Tempe, Ariz., - February 28, 2006 -- DC Comics today announced a partnership with McFarlane Toys and Image Comics to release a prestige format one-shot featuring Batman and Todd McFarlane's Spawn. In conjunction with the 48-page comic, DC Direct, DC Comics' toy and collectibles brand, will join forces with McFarlane Toys to create a deluxe, two-figure statue commemorating this historic crossover. Both items are slated to hit stores in December.

The series will mark the second meeting between McFarlane's supernatural avenger, Spawn and DC Comics' iconic hero, Batman. While plot details are still being finalized, the pairing of the two comic book powerhouses should please fans.

"Bringing Batman and Spawn together was a win-win for everyone," said Dan DiDio, senior vice president - executive editor for DC Comics. "The chance to work with Todd and his team on creating this crossover is exciting for us and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product, as I'm sure many fans are."

"Besides Spawn, Batman is easily the most interesting comic book character that I've ever been involved with in the past," said Spawn creator and McFarlane Toys founder Todd McFarlane. "I've drawn Batman, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of writing the Spawn/Batman crossover story."

In conjunction with the one-shot, DC Direct and McFarlane Toys will unite to create a large scale two-figure, deluxe statue featuring both iconic characters, designed by Todd McFarlane and sculpted by McFarlane Toys in association with DC Direct. The Batman and Spawn two-figure collectible statue will be distributed by DC Direct.

"I am very excited to be working with Todd on this deluxe statue," noted Georg Brewer, vice president of Design and DC Direct Creative. "We are big fans of the sculptural work of his studio, and the combined talents we will each bring to this piece is sure to make it a huge success."

ABOUT DC COMICS
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics' Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.

ABOUT DC DIRECT:
DC Direct, DC Comics' toy and collectibles brand, manufactures and markets over 100 exclusive toy and collectible products each year targeted to pop culture enthusiasts. The toys and collectibles are highly regarded and sought after for their authenticity, quality and collector appeal. Action figures and statues form the core of the line and feature a wide array of the world's most famous super heroes including Batman, Superman and the Justice League as well as popular characters from Cartoon Network Originals.

ABOUT TODD McFARLANE and MCFARLANE TOYS
Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning Producer/Director Todd McFarlane, best known as the creator of Spawn and the founder of spawn.com, is the creative force behind McFarlane Toys. The international award-winning company is one of America's top action figure manufacturers with several successful movie licensing tie-ins, including Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Warner Bros.), Napoleon Dynamite, Alien Vs. Predator (20th Century Fox), Wallace and Gromit, and Shrek (Dreamworks). McFarlane Toys also makes official league-licensed figures for baseball, football, basketball and hockey within its Sports Picks™ line, as well as recently debuting the Legends lines in all four major league sports. McFarlane Toys has replicated some of rock music's greatest icons including Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Slash. Check out www.spawn.com.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
"Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com for more information. Image Comics - Putting the NEW back in to New Comic Book Day!(tm)"