‘Create something additive with long legs’: Joseph Illidge talks ‘Bloodletter’ Spawn spin-off

For some 30-plus years, Todd McFarlane has been the guiding force behind Spawn. But even as the extra dark antihero is clearly McFarlane’s brainchild, he’s still let others play in this hellacious sandbox. That lengthy bibliography includes a Violator miniseries from Alan Moore and Bart Sears; the Garth Ennis-led Medieval Spawn / Witchblade miniseries; the Spawn: Simony one-shot from Semic; and many, many more.

Now, another team has entered the fray, as writers Joseph Illidge and Tim Seeley heave teamed with Christian Rosado for Bloodletter. Due out June 18, Bloodletter is actually the title bestowed to Tasha Thornwall, who acts as “mystical mercenary of the world’s secret underground.” But aside from being more badass than 1 million John Constantines (John Constantini?), Bloodletter is a “former CIA operative forced to live in the shadows after being outed by Al Simmons [aka Spawn] 10 years ago.” As such, she sets out on a mission to kill Spawn — a feat far easier said than done.

Bloodletter certainly reads like many of the Spawn books — lots of extreme violence, rugged characters, magic and mysticism, and an overarching sense of brutality. However, Bloodletter is also a lot more playful without mitigating all that intensity, and so what we get is a book that (even in its debut issue) feels wholly textured and nuanced within the grander Spawn-verse. So, come for the demons and guns, but be sure to stay for a surprisingly profound study of revenge and moral duality.

Ahead of Bloodletter #1, we caught up with Illidge recently via email. There, we discussed working in McFarlane’s “playground,” his own relationship to Spawn, the connections between Simmons and Bloodletter, collaborating with Seeley and Rosado, and what to expect from the story at-large, among other topics and tidbits.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the exclusive Bloodletter trailer below.

AIPT: What’s it like to add a new layer or wing to the Spawn-verse? How hands-on/off is Todd McFarlane when launching new titles like this?

Joseph Illidge: It’s pretty surreal to write in the Spawn-verse, especially when you’re following in the footsteps of Todd McFarlane, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and more in that regard. Spawn’s been a game changer, literally and figuratively, in comics, animation, toys, and film, so co-creating a new character like Bloodletter to fight and live alongside that character is a wild thrill.

Regarding Todd McFarlane, he’s cool about picking the right creators and letting them flex. Bloodletter co-writer Tim Seeley and I had a great one-hour Zoom call with Todd in which he laid out the psychology of Spawn, the rules of the universe, and the kinds of stories he likes across various forms of entertainment. We soaked up all that good knowledge like sponges and got right down to writing Bloodletter with fire in our veins!

AIPT: Similarly, what was your relationship with Spawn like before co-writing this story? What makes this figure so damn compelling even 30-plus years later?

JI: I was there for the emergence of Image Comics, so I bought the earliest issues of Spawn and revisited the character now and again whenever there were killer artists on board like my buds Jason Shawn Alexander and Ken Lashley.

Listen, Spawn’s in the freakin’ Guinness Book of World Records, so he’s made history. What makes it compelling for me, and I’m guessing for fans, is the purity of vision. Todd’s vision of Spawn remains clear, distinctive, and pure. He’s like no other character, and you could watch the HBO Spawn animated series today, and it still slaps.

Also, he’s one of the coolest-looking characters in comics. That’s just a fact.

AIPT: Tasha (sort of retroactively) wreaks havoc in the Spawn-verse. What are the challenges of launching and heralding a character like this — one who makes us rethink some key aspects of Spawn?

JI: The biggest challenge was my staying in good enough physical shape to carry home all those Spawn compendiums from one of my local comic book shops when we got the gig!

Joking, not joking.

OK, seriously, it’s the responsibility. Making Tasha Thornwall (aka Bloodletter) fit into the landscape of the Spawn-verse, that’s the job, and it’s part of the fun. Using her journey to begin unveiling the 10-year secret history of the Spawn-verse is as exciting as you can imagine.

We’re building on the ground of a beloved mythology, so it’s being cognizant of the importance and honor of that without letting it hover over you like a Malebolgia looking to eat your head off.

Give the best that you’ve got. Create something additive with long legs. Tear some s**t up!

AIPT: How much do people need to know about Spawn before coming into Bloodletter? Can they just jump in blind?

JI: People need to know exactly zero about Spawn before buying and reading Bloodletter. The team and I designed the series to be a bloody entryway to the vast world, which you’re seeing from a particular angle through Tasha Thornwall’s eyes.

Don’t jump in blind, now! Eyes wide open if you want to make it out alive.

AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment in issue #1? Maybe something that speaks to the larger makeup or direction of this miniseries?

JI: Wow, that would be a spoiler for sure, but I’ll say this much: If you live long enough, you’ll have one or more moments where life seems like an abyss without definite direction, and when a light emerges from the darkness, it changes your life. It gives you a purpose.

Tasha hits her moment when the light emerges, but not every light leads to happiness, and not every purpose will liberate you.

That truth is square in the center of the thematic core of Bloodletter.

AIPT: There’s some real tension between Tasha and Al Simmons for obvious reasons. But how much (if any) of that is because they’re actually comparable enough (in terms of disposition, aspects of their background, etc.)?

JI: Shrewd question.

That will be answered on page 20 of Bloodletter #5.

What I will say is that Tasha has what Tim calls “insane determination,” and you would not get in between her and the target of her vendetta.

AIPT: Despite her, um, seemingly less than stellar view on others, Tasha seems close to Casper. What can you tell us about this relationship and what it offers the book/story?

JI: Casper’s the Oracle to Tasha’s Black Canary, and she has a sense of humor which our mystic mercenary does not. She’s Tasha’s only friend, which puts her at risk in a number of ways, and she’s the optimist of our series, which comes in handy when you’re living in the shadows of society.

AIPT: What’s it like working with Christian Rosado? How has the collaborative process informed the scope of the story?

JI: Writing comics means your life is full of those beautiful moments when you open your inbox and you have new pages from your artist.

With Christian, it’s beyond that, because I’m constantly inspired when I see his pages. I’d like to make 11” x 17” printouts of all of them and put them on the walls and ceiling of my office, but I’d run out of wall space quickly, and my wife would have some words for me. She’s a big fan of Christian’s work, too, by the way!

Christian’s artwork is moody and visceral and very dramatic in a human way, so collaboratively, his thinking on how a scene looks is always better than what I envision. It’s easy to work with someone who is constantly upping their game on every issue, because it makes you up your game.

AIPT: I’ve got to say it: I got some real John Constantine vibes with this first issue. Is that on purpose/an homage? Is it an accident, of sorts, worth leaning into or away from?

JI: With my bud Mr. Revival and Hack/Slash Tim Seeley and I jamming, you know for certain Hellblazer is one of our north stars! That said, we’re bringing different influences and ideas to Bloodletter so that one scene can give you those John Constantine feels, but another scene may give you John Wick feels.

One thing’s for sure: Tim and I have a long saga in mind for Tasha that’s as vast as the first run of Hellblazer, so if we all work together to craft a magical spell through support for this miniseries…I’m just sayin’! Let The Toddfather know!

AIPT: What other moments/tidbits can you tease from the rest of this story?

JI: The Bloodletter trailer I wrote and produced gives you some good tease moments, and her name is Bloodletter, so for sure Tasha’s actions will have blood flying everywhere. Some of it will be green and from a familiar character.

AIPT: It’s always a good idea to ask at least one obviously dumb question: If Bloodletter had a theme song, what would it be and why?

JI: “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.

AIPT: Is there anything else we should know right now about Bloodletter, Spawn, comics, Image, life and death, magic, etc.?

JI: Bloodletter is required reading if you like characters with emotional pits ripping their way through a mean world. Spawn is a badass dude who’s in for a bad day very soon. Comics are the best storytelling medium on Earth. Image Comics rules. Like Nancy Sinatra said, you live twice…but you can die more times than that. Magic comes with a cost, again and again and again. Etc. is all the wonder and mystery in between.

Bloodletter #1 is due out June 18 via Image Comics.