I was tooling around the net, checking out some various blogs from me fellow comic creators and i came across an all too familiar topic...Rob fucking Liefield!
It was the usually bashing. This one was kinda cool, people posted all the covers he's done that had some glaring mistakes, bad anatomy or composition and everyone's favorite, no feet! Rob Liefelds work was awful in so many ways, he seemed to break all the artistic taboos in each piece he would create.
We all know he was one of the most popular artist in the 90's and now one of the most infamous creators in recent memory. He is hands down the most hated...but why?
I will admit that I own lots of Liefeld books, and was a big fan. I will also admit that I now can look at his work and see lots of mistakes. I can also admit that I am still a fan of Rob's and would love to see him do more stuff. What the hell am I saying? Yeah, you heard right I like Rob Liefeld!
Now before you guys and gals start sending me hate mail just hear me out. I like Rob because of what he accomplished with sheer will and striking when the irons hot. He, for me, represents the every man, the over achiever who got too big for his little bit of talent. I see him as I would see anyone in this situation, he did the most with what he was given, and maybe even more.
Now the question is and always will be for me...why the hate? When I was younger I loved Scooby-Doo, the Beetle Bailey Comics in the Sunday paper, and Alvin and the chipmunks. Now that I'm older I can see that Scooby was terribly written and animated, Beetle Bailey is the most hack unfunny shit you can every hope not to read and Alvin...you get the picture.
I grew up and no longer like these things, but I don't go on an active crusade lambasting them or the people who do still find value in these things. Why does every comic fan/artist I know have such a strong opinion about Rob Liefield? I've seen death to Rob Liefeld sites, I've seen people banned form boards because of things said about him that were so hateful it made me wince. Post the subject "Rob Liefeld" on any comic message board and you'll see it will became the most popular thread that week!
Don't get me wrong, I understand that his work is not even close to being the best and I'm not defending his work, he can do that himself. But...I've seen many bad artist that people just don't give two thought about Why no threads about other very hacky artist or writers that have worked in comics? Is Rob the only one?
Is he the biggest Hack ever? I know he's stolen poses and scence and layout from other artists. I know his stuff was a rip off of other creators work. Is he the only one? Is this purly justified?
Here is my opinion on why people hate Rob Liefeld.
1. Jealousy! Yeah I said it. Most people can't stand the fact that a man with such a big ego and small knowledge of "real" draftsman or classic artistic skill made so much money and fame off his work.
2. Rumors. No matter if they are true or not, most people don't know Rob Liefield. I've had dozens of creators tell me shitty stories about him but it's all word of mouth. Most people don't have first hand knowledge. If Peter David, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane or Eric Larsen want to hate on him they have every right too, they all know and have worked with Rob Liefield...any beef they have with him is, in my mind, legit. I just get sick of other artist that think they know something about him because they read something on the net or from a guy who knows and guy who knows a guy who worked for a guy who was dating rob Liefeilds ex wife's old land lord.
3. He's rich as fuck, or once was. Nuff' siad
4. He still has fans. I saw him at wizard world Texas a year ago and he had a huge line at his table for sketches and autographs.
5. He's still one of the biggest names in comics.
6. Rob can't help them. for the most part the comic industry is an industry of parasites that only network with the people that can help them and as soon as they can't they go to the next person. I'm not saying I'm not nice to everyone at cons and do my share of ass kissing, but one thing you won't see me do is hide behind a pack of other people to voice my opinion. If I don't like someone and need to tell people I don't think about the concequeces or if they can help me later on. maybe I'm the idiot.
I would understand it more if he was still selling millions and other more talented guys were not. I get pissed too when books like Hellboy get out sold by some of the shit marvel and DC put out, so i can see why people chest up about that. But Liefield is not knocking anyones books off the shelves.
Is it because the shit that Liefeld and creators like him in the 90's almost killed our fine industry buy flooding the market with so many shitty titles? Well if that's the case than start boycotting Marvel for thier ten crossover titles every month, and lets not forget that Marvel is directly resonaceable for bringing the entire distrabution system crashing down. That helped to kill many comic shops and smaller creators around the country, a ripple that is still felt in comics now. Today many small creators can't get there books distributed because of the Marvel/Diamond monopoly.
Rob Liefeld was a huge influence on my early art endeavors because of him I had to re learn anatomy and composition, ( and one who has seen Warriors of Destiny can back me up on that). That was my fault for learning to draw by reading comics, especialy his! I'm not a fan of his skill with a pencil nor am I a fan of his characters or stories. I like Rob Liefeld because everyone hates him for taking advantage of a great opportunity that any artist reading this would kill for. What would you expect him to do, say" I'm not a good technical artist, so I quit." He was out selling X-men and Batman for god sakes! people were buying his books, you, me and everyone. Now that people see that they he sucked they think the only way to purge the thought of them paying money for his work is to hate and bash him endlessly. Enough already
Everyone hates Liefield, if you bash him on your Blog you have the right, and more than likely valid artistic reasons for doing so. But know this, you are doing something that has been done a thousand different ways better than you did, by people who know more about him than you. How hard is it to kick the shit out of a man that is already getting mob by a pack of angry people. I just think it's cowards to jump on the pile, there is lots of shitty stuff out there in comics, I wanna see some big chested artist start railing on someone that isn't such an easy target.
Comic artist are such kiss ass, brown noising pussies they would never bash someone that could still give them work. If you have it in your blood to be the executioner of peoples art and career in comics then start charting some new ground and go after someone who is actively working today, and make sure you do it the way you do it with Rob Liefield, just spit venom and wish cancer on them and all that cool stuff like you do with him. Then will you have my respect. There are a few comic creators that are straight shoots and will tell someone the honest truth if they need to.
This pack mentality in comics makes me sick. I've had personal beef with artist before. I posted on a message board my dislike for Rick Staci. I didn't do it because he was an easy target, or because everyone else was (they were not by the way) I did it based on my opinion on him after meeting and talking with him and taking one of his classes. My opinion was always on that. I said my piece and moved on.
People love roasting Liefeild because it's like making fun of the fat kid in class, it's easy.
I don't know Rob Liefeld, and there is a good chance he's an asshole, fuck him, I couldn't care less. I just ask for people to have some independent thought and stop jumping on the band wagon.
There are many artist I don't like, for there work or their personality. "But Jeff, why don't you tell us who." Well, cause I don't need to. Those people don't threaten me, if I don't like there work I don't buy there stuff. When people bash Liefied they are not warning people of his behavior or that his books are bad, it's just beating a dead horse. If I truly had a beef with someone's work and felt like I needed to make it public I wouldn't wait for there career to serial down or wait for forty of my friend to back me up on a message board.
Do if your reasons, not because you know you can. have some point to your criticism, not just looking to for a bunch of nods of approval from a bunch of zombies.
Fun is fun and all that, but it's getting played out and creators are staring to show there insecurities in their own work by pointing out the obvious mistakes in Liefeld's that are obvious and unconstuctive, just to make themselves feel supirior. "I can draw better than him" Well I guess that's why you are so bitter that with such little talent and skill he will always be bigger than you.
No doubt, he's infamous for all the wrong reasons but he's sold more books than anyone that will read this, and for that reason and that reason alone I have some respect for him. When i sell i million books, I'll be back to call him a fucking hack.
