Plot: What’s it about?
His comic book Spawn has become one of the best selling titles in comic history, despite being aimed at an older crowd and having a darker approach. After a massive rise to the top of the comic book world, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane branched out into other realms, most of which have turned into successful efforts also. His Spawn brand went off into a wildly popular toy line, posters, and all sorts of other merchandise, including perhaps the crown jewel, a major motion picture that turned quite a hefty box office sum. McFarlane has never remained low profile, often speaking out against the corporate structure that makes up most of the business world, even when art is involved, which upsets him. But the general public became aware of McFarlane when he shelled out three million dollars to own Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball. This let the public know he was there and to those interested in his work & persona, opened up some new doors to getting to know the real McFarlane. So who is this man who started his own comic brand, turned it into a multimillion dollar project and continues to remain on the cutting edge?
I’ve read a lot of Spawn comics, saw the motion picture, and even bought some of the toys, but I’d never really looked into the man behind Spawn’s success, Todd McFarlane, until he paid three million bucks for a baseball. I knew who he was and some basic information, but I wasn’t aware of what a baseball nut he was, nor did I know much about his personal side. Now however, we can all see the behind the scenes side of McFarlane, thanks to Docurama’s release of Todd McFarlane: The Devil You Know. This documentary was made in 2000 and was directed by Kenton Vaughn, who has assembled an informative, as well enjoyable feature. Of course, you have to possess some kind of interest here, given that the program is driven toward fans of McFarlane, as opposed to those unaware of his accomplishments. The film contains insightful interviews with McFarlane’s peers, fellow artists, friends, and family members, all of whom seem open to discuss him, though most are perhaps a little too kind. In the end, this is a solid release for those interested in McFarlane’s story, even if only to a casual level.
Video: How does it look?
The Devil You Know is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. The image here is a clean, more than effective one, but the material doesn’t allow for a showcase kind of transfer, so just expect the basics here. The new interviews look excellent, while the other footage varies, depending on the age of the materials, but most of it looks quite good and none looks bad, so no need for concern in that respect. The convention clips look the most worn, but still look acceptable and on the whole, this documentary looks terrific.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this is a documentary film, the included basic audio track is more than acceptable, as it covers all the needed bases. The program’s audio is mostly dialogue, but some music and comic book style sound effects can be heard, all of which sound good here. The vocals remain clean and never hard to understand, with no volume imbalances to mention. You won’t be dazzled by this track by any means, but it handles the materia well, so no complaints.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some photos of Spawn collectibles, a selection of artwork stills, and a biography on director Kenton Vaughn.
