Sam and Twitch #1

History

Sam Burke and Twitch Williams were created by Todd McFarlane and debuted alongside Spawn himself in Spawn #1 (May 1992), initially functioning as tertiary players orbiting Al Simmons's story. Their popularity as a contrasting, street-level duo eventually convinced McFarlane to give them their own monthly title, which launched in August 1999 under the Todd McFarlane Productions banner at Image Comics. McFarlane brought in Brian Michael Bendis—then known primarily for his independent crime comics Goldfish, Jinx, and Torso—to write the series, pairing him with penciler Angel Medina (fresh from KISS: Psycho Circus) and inker Jonathan Glapion, with painted covers supplied throughout by Ashley Wood. The series ran for 26 issues before chronic publication delays contributed to its cancellation in late 2003, though the Bendis run has since been collected multiple times, most expansively in the 2024 Sam and Twitch Compendium, Vol. 1.

Trivia · 7 facts

• Sam Burke and Twitch Williams (Maximilian 'Twitch' Williams) were originally created by Todd McFarlane and first appeared together in Spawn #1 (May 1992); this issue is the premiere of their self-titled spin-off.
• First appearance of Dr. K.C. McRory, the precinct's forensic examiner nicknamed 'Doctor Death' by the detectives, who becomes a recurring supporting character across the series.
• Barbara Rodriguez—an Internal Affairs investigator who becomes a central antagonist/ally for the duo—appears in this issue's story (confirmed in the Image Comics Database appearance listings for #1), though her role as a named, speaking character becomes prominent from issue #2 onward.
• Written by Brian Michael Bendis; penciled by Angel Medina; inked by Jonathan Glapion; cover painted by Ashley Wood. Lettered by Richard Starkings and John G. Roshell (Comicraft).
• Opens the 'Udaku' story arc (subtitled 'Part 1'), in which the detectives investigate a series of gangland murders punctuated by genetically identical severed body parts—none traceable to the victims at the scene.
• Spawn (Al Simmons/Albert Simmons) makes a cameo appearance in the series, with the supernatural hero requesting the duo's assistance; this issue establishes the series' deliberate tonal distance from the Spawn mythos, foregrounding crime fiction over superhero horror.
• The Bendis run was collected in Sam and Twitch Book One: Udaku (Image, 2000, black-and-white), Sam and Twitch: The Brian Michael Bendis Collection Vol. 1 (Image, 2006, collecting #1–9 in color), and Sam and Twitch: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (Image, hardcover, collecting #1–13), among other editions.

Cast · 6 characters

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