have I been?
Spawn is still going?!
Issue 300?!
I remember when #1 came out.
I remember when spaghetti webbing was new.
Image was kicking ass back then!
Spawn, Wildcats, Savage Dragon, Cyberforce... waiting for Wet Works to finally come out.
I miss those days!
Jim Lee, Jae Lee, Nick Manabat, Sam Keith... the list goes on and on, Image was on fire.
Spawn is now white last time I checked at 100 or something lol
Agreed. Those were some good times.
Lol Wildcats
you serious? I didn't know that
The creative adult is the child who survived.... 😢
Got news for ya...
No child survives growing up... thank god
cringe
How much wisdom there... It's quite difficult to see an artist that can do business as artist tend to be more on the "bohemmian" side of things and tend to oversee the finalcial side of life. This man is truly one of a kind.
this show is fire! this is coming from a guy who has never read a comic book or knew who Todd McFarlane was this was an awesome interview you can tell this dude does not give a crap about what other people think he just does what he loves.
cant wait for the next video because I know it will be great. keep it up complex.
Im jealous of the freedom this guy has from corporations
I am too, but he deserves it he's a smart, honest, kind, hard working faithful family man if anyone deserves it its Todd.
You can have it,too if you become an entrepreneur.
That's my goal,to start my own business and to be my own boss and work for no one but myself!
And like Todd,I also want to start my own toy company!
@@lowercase21 facts Todd mcfarlane is underrated 🔥
“I’ll quit a free man” ...deep
Man, that's something we should crave and desire for our lives!
gmee123 Tomorrow is a good day to start that process.
A Salt Lamp #TODAY
I love how the interviewer is asking the right questions
Love this interview! What Tod pretends to ignore is that, as an outsider, he alone raised the standards of the toy and comic industries to get a piece of the cake.
It is not artists who decide these things usually, but businessmen whose sole interest is to sell. And higher standards mean less profit.
Thanks to him we the customers won this once.
2018 - and this is still one of the best. This was awesome to watch. Well done team, for putting this together. And well done Todd-Father. Brilliant as always.
put sexy in it. major key
KNEEDED 💯💯💯
I am extremely impressed by the depth of these interviews and the amount of valuable insights provided. Blueprint has to be my favorite series on TH-cam. I am so glad I found this channel.
As an artist, this is the most inspiring video I’ve seen in years, thank you for being a great interviewer, the pro camera work and perfect graphics 🔥💀
Man, I loved this man's art in the 90s when I was reading Spiderman, and somehow never heard an interview with him until now. He is such an inspiration. So passionate, intelligent, awesome, amazing interview!
@31:24 "oh it must be bigger better than Superman, not really" love his honesty
Todd is a very cool guy and good to me. I had a Comicbook store called Comic Town USA 🇺🇸 in Miami FL. He called me to Thank me for painting a SPAWN mural in my store that was in Hero illustrated. He even sent me 2 signed figures for me. Class act Love 💕 you Todd. He gave me inspiration to create and I even made my own comic book called SKEEMA sold through Diamond Distribution if it wasn't for him I don't Think I would have created that character or done my own book. Sadly my mom passed away and I fell into depression so only 1 book was released. Maybe one day I be able to finish the series and deliver the issues to the fans that were waiting for the next issue.
Sorry for your loss, I look forward to reading your work 🙏
Todd is in my top 3. He helped make toy collecting as big as it is today.
Juan and stuff your avatar is the batman sketch Todd McFarlane did.
Rico Salvaje LOL nice eye sights tho
you can´t ask for more inspiration ! I am a SPAWN fan since issue 1 and i still am...thx for this blueprint.
I FELL THAT WAY WHEN I'M ALONE LOOKING BACK AT MY ART WORK AND NOW LOOKING 25 YEARS LATER I GET GOOSE BUMPS NOT SUCCESSFUL BUT PROUD OF HOW FAR AND STILL GOING THANKS TODD
This man is an icon to the comic book world.
Mig1997 lol
spaghetti webs....genius!!!
This guy is awesome along with Sam Kieth.Stan Lee is good too but he's too old school and basic.
90sLifter Show some respect young man
McFarlane molded my childhood with his imagination & talent.
A living Legend. Love this guy!
Mr. McFarlane you are my hero can't wait for Spawn to hit the big screen again I still collect Spawn since 1992.
Everything tends to unfold as it should. I'm so glad that Todd had the balls to go indie, Spawn is my favourite comic series of all time.
I go back to this interview once in awhile. It is the best kick in your butt for motivation, no matter what you are passionate about.
Damn he just put his stamp on complex! I didnt watch much complex on youtube outside of sneaker shopping vids. I saw his name beside complex and literally sat for the length of the video. Clap clap Mr. Mcfarlane!
I just started collecting comics yesterday but I have 11 and am hooked
More addictive than crack
how do you know?
Xavier its a great hobby...getting lost in comics is a great way to get rid of stress and it stimulates your creativity....have fun!
I was like that at first. I mostly collect volumes and trades cause it's better than collecting floppies without any variant covers. Plus, you get more bang for your buck: more pages, better prices.
Wow...thats the same age I was....you are in for an amazing journey !
I collected so many McFarlane Toys I had to stop because I ran out of room to store them. He is LEGENDARY
Wow! Had no idea how cool Todd is, in that he's not afraid to share his secrets for success. Great interview!
Hi Todd, this was literally the most inspiring interview I have ever seen. I am a life long fan boy and have I collected all your titles my whole life. I have always been blown away by your attention to detail and unique style. I still feel you have the best style of art I have ever seen. Your art is very very distinctive. Thank you for sharing about your experience and life path. Its really so cool to see my fav artist still now ad as far as I can see always has had a true passion for what they do. You are clearly still you after all your success and I find it very inspiring. Thank you so much for your contribution to art:)
best complex episode! Todd is the man and Complex captured his essense and delievered inspiration.
Comics industry desperately needs someone like this right now
An absolute genious and artistic/business legend in the popculture industry. Fascinating interview, I could listen to Todd for hours. ^^
I remember that moment when Todd got Spider-Man. I worked at a comic book store and people were going nuts (In a good way and not-so-good way) about his Spider-Man: They either hated it ('Look at this stupid webbing! It's like spaghetti all over the ****** page!') or were blown away by it. Either way, it breathed new life into Spider-Man and the sales skyrocketed.
When I discovered Spider-man as a kid in the mid-80's the standard was the Romita Sr. style, which was amazing. But after venturing out and discovering McFarlane's bold influence (via editorial mandate, Alex Saviuk's "Web Of" work for example) and eventually his own issues, I was astonished and overly happy to embrace THIS ERA as my own, and with time having passed I've gained the ability to speak of that timeframe with a sense of joy and giving legendary praise of those times....!
Ok, i just paused the video halfway thru to say this:
Gotta love his absolute blunt way of saying and doing things. A pure craftsman at heart.
the goat himself yall gotta do Jim Lee next
YES!!!
Yes!! DO IT COMPLEX!!!
Fatalsprigs yo dude calm down, why?
if someday Hollywood decide to make a movie about this amazing guy, they will text John Turturro to potray him.
Joe Maitimu yeah he does look like that Italian guy who hated working in in his dad pizza shop in do the right thing
Lol bro you called it
I always thought he looked like Matthew McConaughey
Christian bale
I love how McFarlane says he's an innovator rather than a creator. "Sexy" innovation. I love drawing and I'm like "everything has been done already, is it worth it?". You can't create everything out of the blue ex-nihilo like a pure genius, you just transform what's around you, filter through you and you happen to stumble on new ways through the process. Sometimes appropriating something derivative opens up your eyes to something artistically personal.
You can never create something new, you can only remix already existing stuff into a new package
I love Todd McFarlane and his work! Spawn is my favorite super anti hero of all time, his work in Spiderman is why I became a Spiderman fan in the first place! But this interview has alot of heart!! You can apply all this knowledge in other aspects in life and it works this guys passion shows that dedication and grit is all you need everything else just comes with it. It’s that dumb luck.
4 years since, I keep coming back to rewatch this interview. Still my favorite one
Todd McFarlane is my favorite artist
He inspires me to draw comic book heroes
And I have some venom,spawn,and Spider-Man comic books that are created by Todd McFarlane
If there is ever a movie about this guy then have Steve Carell play him haha
I can see it
I was thinking more like John Turturro to play him. Holy smokes.
or even matthew mcconaughey
More Bradley cooper or Noah Wyle for me.
....and make sure they cant say 'comic books' fluidly
My heart is filled with love, nostalgia and passion for this incredible interview!!!
I have never been a huge fan of Todd McFarlane the artist, but I can say I'm a fan of Todd McFarlane the dreamer. The older I get, the more I appreciate and admire his enthusiasm, energy and drive for what he does. It's inspiring.
I listened through the whole thing and I gotta say that this was the best comic creator interview by this guy. I really needed this. As a young 19 old girl. I feel like I can never give up on art, I don't necessarily have a style yet. But with everything that he said, I feel much more confident that I can also do it. But surely it will take time to get at that level. I'm already an artist in my own little world, as in I don't make any money from it. As I hope in the future I would have made a bunch of artwork that can somehow inspire others, and also give it a new perspective to my ideas for them to see. Very well done with the questions and for Todd to answer them fully.
Open an etsy shop and if your good people will probably buy something
This series is amazing, I absolutely love it. Great amazing content, great job to Noah and team. I also enjoy that episodes are getting longer. Keep it up, you guys got something great here.
I love hearing his story and the way he tells it,, I swear it's like I'm back in time with him the way he breaks it down so visually and honest,, And to say I'm a huge fan of him would be an understatement,, as a kid I used to buy comic books I didn't like just because he was the artist. And when it came to the front covers of comics ,,Todd and his entire image crew would kick Marvel and DC's ass every month💯 Real Talk
Wow, fantastic interview. GREAT advice from Todd. Thoughtful questions very conversational, maybe the editing, but smooth as glass. Worth the 45 minutes of attention! "Something to be said about immaturity"
Wow. As a regular wannabe artist who loves drawing to express myself I am so inspired by this guy and this interview! I’m forwarding this to my friends and people I love. Thank you so much. This gives us all hope
Todd McFarlane: "My goal in life is to outlast every one of my enemies."
he should have created Maestro alongside Peter David...he has the mindset