Sam and Twitch

Did You Know?

• Dr. K. C. McRory, dubbed "Dr. Death" by the detectives, heads the crime scene investigation department and dislikes Sam but gets along with Twitch.
• Jinx, a bounty hunter who assists the duo, also stars in a separate comic book series.
• Twitch's family includes his wife Helen, sons Max IV and Peter, and daughters Lauren and Lily.

Sam Burke

Detective Sam Burke is the brawn of the partnership, a large, headstrong man known for foul language and gruff behavior. He often takes direct action against villains and has faced accusations of police brutality, though charges never stuck. Sam takes pride in being one of the few honest cops in a precinct he views as corrupt. Beneath his rough exterior, he is compassionate toward those in need and passionate about justice, even if his methods are uncivil. He is protective of his partner Twitch, inspired by Twitch's dedication despite departmental corruption, and goes to great lengths to shield him from fellow officers. Despite his cynical, hot-tempered personality, Sam is essentially a good man with a strong sense of duty. His straightforward ways put the duo at odds with other police, but Twitch trusts and respects him deeply. While Twitch solves cases, Sam provides drive and conviction. Sam is skilled at seeing through people and extracting information. Despite a large, fat build, he has shown considerable strength, speed, and durability against superhuman foes, such as going toe-to-toe with the Udaku, who can rip a man's head off. He also possesses a police intuition he jokingly calls a "spider-sense" that warns him of traps and lies.

Twitch Williams

Maximilian Steven Percival "Twitch" Williams III is the brains of the partnership, solving cases and piecing together clues. A brilliant mathematician who excelled at trigonometry, he uses his knowledge of angles to become an excellent marksman. A shooting prodigy, he compensates for his small size with twin pistols handled with extreme accuracy. The nickname "Twitch" originated as a despised high-school label, which Sam learned after intercepting a reunion invitation. Twitch calls Sam "sir" out of earned trust and respect. He was once married with several children, but his busy schedule led to divorce and loss of custody, which emotionally impacted him. He later reconciled with his wife and spends as much time with his family as duty allows. Twitch comes from a family with a proud law enforcement tradition; his father and siblings are cops. Despite his reserved manner, he is passionate and proud of his job, troubled by the rampant corruption in the police department. In some ways, he is more naïve than Sam and has faced harsh truths. Twitch has battled superhuman foes like Overt-Kill, a mafia-hired cyborg, defeating him with a single bullet through the ear canal.

Publication history

Sam and Twitch were introduced in the Spawn comic series as tertiary characters, initially at odds with Al Simmons due to his methods and their distrust. They later formed mutual respect, and Al often sought their help. Their spin-off series Sam and Twitch began in 1999. Publishing issues caused irregular releases, affecting sales, and the series was cancelled in 2003 after 26 issues over four years. Delays continued until the end. Spawn makes a small cameo in the series, requesting help, but the duo brush him off. The series has been collected in several graphic novels: Sam and Twitch Book One: Udaku TPB (issues 1-8 in black and white), The Brian Michael Bendis Collection Volume 1 (issues 1-9), Volume 2 (issues 10-19), The Complete Collection Book 1 (issues 1-13), Book 2 (issues 14-26), and The Writer TPB. The first issue of Case Files was released in June 2003, a few months before the original series' cancellation. Case Files starts later in the duo's lives and revisits an old nemesis. It is a four-issue mini series from the Spawn universe line.

In other media

In the HBO miniseries Todd McFarlane's Spawn, Sam was voiced by James Keane and Twitch by Michael McShane. In the 1997 live-action film, two detectives resembling Sam and Twitch arrest Jason Wynn near the end. Todd McFarlane wanted a film about Sam and Twitch with Spawn as a background character. They appeared in the video game Spawn: In the Demon's Hand, voiced by Rob Cowan and Don Dickinson. McFarlane Toys produced action figures based on them. In February 2017, BBC America announced Kevin Smith would write, direct, and executive produce a Sam & Twitch police procedural. In July 2018, Jeremy Renner was announced to play Twitch in McFarlane's King Spawn.