#643: Todd McFarlane, Iconic Comic Book Artist — Lessons from Stan Lee, How to Make Art that Outlives You, How to Compete with Corporate Giants and Win (While Having Fun), Dealmaking Strategies, War Stories from Wall Street and Lawyer Land, Taking Responsibility for Your Life, and Why Creators Need to Smash Limits
The Tim Ferriss Show
<p><strong><em>Brought to you by </em></strong><a href="http://linkedin.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>LinkedIn Jobs</em></strong></a><strong><em> recruitment platform with 800M+ users, </em></strong><a href="http://athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Athletic Greens</em></strong></a><strong><em> all-in-one nutritional supplement, and </em></strong><a href="http://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Shopify</em></strong></a><strong><em> global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business</em></strong><em>. </em></p><p><strong>Todd McFarlane</strong> (<a href="https://twitter.com/Todd_McFarlane" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Todd_McFarlane</a>) is an Emmy- and Grammy-winning director/producer and creator of one of the world’s best-selling comic books, <a href="https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/spawn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Spawn</em></a>. He is best known to many comic book fans for his work as the artist on <a href="https://www.marvel.com/characters/the-amazing-spider-man" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Amazing Spider-Man</em></a>, for which he co-created Marvel’s top villain, <a href="https://www.marvel.com/characters/venom-eddie-brock/in-comics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Venom</a>.</p><p>Todd is the CEO of Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys (one of the US’s top action-figure manufacturers), and McFarlane Films. He is also a co-founder of <a href="https://imagecomics.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Image Comics</a>, which debuted <em>Spawn</em> in 1992, selling 1.7 million copies of the first issue. In 1997, <em>Spawn</em> was made into an <a href="https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GV22CjAE90q2QwgEAAAAI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emmy Award-winning animated series on HBO</a> and a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spawn-John-Leguizamo/dp/B009X2U4L6/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">live-action feature film</a> that grossed over $100 million. In 2019, Todd made history with <em>Spawn</em> #301, earning the Guinness World Record for longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series.</p><p>Please enjoy!</p><p>*</p><p><strong>This episode is brought to you by </strong><a href="http://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Shopify</strong></a><strong>! </strong><a href="http://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shopify</a> is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. <a href="http://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shopify</a> is<strong> designed for anyone to sell anywhere</strong>, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.</p><p>More than a store, Shopify grows with you. And they never stop innovating, providing more and more tools to make your business better and your life easier. <a href="http://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Go to Shopify.com/Tim for a FREE TRIAL and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong><em>*</em></strong></p><p><strong>This episode is also brought to you by </strong><a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Athletic Greens</strong></a><strong>.</strong> I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually <a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AG1</a> by <a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Athletic Greens</a>, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in <em>The 4-Hour Body</em> in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but <a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AG</a> further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. </p><p><strong>Right now, </strong><a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Athletic Greens</strong></a><strong> is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase</strong>—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. <strong>Visit </strong><a href="https://www.athleticgreens.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>AthleticGreens.com/Tim</strong></a><strong> to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! </strong>That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.</p><p>*</p><p><strong>This episode is also brought to you by </strong><a href="https://linkedin.com/Tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LinkedIn Jobs</strong></a><strong>.</strong> Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, <a href="https://linkedin.com/Tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn Jobs</a> can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.</p><p>Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 800 million professionals worldwide, <a href="https://linkedin.com/Tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LinkedIn Jobs</strong></a> can help you find and hire the right person faster. <strong>When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free.</strong> <a href="https://linkedin.com/Tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>*</strong></p><p>[05:58] The wit, wisdom, and work ethic of Stan Lee.</p><p>[29:50] Todd’s four corners: video games, TV, movies, and toys.</p><p>[41:46] Learning the art of toycrafting and beating the industry at its own game.</p><p>[49:11] Dumb luck at Toy Fair.</p><p>[1:03:31] Toy marketing and distribution circa 1994.</p><p>[1:10:51] The play Todd made with a $3 million baseball.</p><p>[1:18:08] Todd gets in a hockey fight.</p><p>[1:24:12] Bringing Spawn to TV.</p><p>[1:27:57] Being the dumbest guy in the room can win you Emmy awards.</p><p>[1:31:17] Cancellation.</p><p>[1:32:38] Todd is bilingual — in art and business.</p><p>[1:38:50] How Todd finds time to create while managing his businesses.</p><p>[1:43:49] Brand matters.</p><p>[1:49:44] Making a music video, winning another Emmy, and almost killing Eddie Vedder.</p><p>[1:56:33] The momentum of success.</p><p>[1:59:15] The surface area of (dumb) luck.</p><p>[2:01:07] Building worlds that will endure.</p><p>[2:08:13] Building characters who will outlive their creator.</p><p>[2:15:13] Today will not be perfect, so lower the bar and dance if you want to.</p><p>[2:24:45] Is Todd’s wife married to a monster?</p><p>[2:30:50] Be the second person.</p><p>[2:35:48] Parting thoughts.</p><p><strong>*</strong></p><p><strong>For show notes and past guests on </strong><a href="http://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Tim Ferriss Show</em></strong></a><strong>, please visit</strong> <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/podcast</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>For deals from sponsors of </strong><a href="http://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Tim Ferriss Show</em></strong></a><strong><em>, </em>please visit </strong><a href="http://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/podcast-sponsors</strong></a></p><p><strong>Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (<em>5-Bullet Friday</em>) at </strong><a href="https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/friday</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>For transcripts of episodes, go to </strong><a href="http://tim.blog/transcripts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/transcripts</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>Discover Tim’s books: </strong><a href="http://tim.blog/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/books</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>Follow Tim:</strong></p><p><strong>Twitter</strong>: <a href="https://twitter.com/tferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twitter.com/tferriss</a> </p><p><strong>Instagram</strong>: <a href="https://instagram.com/timferriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/timferriss</a></p><p><strong>YouTube</strong>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">youtube.com/timferriss</a></p><p><strong>Facebook</strong>: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/timferriss</a> </p><p><strong>LinkedIn: </strong><a href="http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/timferriss</a></p><p>Past guests on <a href="http://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Tim Ferriss Show</em></strong></a> include <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/12/08/jerry-seinfeld/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jerry Seinfeld</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/06/26/hugh-jackman/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hugh Jackman</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/04/16/jane-goodall/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. Jane Goodall</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2018/11/27/lebron-james-mike-mancias/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LeBron James</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/05/20/kevin-hart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin Hart</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2018/09/07/doris-kearns-goodwin-leadership/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Doris Kearns Goodwin</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2015/12/06/jamie-foxx/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jamie Foxx</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/10/19/matthew-mcconaughey/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matthew McConaughey</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2017/05/21/esther-perel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Esther Perel</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/05/08/elizabeth-gilbert/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elizabeth Gilbert</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2017/12/20/terry-crews-how-to-have-do-and-be-all-you-want/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Terry Crews</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/08/12/sia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sia</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/10/27/yuval-noah-harari/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yuval Noah Harari</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2016/06/21/malcolm-gladwell/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/05/27/secretary-madeleine-albright/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Madeleine Albright</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2017/03/30/cheryl-strayed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cheryl Strayed</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2019/02/18/jim-collins/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jim Collins</a>, <a href="https://tim.blog/2020/11/11/mary-karr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mary Karr,</a> <a href="https://tim.blog/2014/10/21/brain-pickings/" 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