Was Violator/Clown inspired by Stephen King's IT?

[TomServofan]

I wonder when Todd Mcfarlane thought him up that he was inspired by the King novel or the mini-series for the character?

[Walter West]

I would think John Wayne Gacy might have been a more likely influence.

[extra skater]

I heard some guys that "study" comics and put it on YouTube that John Wayne Gacy was his main inspiration but McFarlane would have drawn inspiration from the "evil clown" concept in general (that was strongly influenced by the existence of Gacy), so even the Joker may have had influenced him. Pennywise? Maybe. But I think he would have created the Clown/Violator with or without the It book.

[TomServofan]

I heard some guys that "study" comics and put it on YouTube that John Wayne Gacy was his main inspiration but McFarlane would have drawn inspiration from the "evil clown" concept in general (that was strongly influenced by the existence of Gacy), so even the Joker may have had influenced him. Pennywise? Maybe. But I think he would have created the Clown/Violator with or without the It book.

Yup a small bit of Gacy but more like Pennywise.

Now Billy Cincaid is like Gacy.

[GOLGO 13]

Don't know about the clown, but don't ask him about Tony Twist.

[Confuzzled]

I would think John Wayne Gacy might have been a more likely influence.

I heard some guys that "study" comics and put it on YouTube that John Wayne Gacy was his main inspiration but McFarlane would have drawn inspiration from the "evil clown" concept in general (that was strongly influenced by the existence of Gacy), so even the Joker may have had influenced him. Pennywise? Maybe. But I think he would have created the Clown/Violator with or without the It book.

But Gacy was the inspiration for Pennywise in the first place and it was widely known at the time the book came out. The It miniseries came out just a couple of years before Violator's creation so interest in Pennywise and his inspiration would have peaked at the same time. So it's likely that Pennywise directly or indirectly led to Violator one way or the other.

[iblogalot]

I recall early interviews where he said Violator's personality is what he originally intended Venom (who, remember, was originally a flat-out villain) to be like in the Spider-Man comics. I think the "clown" part was just, as someone said, a simple call back to the "evil clown' concept.