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Rob Liefeld Unleashes on Marvel Fallout and the Mistreatment of Creators
Rob Liefeld is not one to sugarcoat things. The Deadpool and Cable co-creator has built a career on bold lines and bold opinions, and in a recent conversation about his return to Youngblood, Liefeld opened up about the long rough relationship he’s had with Marvel, the state of comic book creators today, and why he’s thrilled to be doing his own thing again.On the subject of how the industry treats its creators, Liefeld told ComicBook: “We are treated like sh! No one wants to say this but we are treated terribly even after all these years. We are the George R.R. Martins and Stephen Kings of our business. Try to make stuff without us and see what happens. “I have some other films in development right now and I can tell you that the other studios I work with now aren’t as ignorant and willfully dismissive as Marvel is. People ask how can I do this? I don’t need anything from them! I hoped things would end on a better note but I wake up every day, thrilled to make whatever I want.”That’s the same kind of energy that also fueled his reflections on Image Comics, which is a company he helped launch in the ’90s with a creator-first ethos that still stands today. Liefeld believes that Image delivered on its promise when others wouldn’t: “I loved the characters I created for Marvel and it’s sad to say goodbye to them, but I’m happy. It’s sad that more creators won’t stand up, but I was in a vacuum. “Myself and my fellow Image founders did a solid for this business as Image Comics has delivered one its initial promises. You come to Image Comics and you keep your entertainment rights, you enter with them and you exit with them. That was always our intent. We put our money where our mouth was on that one.”He went on to say: “I’m not going to necessarily call to arms for fans. The ultimate deal is, I want to spread the word that it ultimately costs them nothing to treat us better. I’m not talking about me, but I want better treatment for the next generations of comic creators. “Ultimately, it almost feels like creators are bothersome to these companies. They talk to you like ‘you’re lucky that we tolerate you.’ When I was 22 years old, I sold Cable, Deadpool, and Domino and I cut good deals, making that choice for those characters. Ultimately, just be cool!”He also didn’t shy away from critiquing the creative stagnation at Marvel and DC. “Let’s be honest, what I’m seeing month in and month out, it’s more of the same. More Spider-Man books, more Batman books, I mean more power to them, they’re massive, successful characters. “When I broke in, there was just an avalanche of new characters. You know I came in with Cable and Deadpool but you had Venom, Carnage, Darkhawk, Night Thrasher, Sleep Walker, and they were making new characters. Now it just feels like more of the same, sticking only with what works and no experimentation. This is why the creator-owned realm exists, with creators putting their foot forward.”Youngblood #1 is out today, and Liefeld is just getting started.
Rob Liefeld is not one to sugarcoat things. The Deadpool and Cable co-creator has built a career on bold lines and bold opinions, and in a recent conversation about his return to Youngblood, Liefeld opened up about the long rough relationship he’s had with Marvel, the state of comic book creators today, and why he’s thrilled to be doing his own thing again.
On the subject of how the industry treats its creators, Liefeld told ComicBook: “We are treated like sh! No one wants to say this but we are treated terribly even after all these years. We are the George R.R. Martins and Stephen Kings of our business. Try to make stuff without us and see what happens.
“I have some other films in development right now and I can tell you that the other studios I work with now aren’t as ignorant and willfully dismissive as Marvel is. People ask how can I do this? I don’t need anything from them! I hoped things would end on a better note but I wake up every day, thrilled to make whatever I want.”
That’s the same kind of energy that also fueled his reflections on Image Comics, which is a company he helped launch in the ’90s with a creator-first ethos that still stands today.
Liefeld believes that Image delivered on its promise when others wouldn’t: “I loved the characters I created for Marvel and it’s sad to say goodbye to them, but I’m happy. It’s sad that more creators won’t stand up, but I was in a vacuum.
“Myself and my fellow Image founders did a solid for this business as Image Comics has delivered one its initial promises. You come to Image Comics and you keep your entertainment rights, you enter with them and you exit with them. That was always our intent. We put our money where our mouth was on that one.”
He went on to say: “I’m not going to necessarily call to arms for fans. The ultimate deal is, I want to spread the word that it ultimately costs them nothing to treat us better. I’m not talking about me, but I want better treatment for the next generations of comic creators.
“Ultimately, it almost feels like creators are bothersome to these companies. They talk to you like ‘you’re lucky that we tolerate you.’ When I was 22 years old, I sold Cable, Deadpool, and Domino and I cut good deals, making that choice for those characters. Ultimately, just be cool!”
He also didn’t shy away from critiquing the creative stagnation at Marvel and DC. “Let’s be honest, what I’m seeing month in and month out, it’s more of the same. More Spider-Man books, more Batman books, I mean more power to them, they’re massive, successful characters.
“When I broke in, there was just an avalanche of new characters. You know I came in with Cable and Deadpool but you had Venom, Carnage, Darkhawk, Night Thrasher, Sleep Walker, and they were making new characters. Now it just feels like more of the same, sticking only with what works and no experimentation. This is why the creator-owned realm exists, with creators putting their foot forward.”
Youngblood #1 is out today, and Liefeld is just getting started.
