It'd be hard to find anyone interested in comic books and their history who hasn't heard of Todd McFarlane's legal woes, but very few outside of McFarlane's immediate circle know just how many legal fights he was facing as the 1990s closed. Virtually all of McFarlane's court cases came down to three decisions, made by him alone. The first was to name a mobster in his Spawn comic after a hockey player, Tony Twist. The second was to hire Neil Gaiman to write a single issue of Spawn and the third came when he decided to buy all the remaining assets from Eclipse Comics at their bankruptcy sale. The first decision led to the Tony Twist trial, last two choices lead to Neil Gaiman filing suit and, ultimately, winning a portion of the Spawn universe and the hotly sought after, by some, character Miracleman.The Tony Twist trial was the beginning of a long, long period of uncertainty for Todd McFarlane and very nearly brought down the empire that he'd worked so hard to build. At its worst point, McFarlane was fighting to save his companies, to keep his characters and simply to survive. He was facing battles from several fronts, from people he did not previously personally know in the form of Tony Twist, to those whom he'd collaborated with, in the form of Neil Gaiman and also in bankruptcy courts. Clearly the fight that cost him the most, in pure financial terms, was that brought against him by Tony Twist. It would take years, and millions of dollars, to finally resolve. But the fight that potentially hurt him the most, both personally and professionally, was the one brought by Gaiman, as it gave the impression that McFarlane had appropriated characters created by Gaiman (albeit within the confines of the Spawn universe, along with Miracleman - but that's a book in itself) without proper accounting, permission or payments. This, to the comic book industry at large, showed McFarlane to be no better than the corporations that he'd spent years rallying against - Marvel and DC Comics. It would take the better part of two decades before McFarlane would emerge free and clear from these fights. He came out of it battered, bruised, facing charges of hypocrisy and with a serious hit to his reputation, but he wasn't totally beaten. Despite those who wished to see McFarlane fall completely from grace, he emerged relatively intact.

As Spawn's costume begins to form, it comes with new powers. But will Al be able to handle those powers?

Todd McFarlane became a superstar illustrating the Amazing Spider-Man, but he changed the industry forever with his next project: the "adjectiveless" solo title SPIDER-MAN! Taking on both writing and art duties, McFarlane ushered Peter Parker into a gritty new era - and it began with Torment! When blood washes the Big Apple's streets, the webslinger heads into the sewers to stop the homicidal rampage of the Lizard. But what is driving his old friend and foe? Plus, in the ultimate Nineties team-up, Spidey joins X-Force to battle the unstoppable Juggernaut! COLLECTING: SPIDER-MAN (1990) 1-14, 16; X-FORCE (1991) 4

Showcasing Todd McFarlane's unique art style, which burst onto the comic book scene in the late 1980s and forever changed the landscape of comic book art. Features art from original comic art boards, rare, never-before-seen sketches, as well as art from McFarlane's work on Batman, Spider-Man, and the Hulk (amongst many others), and his own top-selling creation, Spawn. Also features selected commentary by the artist himself.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the bestselling and most influential video games of the past decade. From the return of world-threatening dragons to an ongoing civil war, the province of Skyrim is rich with adventure, lore, magic, history, and stunning vistas. Beyond its visual spectacle alone, Skyrim is an exemplary gameworld that reproduces out-of-game realities, controversies, and histories for its players. Being Dragonborn, then, comes to signify a host of ethical and ideological choices for the player, both inside and outside the gameworld. These essays show how playing Skyrim, in many ways, is akin to "playing" 21st century America with its various crises, conflicts, divisions, and inequalities. Topics covered include racial inequality and white supremacy, gender construction and misogyny, the politics of modding, rhetorics of gameplay, and narrative features.

The new essays in this book make two central claims. First, for some people, the word "feminist" has been either poorly defined or even demonized. Hermione Granger, of the Harry Potter series, serves as an outstanding example of what modern young feminism looks like: activist, powerful and full of agency, yet feminine, romantic and stylish--a new kind of feminism for a new kind of girl. The second claim the essays make is that our young, emergent feminist Hermione Granger is a pivotal character upon whom the entire series rests--not Harry Potter himself (or, at least, not Harry Potter solely). It is Hermione who solves every difficult puzzle, performs every difficult spell, and to whom her two male companions look for guidance and advice. On several occasions throughout the series, Hermione literally saves the world through her actions. This is an outstanding model for young women (and for young men as well) who are confused about how feminism manifests and operates in 2012.