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Rob Liefeld - Worst comic book artist ever?

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Rob Liefeld - Worst comic book artist ever?

Old 02-20-08, 04:48 AM
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Originally Posted by scarredgod
you must be a tarantino fan.
Not really. And I stand by what I said. Swipes are a shortcut artists use when they can't do something or don't want to, and the swipe isn't obvious until the swipe police come through and point it out.

When an artist is recreating an incredibly famous cover image, I doubt they're trying to fool anyone, but instead use it as a short hand saying "remember that issue where X happened? Something like that may happen in this issue too!" or they just really like the image. I doubt artists recreate the famous Kevin Maguire JL cover or Crisis cover thinking people won't realize what they're doing.

They're homages especially when they're in the same line of books. Like the covers with an X-man leaving on a white background with a group of other x-men in the background.
Old 02-20-08, 11:41 AM
  #102  
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Usually for an homage, the artist references the original work somehow, unless that work is so famous that it's pretty universally recognized. I have no problem when they use stuff like basic composition or panel layouts to get an idea of what to do (or even Rob swiping the helicarrier stuff), but most of the examples above are blatant swipes... like he took the basic pose and just inked over it to look like his characters.

The last example, with the New Mutants cover, was obviously an homage... to himself.

Jae Lee, as I think someone mentioned above, was pretty raw when he started out on Namor, and then showed great improvement but was very very slow on Hellshock. Everything I've seen of him since Inhumans has been great, though.
Old 02-20-08, 12:36 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by ytrez
Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!

Look at the position of the fingers on both hands in both pictures!
Hey, I'll give you that the hands are remarkably similar, but the head is positioned differently, the body is drawn differently, his legs are slightly changed, Liefeld actually drew a foot (which must have been painful for him) and the guys package for some reason.

Maybe it still qualifies as a swipe, I guess I don't know the definition. In my opinion, certain body poses are going to show similarities and so as long as they don't look traced to me, then it's alright. The fingers are coming pretty close but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on it, considering how egregious the other examples are.
Old 02-21-08, 05:15 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by True_Story1011
One guy that I hated with a passion was Jae Lee, When he did namor I just about barfed - then Jim Lee put him on a Wildcats book...


I stopped paying attention to him with vol. 1 of Hellshock...

But I think he started using reference for Vol. 2 Hellshock - and it was a short lived excellent story! Jae Lee has consistantly been getting better and now is on my top list of favorite artists.

here you go!^
Old 02-21-08, 05:26 PM
  #105  
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You guys forgot about Dan Fraga, he's got a myspace page and Joe Rogan is one of his best friends... or something like that.

Fraga was the guy who did Brigade, he was a complete Liefeld clone that hung around Image and Awesome Ent. for along time.

I think he's freelance now. But he's a complete turd artist.

I can pretty much see an artist work and know who the artist is - kinda like a fine art snob. I'm a pulp snob!
Old 02-21-08, 06:25 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by True_Story1011
You guys forgot about Dan Fraga, he's got a myspace page and Joe Rogan is one of his best friends... or something like that.

Fraga was the guy who did Brigade, he was a complete Liefeld clone that hung around Image and Awesome Ent. for along time.

I think he's freelance now. But he's a complete turd artist.

I can pretty much see an artist work and know who the artist is - kinda like a fine art snob. I'm a pulp snob!
I actually liked Fraga more than Marat Mychaels... I think Mychaels was the one on Brigade, Fraga did a similar book (with a character who was the twin or clone of the Brigade leader) called Bloodstrike.

I also thought another Extreme Studios artist, Jeff Matsuda, who drew New Men, wasn't that good, but his style grew and he's the character designer of the cartoons Jackie Chan Adventures and The Batman, so he's done well for himself.

Yeah, yeah, I collected way too many Image titles in my youth...

Other semi-popular artists that I don't think are that great:

Ian Churchill seemed pretty good when he was doing Cable, but it doesn't seem like he's grown much since... his Supergirl work was a pain to look at, since it seems his faces all have to be in a certain position.

I thought that DC should've gotten a better artist to team with Morrison on JLA than Howard Porter, who seemed to put his characters in the same unnatural poses.

Keith Giffen went through this phase when he put out Trencher that I just couldn't understand... he had changed his style drastically when he revamped the Legion, but it was always clear storytelling, very stylistic with many panels, but understandable (though some people hated it). In comparison, his Trencher was just a mess.

What happened to John Byrne? One of my absolute favorite artists of the 80's, his work on Wonder Woman was just odd (everyone looked anorexic or something)... DC had to really, really revamp Cassie to make his original design somewhat bearable. I'm not sure if he's just rushing stuff out now or what, but I haven't enjoyed his art since Next Men. (for that matter, what happened to Chris Claremont's ability to tell a story?)

I loved Maduriera's work, but apparently his Ultimates v. 3 stuff is terrible...
Old 02-21-08, 06:46 PM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by fujishig
I actually liked Fraga more than Marat Mychaels... I think Mychaels was the one on Brigade, Fraga did a similar book (with a character who was the twin or clone of the Brigade leader) called Bloodstrike.
doh! I completely forgot about Marat! lol That goes to show you how much these two were alike.

Originally Posted by fujishig
I also thought another Extreme Studios artist, Jeff Matsuda, who drew New Men, wasn't that good, but his style grew and he's the character designer of the cartoons Jackie Chan Adventures and The Batman, so he's done well for himself.

Yeah, yeah, I collected way too many Image titles in my youth...
You know I actually enjoyed his work from jumpstreet.

I didnt have as much of a problem/hate with him as I did with the two above mentioned. I even stopped purchasing the books because I kept thinking why would someone want to copy a style of someone whose work completely stunk!

Believe me I was right there with you, I even purchased poopers like Tribe and Wildstar (WildStar had a great premise - horrible execution. But I guess that could be said about every early Image title)

Originally Posted by fujishig
Other semi-popular artists that I don't think are that great:

Ian Churchill seemed pretty good when he was doing Cable, but it doesn't seem like he's grown much since... his Supergirl work was a pain to look at, since it seems his faces all have to be in a certain position.

I thought that DC should've gotten a better artist to team with Morrison on JLA than Howard Porter, who seemed to put his characters in the same unnatural poses.
I didnt mind Ian Churchill or even Brett Booth, but at one point in time they were all Jim Lee'ers. Its good to see Booth's broke off and is doing stuff outside of comics.

I really enjoyed the work of Howard Porter on JLA - His Lanterns rocked!

Originally Posted by fujishig
Keith Giffen went through this phase when he put out Trencher that I just couldn't understand... he had changed his style drastically when he revamped the Legion, but it was always clear storytelling, very stylistic with many panels, but understandable (though some people hated it). In comparison, his Trencher was just a mess.
Giffen work is awesome, he's alot like watching Darrow Where's Waldo'esque stuff

Originally Posted by fujishig
What happened to John Byrne? One of my absolute favorite artists of the 80's, his work on Wonder Woman was just odd (everyone looked anorexic or something)... DC had to really, really revamp Cassie to make his original design somewhat bearable. I'm not sure if he's just rushing stuff out now or what, but I haven't enjoyed his art since Next Men. (for that matter, what happened to Chris Claremont's ability to tell a story?)
Your telling me! His run on Uncanny was breathtaking and the re-up on The Man of Steel.... Forgetaboutit! lol

I think the fans found out how much he hates comics and all the people that read them - He was always a total Ass-clown when we'd go see him at The Mid-Ohio-Con. Making smartass comments to people, thinking they were hillarious as he'd laugh out loud, when they were only hurtful and mean spirited.

Originally Posted by fujishig
I loved Maduriera's work, but apparently his Ultimates v. 3 stuff is terrible...
My brother was always a big fan of Mad - I never really took much notice to his panel work. But his splashes were very nice. He always had a problem with background work.
Old 02-21-08, 07:00 PM
  #108  
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At least Tribe and Wildstar had decent artists in Larry Stroman and Jerry Ordway. Of course, they weren't in the typical Image style so I don't think they went over very well with the Image crowd at the time.

A guy that seems to get a lot of hate but whom I actually like is Bart Sears (and his inker/clone Andy Smith). He did the Brutes and Babes "how to draw" section in Wizard for some time, and even started his own company for a while that put out something like 5 books. He does overdo it with the muscles, but I thought he was great in Justice League Europe, Eclipso, and stuff like that.


Ah, I remember another "popular" artist that I just can't stand: Pat Lee. He actually draws robots pretty well, and he had the anime-like shading/coloring techniques on his work before that became really popular. But his human characters are pretty wooden, and then there's that whole mess with his company when he wouldn't/couldn't pay his freelancers...

Last edited by fujishig; 02-21-08 at 07:10 PM.
Old 02-21-08, 07:23 PM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by fujishig
At least Tribe and Wildstar had decent artists in Larry Stroman and Jerry Ordway. Of course, they weren't in the typical Image style so I don't think they went over very well with the Image crowd at the time.
As for the typical artists that were drawn to Image. I agree - But that wasnt the problem that i had with those books. Larry Stroman's work was kinda hard to follow from frame to frame. Alot of darkness.

Ordways stuff was nice though!

Originally Posted by fujishig
A guy that seems to get a lot of hate but whom I actually like is Bart Sears (and his inker/clone Andy Smith). He did the Brutes and Babes "how to draw" section in Wizard for some time, and even started his own company for a while that put out something like 5 books. He does overdo it with the muscles, but I thought he was great in Justice League Europe, Eclipso, and stuff like that.
I thought Sears stuff was exacting - His anatomy was spot on. His work wasnt exactly realistic and the stories in the books he released sucked!

But if they put a Silver Surfer book out written by anyone thats a true writer and drawn by Sears... I would be there NOW!

Originally Posted by fujishig
Ah, I remember another "popular" artist that I just can't stand: Pat Lee. He actually draws robots pretty well, and he had the anime-like shading/coloring techniques on his work before that became really popular. But his human characters are pretty wooden, and then there's that whole mess with his company when he wouldn't/couldn't pay his freelancers...
Pat Lee pretty much does nothing but Transformer'esque stuff now. lol
Old 02-21-08, 08:23 PM
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Whatever happened to the "Next McFarlane", the kid who did Moon Knight (issue #55 if I can recall my High Schrool days) and became huge for about 12 minutes?

I always dug Portacio's stuff & Jim Lee obviously.
Old 02-21-08, 08:29 PM
  #111  
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that was stephen platt.
Old 02-21-08, 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by MartinBlank
Whatever happened to the "Next McFarlane", the kid who did Moon Knight (issue #55 if I can recall my High Schrool days) and became huge for about 12 minutes?

I always dug Portacio's stuff & Jim Lee obviously.


Yeah he did the first couple of covers of Moon Knight before it was shelved at issues 60. I do believe issues 57 and up were penciled by him. From my understanding I read somewhere (Wizard awhile back) he was discovered by an editor while he was standing in line at a bank.

Liefeld stole him from Marvel and he did a handful of Prophet books.

Then he went back to working at McDonalds... no seriously I dont know what he's doing now.

But the artist that was suppose to be, 'The Next McFarlane' was Trent Kaniuga he did this little book called 'Creed' and later penciled Ghost Rider for a hot second.
Old 02-21-08, 11:21 PM
  #113  
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Originally Posted by True_Story1011
Yeah he did the first couple of covers of Moon Knight before it was shelved at issues 60. I do believe issues 57 and up were penciled by him. From my understanding I read somewhere (Wizard awhile back) he was discovered by an editor while he was standing in line at a bank.

Liefeld stole him from Marvel and he did a handful of Prophet books.

Then he went back to working at McDonalds... no seriously I dont know what he's doing now.
HERE's a year-old link from CBR about Mr. Platt.
Old 02-21-08, 11:36 PM
  #114  
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Platt's MySpace

"Currently on location In Vancouver BC working on the Fox pictures remake THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL starring Keeanu Reeves , Jennifer Connlly. "
Weird.

And he has an IMDB page
Old 02-22-08, 09:05 AM
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After checking out his page, I've realized that his work still looks like a polished turd, with the exception of that Deathblow cover.

In one of those pictures it shows the prophet/conan'ish character with the gianormous shoulder muscles... I really would've thought he could actually pick up an anatomy book and at least copy some things.

Anyone else notice his women look pretty horrible still? I mean they have improved over the years, but not by much.
Old 02-22-08, 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by True_Story1011
Pat Lee pretty much does nothing but Transformer'esque stuff now. lol
He does? I thought after his whole failure with his own company, they lost the Transformers license and it was bought up by someone else... last I saw he did an arc of Superman/Batman, I think.

Sears does seem to excel at drawing either really muscular guys and really shiny things... Surfer is really shiny, but not all that muscular, not sure how great he'd be on that.

Just noticed that Churchill's going to be on the new Titans series... ah well.
Old 02-26-08, 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted by fujishig
He does? I thought after his whole failure with his own company, they lost the Transformers license and it was bought up by someone else... last I saw he did an arc of Superman/Batman, I think.

Sears does seem to excel at drawing either really muscular guys and really shiny things... Surfer is really shiny, but not all that muscular, not sure how great he'd be on that.

Just noticed that Churchill's going to be on the new Titans series... ah well.

Pat Lee did issue 7 back in 2004 - I havent seen what he's been upto since. All I continue to see is pictures associating him with Transformers (known for)

Last edited by True_Story1011; 02-27-08 at 02:03 PM.
Old 02-26-08, 11:07 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by fujishig
Just noticed that Churchill's going to be on the new Titans series... ah well.
I don't have a problem with Churchill, but the Titans preview i've seen looks bad..
Old 02-24-12, 10:51 AM
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/rob-...ry-120223.html

IMAGE @20: ROB LIEFELD Recalls 1992, Talks Creator Rights
By Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama Contributor
posted: 23 February 2012 05:04 pm ET


When Image Comics was founded in 1992, one of the more active and vocal people involved was artist Rob Liefeld.

Twenty years later, and not much has changed.


Liefeld is still has active in the comic industry as ever. In May, his name is attached to three titles at DC, and he's involved with even more comics through the revival of his Extreme Studios.

But despite all the recent activity from the writer/artist, Liefeld still counts the formation of Image as the most important move of his career. And there are a lot of fans that would agree.

Upon the 20th Anniversary of Image's formation, Newsarama is looking at the legacy of that event in 1992 when seven artists decided to start Image Comics. We're talking to the people who were involved, discussing the issues that prompted the move, and exploring what has happened in creator ownership in the 20 years since the event.

As most comic book fans remember well, the comic book community was shocked in 1992 when Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino and Jim Lee left Marvel to give creator-owned projects a new foothold in the industry.

In the third installment of our series, we talk to Liefeld about what happened 20 years ago, whether it affected creator rights, and why there will never be another Image Comics.

Newsarama: Rob, let's start by looking back at the atmosphere before you guys left Marvel. What was the biggest motivator for the move to leave the Marvel/DC system and start Image Comics?

Rob Liefeld: My motivation in leaving Marvel in 1992 was for me to take the next step in my development as a creator and own my creations and determine their fate. After selling millions of New Mutants and X-Force comics, my career had nowhere to go but downhill if I remained at Marvel. And I was only 23 years old. I had given them my best stories, art and creations and it was a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.


I had fulfilled my end of my work for hire agreement, now it was time to take my creative energies and focus them in a direction where I had greater creative direction. For me it was about the right place, right time, right opportunity. I was fortunate that I had a peer group that felt the same way, a group that worked together to create a creative jolt that is still felt today.

Nrama: Is that still the motivation for Image's existence, or has the mission changed?

Liefeld: Absolutely it is still the same motivation.

Due to the distribution terms and conditions that were established 15 years ago in the wake of Capital Distribution's demise, Image will not and cannot be duplicated again, but the label we created exists to be maximized again for another group or individual looking to take that next step.

Nrama: For the comic industry in general, what do you think is the legacy of the creation of Image Comics?

Liefeld: The legacy of Image is a powerhouse option to the big 2 publishers for creators that wish to expand their brand of creativity.

Nrama: Well, that's pretty simple. Bringing it back to you, what has it meant to your career?

Liefeld: Everything. It was the single most important move I made in my career.

Nrama: You mentioned earlier the importance of "Capital Distribution's demise" as an explanation for the continued uniqueness of Image Comics. Can you explain why?

Liefeld: When Capital went out of business, they were the number two distribution arm of comics. In securing the big publishers like Image, certain distribution benefits were awarded that aren't available to say, the next creator start up company. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. The business has changed and those platforms are no longer available. It means that the next Image should run through Image, because those terms are the best available.

Nrama: OK, so your motivation was that you were ready to move on. But did you recognize the limitations in creative freedom at the big companies? When we spoke to Todd McFarlane, he said that before 1992, it was rare at Marvel and DC for the creators to be involved in driving the direction of their comics. That decisions were made without them. Is that true? And is it different now?

Liefeld: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. My case was always different in that I was guiding the direction of a fleet of brand new characters, while Todd was working with the most important icon at the company. No one had heard of Cable, Deadpool, Shatterstar, Domino, Feral, Kane — those had all dropped out of my head and I was able to run with tremendous freedom. Todd had Spider-Man, which I'm sure came with more baggage.

Bottom line, we both landed at the same place travelling different roads, and my goal with Image was to own my next characters. I already had experienced a ton of creative freedom and it felt good, so now I wanted more participation.

Nrama: But Rob, do you think there's there been progress in creative freedom at the big companies since then? And more specifically, was the change the result of what the seven of you did in 1992?

Liefeld: One hundred percent, especially at Marvel. Primarily at Marvel. They had to start giving more generous deals to their creative types. Much better compensation for those Marvel guys. I didn't come from DC so I can't say one way or the other.

Nrama: What was it about the creation of Image Comics that influenced creator rights in the comic industry?

Liefeld: It was the highest profile creator owned movement in the history of comics.

Nrama: What do you think of the status now of comic creator rights?

Liefeld: It's the same as it’s always been. Create and own it yourself, or create and share it with others, whether that's another creator or a corporation.

Nrama: It really comes down to those two options?

Liefeld: The options remain the same as always.

Nrama: We've seen a lot of attention on the fact that Alan Moore thinks his contract "swindled" him out of creative control. Do you think Alan Moore's experience, such as Watchmen and V for Vendetta would have been different if he'd created them after 1992, maybe with Image?


Liefeld: I'm not familiar with his actual contract on Watchmen. I've never seen it or read it. I am, however, familiar with his 1996 work for hire contracts that he signed for Supreme, Youngblood, Glory and Warchild. Alan did a whole lot of work for hire, perhaps more than creator owned, and that's for him to address. He could have created another Watchmen or more League of Extraordinary Gentlemen work for Image circa 1992 but he chose not to. The work he did for me was brilliant. I'm glad we were able to work together for so long.

Nrama: Another creative ownership dispute that's been making headlines is the Gary Friedrich controversy, over his rights to sell Ghost Rider merchandise at conventions. Do you think that speaks to the problem with work-for-hire and what happens when the characters you create are owned by someone else?

Liefeld: I am completely sympathetic to Gary's plight, I hate the predicament that he is in. You never want to see a creator suffer. Again, I'm not familiar with his arrangement with Marvel over Ghost Rider. Things were much fuzzier in that era.

I knew exactly what I was signing when I created Cable, Deadpool, Shatterstar, Stryfe, Domino, X-Force, etc. I knew the level of participation that I had and have and also the fact that I do not own those characters. My success in filling New Mutants with new characters fueled the creation of Image. Those events will always be connected to me.

Read and understand what you are signing is the best advice I can offer.

Nrama: I know there were efforts in the late '80s and early '90s to create a union for comic book artists and writers. Do you think there could ever be a comic creators union, similar to the writer's union in the movie/TV industry?

Liefeld: No, I don't hold out a lot of hope. The best opportunity was back then and it had a slim chance of succeeding even back then. Too many holdouts. In this age of the "character" dominating the public consciousness, where creators have far less confidence now than they did back then, I can't see it happening.

Nrama: Let's go back a minute and talk about how Image even came together in the first place. How did the seven of you get together, and how did you personally end up joining the move?

Liefeld: Well I didn't join the move, I started it. It was myself, Erik Larsen, and Jim Valentino that had originally pacted together to create an independent label. Todd was aware of everything from the beginning; he knew that we were preparing and he decided to step into the process very early, and that added much more fuel to the fire.

By the time that Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Whilce jumped on board, it had become a monster.

I grew impatient and launched the label with Youngblood solicits with Malibu comics and I was the guinea pig, the test subject. When my initial sales of Youngblood came in at around half a million, it proved that what we were doing could succeed.

Remember that I was the youngest by far of the group. I had no wife, no kids, no mortgage. Todd had just had his first child a few months prior, Valentino had, like, five kids, Jim Lee and his wife were expecting, Erik I think was married already. The rest of the group had real world issues that I couldn't relate to at the time.

I was just a young, hyperactive creator looking to maximize my opportunities. I definitely saw a limited window and wanted to jump. The 30-something Rob — and definitely the 40-something Rob — would have told 20-something Rob to pump the breaks.

So with that in mind, the rest of the group seeing that my sales were out of this world gave them confirmation that they could match or exceed. And we were a cocky bunch — believe me, they all thought, I can exceed that number. So it all worked out really well. It was fated that I would unite the "Force."

Nrama: It sounds like, from your description of how Youngblood helped "seal the deal" with the seven of you, there was no question you were leaving Marvel when you walked into their office and resigned. On that day, was there no possibility they could have kept you if they'd met some demands?

Liefeld: None. As I stated earlier, I had nowhere to go but down at Marvel. They were on to the next launch and seeing if acetate covers could create a million dollar seller.

Let me re-emphasize that only Jim Lee, Todd Mcfarlane and Liefeld have achieved million selling comics for Marvel. We did it by providing a great experience for our fans and giving them a new flavor of comic book punch.

The prevailing notion at the time was that it was all marketing, and it could be easily manipulated and replicated. That did not happen again. Certainly, marketing was an issue, but we had the proven raw materials to start an inferno.


Case in point, New Mutants #100: It was the final issue of a series that was on life support 18 months earlier. We had zero gimmicks, no cover enhancement and no variants, just one comic, one cover. It went out at a ridiculous number, something like 600,000 copies. It sold out and received an additional 3 printings. Gold, silver, bronze editions that numbered over 1 million copies. The excitement was from the new team and fresh ideas we were building inside the book, in the context of the story. Not from a glow-in-the-dark cover.

The fact is that Jim, Todd and myself repeated the million sales with Image, and Marvel still has not. In the era of their huge movie success, that feat becomes even more impressive.

We had the creative juice and the window was open, and let me tell you and some younger talents out there that when the window is open, it does not stay open for long. It is a brief opening and when it's there, take it. I've watched at least a dozen talents completely squander their opening over the past 10 years. They were either too scared or lulled into false security in order to take that next creative jump. Yes, there is always risk but you've got to take it when it's open. Staying at Marvel in 1992 was not an option. I had to go build the next phase of my career.

Nrama: Todd indicated you guys also visited DC's office. Was there also no chance they could snare you with the right kind of contract?

Liefeld: I never visited DC's offices. Maybe that was a trip that I wasn't invited to. Who knows? Sounds like a great story. We were talking to DC at the time, about DC projects with their characters, but it was very brief.

Nrama: After 20 years, what was your experience like when it happened? What do you remember of that experience? And now that you've had 20 years to reflect on it — what sticks out?

Liefeld: It was the most excitement that I've ever experienced in comics. The coming together of Image created a storm that has never been duplicated. We achieved an excitement that everyone in the industry remembers. Fans especially. We were the fans' comic company. They supported our careers, they created our success and they pushed us to the top.

It was tremendous. My first store signing for Image comics at Golden Apple had over a thousand people wrapped around the building and stretched into the neighborhood behind the store. It went for 6 hours, it was a crazy coming out party. Image changed everything.

The excitement is what sticks out to me, the energy from everyone involved at all levels of the community. It was a really special time in comics.

Nrama: What was the reaction at the time from the comic industry in general?

Liefeld: Well, Image was the shot heard round the world in such that it changed everything in the industry. Seven guys making seven comics became the No. 2 comic company in the month of August 1992. There was disbelief (on our part), panic (at every other publisher), and excitement from fans and retailers.

We never expected the level of success Image achieved. Not even close. But boy, was that a great ride to be a part of.

Nrama: What do you hope to see over the next 20 years -- from both Image and in terms of creators rights?

Liefeld: I want to see more exciting comics rather than these cookie-cutter comics. No more been there, done that, same old playbook stuff. Just good comic books — and if they happen to be creator owned, that's fantastic. I love comic books, period. I don't love Scott Snyder's Court of Owls any less just because it's from DC and I imagine I'd love SAGA from Brian K. Vaughan's under any circumstance. I just want good comic books.



When creators are given free reign — like Snyder, like Vaughan — it's better for every aspect of our business. When comics are produced by committee, they generally suck.

Nrama: Then to finish up, Rob, is there anything else you want to say about the 20th anniversary of Image Comics?

Liefeld: I'm just very proud of how it has all turned out. It's a great achievement for everyone that was there back in 1992.
Old 02-24-12, 11:18 AM
  #120  
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

Ask Gaiman about how McFarlane respected his "creator's rights" at Image, I'm sure the conversation would be quite different. And the big thing Image showed was that flash was everything; who cares about trivial stuff like story and shipping books on a schedule when you can introduce dozens of new characters and draw splash pages (or have people that draw kinda like you draw splash pages)?

It is interesting, though, that it seems like there's more emphasis on writers than on artists now. A lot of Marvel hype comes from who writes the books, and even Image's current big star is a writer. Of course, a lot of it is probably because the flashier artists can't draw monthly. I think Maduriera is already off Avenging Spider Man, or at least there have been a lot of fill ins. And even a former flagship like X-men discovered that Land, Bachalo, Dodson and co were only suited to a rotating basis.

Also, most of the original Image creators are either back to doing work-for-hire or not doing any art at all, with the exception of Larsen (who also did some stints at Marvel a few years ago). It's amazing to me, I always thought of him as a poor man's McFarlane and one of the weaker Image artists, and while he has his flaws I love Savage Dragon and respect that he keeps it going.

Last edited by fujishig; 02-24-12 at 11:27 AM.
Old 02-24-12, 02:24 PM
  #121  
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

Originally Posted by fujishig
Also, most of the original Image creators are either back to doing work-for-hire or not doing any art at all, with the exception of Larsen (who also did some stints at Marvel a few years ago). It's amazing to me, I always thought of him as a poor man's McFarlane and one of the weaker Image artists, and while he has his flaws I love Savage Dragon and respect that he keeps it going.
Larsen had/has a more cartoony style than McFarlane. I honestly thought he was better than the Todd. I loved his run on Amazing Spiderman and I bought Savage Dragon for years just based on his artwork. He was always a very underappreciated artist. Plus he was super nice the one time I met him, too.
Old 02-24-12, 09:16 PM
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

Man, he has a huge ego.
Old 02-24-12, 09:59 PM
  #123  
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

Jim Lee is still my favorite comic book artist of all time. Bart Sears is second.
Old 02-25-12, 11:57 AM
  #124  
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

I always thought Sal Buscema's mid-90's Spider-Man work (I don't remember which title, Spectacular maybe?) is some of the worst art I've ever seen in a major comic book. This is a random panel I found by doing a quick search:



It feels super sloppy to me.
Old 02-25-12, 03:00 PM
  #125  
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re: Rob Liefeld (or Sal Buscema?!?!?!?!) - Worst comic book artist ever?

Yeah, I was never a fan of Sal's art (don't get me started on his trapezoid mouths). He always did the bare minimum and had no real style to his art, nor any detail to speak of. But at least you could follow it and knew what was going on.

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