Find Another Hill
Choose a distinct creative axis instead of becoming a weaker copy of the master
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
McFarlane argues that copying a perfected style leaves a young creator competing to become almost as good as the original master. His alternative is to find another hill: identify a defining trait that the standard version underemphasizes, then build a coherent interpretation around it. With Spider-Man, he shifted emphasis from 'Man' to 'Spider.' He enlarged the eyes, increased and redesigned the webbing, darkened the blue, relaxed anatomical realism, and used insect-like poses. The goal was not to prove the classic version wrong; it was to become recognizably different while preserving clear storytelling. Editors resisted because he was changing an icon, but readers responded and sales rose. The final principle is anti-dogmatic: once the new style becomes the status quo, the next creator should be encouraged to find another direction rather than copy McFarlane.
Origin
McFarlane developed the approach while trying to distinguish his work on Amazing Spider-Man from the classic version he believed he could only imitate badly.
Core principles
- 01Imitating the category master caps you as an inferior version
- 02Different is a sufficient goal; it does not need to claim universal superiority
- 03A reinvention should emphasize a coherent trait already latent in the subject
- 04Clarity still constrains stylistic experimentation
- 05Audience response can validate a direction that authorities initially resist
How to run it
- 1
Identify the conquered hill
Name the established version that defines excellence in the category. Accept that direct imitation will keep comparisons anchored to that master.
Pro tip Ask whose name people will invoke when judging the copied style.
Watch out Do not confuse respect for the original with a requirement to reproduce it.
- 2
Find the latent axis
Choose an underused trait that genuinely belongs to the subject. Make that trait the organizing emphasis of the new interpretation.
Pro tip McFarlane changed the emphasis from Spider-Man to Spider-Man.
Watch out A random difference without a governing idea becomes decoration.
- 3
Build a coherent vocabulary
Change several related details so they all express the chosen axis. Use composition, shape, movement, texture, or other relevant features together.
Pro tip The eyes, webbing, color, anatomy, and poses all reinforced McFarlane's insect-like direction.
Watch out One isolated gimmick is easier to dismiss and harder to sustain.
- 4
Protect clarity
Test whether the audience can still follow and understand the work. Innovation can break conventions without covering the information the next panel or stage needs.
Pro tip Use negative space when overlapping visual elements.
Watch out Bad execution does not become innovative merely because it violates a rule.
- 5
Let response adjudicate
Observe audience engagement and commercial response while listening critically to authority objections. Continue when the direction is clear and the intended audience responds.
Pro tip Separate objections to novelty from evidence of audience confusion.
Watch out Sales alone do not excuse unclear storytelling.
- 6
Refuse permanent canonization
When the interpretation becomes conventional, encourage successors to develop their own version. Treat every successful style as a temporary hill, not the final form.
Pro tip Preserve the permission to experiment that created the breakthrough.
Watch out Today's rebellion can become tomorrow's restrictive status quo.
In the wild
McFarlane decided not to imitate the classic Spider-Man image. He emphasized the insect side of the character through bigger eyes, denser 'spaghetti webbing,' darker blue, exaggerated anatomy, and bug-like poses. Editors repeatedly told him to stop, but sales moved from roughly number 21 or 22 to near the top of the chart, and elements of his interpretation later became standard.
→ A distinct visual axis catapulted his career and reshaped Spider-Man's prevailing style.
Common mistakes
Competing by imitation
A close copy invites a comparison the established master has already won.
Being different without a thesis
Unrelated flourishes do not create a coherent interpretation or a reusable creative direction.
Replacing one rigid style with another
A successful innovation loses its value when successors are forced to copy it instead of developing their own approach.
Is it for you?
Best for
Creators entering a mature category with a recognizable subject and a strong incumbent style.
Not ideal for
Work where novelty would obscure essential meaning, usability, or safety.
From the transcript
“Not better. Let me be very clear, not better, different.”
“Go find another hill and make it your own.”
“They were doing Spider-Man, emphasis on "Man." I flipped it to Spider-Man, emphasis on the word "Spider."”
From the episode
#639: Todd McFarlane, Legendary Comic Book Artist — How to Make Iconic Art, Reinvent Spider-Man, Live Life on Your Own Terms, and Meet Every Deadline