Marvel Comics and Rob Liefeld have had a long and storied history, with the latter creating some heroic heavy hitters for the company. Deadpool, Cable, Domino, and more were spawned from the brain of the Image Comics co-creator but the former good relationship between the parties involved has fallen to the wayside. Recently, we had the chance to talk with Liefeld about his return to Youngblood wherein the comic artist was more than willing to discuss the current state of the industry and how he felt that Marvel has let himself, the creators, and the fans down in recent years.
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To start the conversation on the current state of comic creators, Liefeld didn’t mince words, “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.”
[RELATED: Rob Liefeld Talks New Youngblood Comic, Shares Exclusive First Look]
Rob Vs. Marvel
Rob then took the opportunity to discuss the paths that Image Comics has took to make sure creators earn what they’re owned, “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.”
When discussing the path forward for comic creators to receive better treatment, Rob was just hoping to spread the word, “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!”
Rob then took the opportunity to discuss the current stories of 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.”
While Rob might never return to Marvel Comics, he’s working plenty with superheroes. His return to Youngblood has just hit his website and Liefeld himself is buckling up for the long haul, “I’m doing Youngblood all the time. We’ll have about eight issues to get everyone hooked then we’ll dive into legacy numbering at issue #100. I have another secret Youngblood project in the works that’s ‘Giant Size Youngblood’ which is my love letter to Giant Size X-Men. I am a big kid in a candy store who is reunited with his favorite creations, I’m so happy to be back.”
Youngblood #1 is available today, Wednesday, April 16th and you can reserve your copy by clicking here. If you want to stay in the loop on the Extreme Universe’s premiere super team, follow us here at ComicBook.com and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics.
