Why You're Wrong About Rob Liefeld

Why You're Wrong About Rob Liefeld (The Kurt Cobain of Comics)
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Spend any time at all on the internet as a comic book fan and you are bound to encounter somebody bashing Rob Liefeld. In this video essay, Josh from Panels to Pixels breaks down some of the myths around Liefeld's storied career in comics, why he was such an influential artist in the 90s, and why we should stop making jokes about feet, pouches, and that infamous Captain America drawing.
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Special Thanks:
Matt Draper (script support): / @mattdraper
GodzillaMendoza (as Rob Liefeld): / godzillamendoza

[@robliefeld8618]

Thank you for this. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope to meet you someday.

[@et0264]

Cool

[@cookad1977]

This was so cool. I have a small Rob Liefeld collection and the more I re-read them the better they get!

[@krupalkulkarni705]

You are a fucking imposter! The dumbfuck didn't even check your channel before pinning the comment!!!

[@cable30]

If i knew it was ok to tag people anytime i would have sent him a link, but i do not tag for that reason. i can only guess others have told him already be chance. can only guess they do not like being tagged cause people may send them stuff for no good reason so prefer not to be at anytime. so can only guess he knows of this videos by chance any.

[@TheMarrowMan]

Huge inspiration on my own art, you're legend Rob.

[@shanethefox]

6:02 The fact that he completely owns the meme of his obsession with pouches and actually willingly autographs pouches fans bring to him is so admirable.

[@ArtofZenDigital]

I met him at comic con briefly, and as a huge comic book fan as a kid, my hope was to meet Jim Lee, but the line to meet him was incredibly long. Rob Liefeld was doing commissions, and there really wasn’t any line in front of him. Comics led to me doing illustration work, as well graphic design. Despite how I felt about his art, I still grew up on his comics, and that era inspired me to pursue art. Liefeld was incredibly kind, and while talking to him, he saw someone dressed as Mr T. He said take this, and handed me his camera so he could take a picture with the person wearing the costume. He told him that Mr T was just childhood hero, and it made his day. That’s when it hit me, Rob Liefeld’s a big kid that actually accomplished, and then lived his dreams. He wears his emotions on his sleeves in the most honest way that anyone could. There’s something to that, and as we get older, we become more jaded and we lose that part of ourselves. Regardless of how he draws, or how many rules he breaks visually, there’s a contagious aspect to his personality, largely due to his enthusiasm for everything he does, and the industry he’s in.

[@andrew-rn9ui]

He blatantly stole others ideas and lied about it tho .. Wade Wilson and Slade Wilson lmfao Dude still denies he stole the idea

[@jazzlehazzle]

@@andrew-rn9ui Child, riffing like that is an essential part of comics all the way back to the first ink ever published. Deadpool is a spoof of Deathstroke, a parody (and one that actually works better). That's not theft, that's genius. Pay better attention and learn the game.

[@jazzlehazzle]

Amen, but as a fellow artist myself, I love the way he breaks some visual rules, because it JUST LOOKS AWESOME AND IT'S CARTOONING. I love the way he draws; I love his style, and it's the entire reason we all loved his comics. It's a cartooning style and it works great.

[@xvp08]

@@andrew-rn9ui I was gonna comment was @andrew-rn9ui said but he already said it.

[@TheBrockwellBroadcastNetwork]

Fully agree. he was one of the very nicest of any creators I've met in my life, with only George Perez being of the same kind of kindness.

[@royce.carroll]

I love the line that he was a kid who knew what other kids wanted to see. He was probably the single biggest contributor to the early 90s comics craze for this reason.

[@tonyeltigre4745]

Anyone else saw the thumbnail and thought: "Did Rob Liefield die?"

[@muntu1221]

Yes! 😭

[@Calypso694]

Legit the only reason I clicked

[@jalderink]

If only..

[@april_flint]

Jeremiah dude why would you wish death on someone who’s done nothing wrong.. he had two kids

[@gobbagu]

@@Calypso694 me too hail death

[@paranoidplane9799]

I would say Leifield represents the hair metal of comic books. Not that there's anything wrong with hair metal, just that his style is more in line with the bombastic feel of the aforementioned genre.

[@johnfinck288]

You nailed it. I was in my twenties during the eighties - it was my decade. I played guitar in small time bar bands, had the metal hair, the works. As both a comic book guy, and an eighties metal head, I can tell you 100 % that Liefeld's art was based on vibe of metal - Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses. Liefled was the Axel Rose of comics, not Kurt Cobain. He had the clunky, untutored side of punk rock, but his images were totally metal.

[@tonyeltigre4745]

When a random KZbin comment creates a better concept than the actual premise of a KZbin essay.

[@kyriss12]

@Sirenz80 I don't know man. Seeing the current crop of shit comics have been putting out lately makes me long for the 90's. Sure it was over the top, and paid no mind to human anatomy, but it was colorful, bad ass, and the inkers managed to cram alot of detail into every single panel. Have you seen squirrel girl, thats the kind of quality you would expect in a rough sketch of a cartoon from the Sunday fumy pages.

[@challiray]

Wrong. Why are so many people so wrong about Leifeld proximity to hair metal? His art and pure 90s teen energy was part of what killed hair metal... Rob was 90s. Hair metal was 80s. Rob was part of what made the 90s NOT the 80s.

[@paranoidplane9799]

@@challiray Dude look at Youngblood and tell me that shit doesn't look like a Motley Crew video.

[@OwenLikesComics]

This isn't something I'd say lightly, but this is one of the best comic book-focused videos I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Great work Josh, extremely proud of you!

[@PanelstoPixels]

Agh, Owen! You're going to make me cry. Thanks so much!

[@theswampus670]

i'm not a huge fan of Liefeld, but i completely agree that "realism" does not equal good, all 2D art is an optical illusion and it should be used in what ever way best suits the work.

[@epitaphboi4816]

TheSwampus Exactly, just look a Grappler Baki’s art style

[@starmorpheus]

@@epitaphboi4816 Grappler Baki has exaggerated proportions. Rob straight up ignores basic Conventions like forshortening, perspective etc. Not saying you're wrong, but GB's Mangaka knows anatomy.

[@oscarjimenezgarrido7591]

@@starmorpheus Indeed. Itagaki's work bears no semblance at all with Liefeld's. If anything, it's actually way closer, both in style and feel, to Bart Sears' artwork.

[@Bustermachine]

@@starmorpheus In short, you have to master the rules in order to break the rules.

[@mightybaloo1880]

Realism doesn't equal good. But there are plenty "cartoony" artists that are far better than he was and is. Joe Madureira Darwyn Cooke Chris Bachalo Mike Allred Mike Mignola Tim Sale Art Adams Mike Wieringo Moebius Robert Valley Paul Pope Rafael Grampa James Harren Thomas Perkins Those are just off the top of my head. Rob is a bad artist.

[@cray-seacoral]

I'm not a fan of his art work but the fact that he became a comic book artist at 16 has made him one of my role models.

[@Bustermachine]

This is generally how I've felt about Jack Kirby and Eiichiro Oda. Their art work holds almost no aesthetic appeal to me. But I recognize the technical competence and admire the incredibly prolific imaginations. As for Liefeld, I don't really think this dismisses any of the criticism about his work. I think it just puts the man in his proper context with the changing times of the comic book industry.

[@archmage7813]

You should pick a better role. Accomplishing something with no work and no struggle is not something to aspire to. Someone making it without trying is one and a trillion. Pick a roll model who you can emulate. He is the opposite of a roll model.

[@aryan7767]

he worked his ass off lmao. theres this other video on rob liefield that heavil goes into his backstory@@archmage7813

[@punk51984]

I'm a Liefeld "hater" but this was a wonderful video and even though it didn't make me love him it has softened me on some of his art.

[@PanelstoPixels]

Thanks, that's awesome. Everybody has likes and dislikes so it's all good.

[@LLoydL]

His early work were better than what he's doing now..in my opinion

[@punk51984]

@@LLoydL That's more than fair.

[@Spthomas47]

I have most of his work at Marvel, but never got into his Image stuff. Not entirely sure why; the only other Image founder that never really carried over for me was Valentino. I've always enjoyed interviews with Rob and never really had problems with his art(never made the Kirby connection, but should have probably).

[@fastproductionsTM]

@Andrew Ryan 💯 this

[@TalecraftTavern]

Honestly, speaking as someone too young to have experienced Liefeld at his height, all that I've ever heard about him are the criticisms. It was refreshing to hear an opinion that wasn't just "lol stupid this isn't how anatomy works" and instead looks critically at the timing and culture of his work to explain why it has the impact it did. You've given me a newfound respect for the guy and I really appreciate that

[@ZillMob]

JARMC I was 16 when image started. The whole time was a blast

[@ahabgaddis7277]

I don't know much about him or comic books, but I don't get the hate. His artwork looks good to me. Most comics I see today look really bad. I wonder what people have in mind as "good". I did at one time read Spawn and loved Greg Capullo's work in the 90's. I really loved that gritty and tattered style with carefully detail. I wish more drew like him

[@ZillMob]

Wyatt Bosch I always felt like Greg Capaullo just took over for Todd and just stole much of his style from MacFarlane. It wasn’t bad but I liked Todd’s stuff better

[@KingCarlAmari]

JARMC As a kid at the time his stuff was the shit! No idea why the hate for his work.

[@vperkv6554]

Rob was a god in the early to mid 90s, i collected YOUNGBLOOS AND prophet ( image comics), but Stephen platt drew the cover variants better imo, i have a varified autograph steven patt moonlight in mint condition.

[@tonythornhill9156]

Liefeld is more like the Vanilla Ice of Comics. Early success led to their rise, then over exposure and limited talent led to fans and the industry turning on them. But now both of them have gotten through that period of being ridiculed, turned into a punchline and ostracized from the industry. Also, both are now comfortable with their own legacy and the contribution they've made to their respective forms of entertainment. You can love them or hate them, but you can't deny they both made an indelible mark in their field. Oh,.. and coincidentally Vanilla Ice's name is Rob too...."word to your mother".

[@timgonzales2891]

He even looks vaguely like vanilla ice to me

[@tonythornhill9156]

​@@timgonzales2891 .. And the similarities don't stop there. In '90 Vanilla Ice released his album which was called what? ..To The Extreme. In 1992 Liefeld quit Marvel to help form Image Comics and created his house studio which was called what?.. Extreme Studios. But the question is can Liefeld rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle?

[@tonythornhill9156]

And there’s more. Liefeld created the character Badrock. Vanilla Ice created bad rap. See,.. it just goes on and on.

[@tonythornhill9156]

Yep, Liefeld comic..New Mutants (teenage mutant superheroes) Vanilla Ice song... Ninja Rap (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Those two guys ought to get together and stop, collaborate, and listen and they'll see how much they have in common.

[@Daniel__Nobre]

This is the best comparison, yes! :)

[@joekeatinge]

This was awesome. The perfect summation of why I love Rob's work. I can confirm his enthusiasm when he broke into the industry has only heightened since. When I worked on his book, Glory, he pushed artist Sophie Campbell and I to always try new things, to add our own stamp to it, with the end goal of doing something which hadn't been done before. I love the guy and am extremely happy to see his work given the spotlight it deserves.

[@Jake_E57]

It must have taken a lot of work to make such a far leap. Liefeld is far from Cobain, he's more Kiss. He's not the punk rock response to hair metal, he's the hair metal response to punk rock. He's the Michael Bay of comics. It's flash and sizzle and that in itself has a niche and has fans of it and that's why he's still around after so long. He came along at the right time to carve himself out a spot. Personally I'm not into his style, he's a little too fast and lose stylistically. I'm willing to suspend disbelief, that's part of the fun, but I have my limits.

[@schmuckytheraiderbear5043]

💯

[@beatsbeercigarettes]

This, exactly.

[@rbiznezz2]

💯💯💯💯

[@davidlindsay9564]

Don't insult Kiss like that. He is like the BUSH (band).

[@joegott188]

Nailed it bro

[@olserknam]

It's weird to see how Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld went in completely different directions despite starting in the same generation of comic book creators. Lee's art is beautiful, masterfully performed and amazingly static and lifeless. Liefeld's is rough, over-the-top, very hard to take seriously, but chock-full of energy.

[@BasementMinions]

I had only ever heard of him whenever Deadpool was brought up and people were quick to whip out their phone and pull up the Captain America and the feet images. Seeing his work so dynamically placed on the page helps me to appreciate how much enthusiasm he has for storytelling. It's quite infectious.

[@raaid22]

love him or hate him, you can't deny he was immensely influential

[@Jrez]

For better or for worse

[@Jrez]

@Shin Shaman "People like you" Please try not to see the world as opponents and enemies, as groups of stereotypes and the façade of binary choice we all seem to be living in now. I can assure you I've never cried over Rob Liefeld's success or impact on comics, it's just a joke. I'd appreciate it if you could be a bit more charitable in your assumptions of people you disagree with. While I can appreciate schadenfreude and laughing at others' anger as much as anyone, I'd warn that overeagerness to "other" people all the time can be harmful. Sorry to go all Baudrillard for a bit, but it's late and I tend to ramble when I'm tired.

[@marktrafford1572]

As an 8 year old kid I wasn’t an art critic. I saw what I liked and I love it. Rob, Todd and Jim made my childhood awesome! And for that I will be forever grateful!!!

[@shayewreford274]

Though it isn't published as a part of the story, I have the famous Captain America picture published on cable #34 from 1996 on the fourth page from the back. It's next to an interview with liefeld about his work on the cap series.

[@marvelmite1]

It was also used in Wizard and advertising material. It was definitely out there

[@lordrul]

Thank you for creating this video, I grew up with Rob's art back in the 90s, always admiring his great art. I really love the way he drew X-Force.

[@HeyFella]

This was nice, it’s interesting to hear a take that isn’t just the same old regurgitated arguments. I’ve gotten tired of negative art criticism, I’d rather just hear what people like about things.

[@cbake76]

I wish you spoke for the internet as a whole, Fidelio. Love that attitude!

[@grantbaugh2773]

Right? Everyone loves to dump on Liefeld but I've always thought he must have done something right to become one of the highest selling artists.

[@toddirvine7086]

Seriously! It's so prevalent in the comics community, too. Don't like (insert artist/writer here), then don't buy their books. Couldn't agree more, Fidelio.

[@AbVoxNihil]

The main issue here is that the average is dumb, Kim Kardashian and Rob Liefeld are in a very similar category, people whose only redeeming quality is their luck at connecting with the zeitgeist of their times, no skill, no talent, objectively speaking. but Alas they clicked with whom they had to and thus became millionaires, even JK Rowling falls into this if you really wanna push it, although that would be a fallacy :)

[@nikomiller]

Except that these are all the same arguments Liefeld-apologists have been using for years online in smaller communities. I don't think Liefeld's art is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, and him being a fan and engaging with his fans is great. But the dude is a terrible (!) writer, is an asshole to people, shits on all companies and celebrities constantly, is aggressive, and has made dumb business decisions. Compare his attitude and his current carreer to his friends Jim Lee (CCO of DC comics!) or even Todd McFarlane (still the president of Image, won a Grammy for a music video, has a successful toy and collectibles company) despite his legal battles and the constant problems with production of the new Spawn movie. Even the less successful guys like Larsen who just turned Savage Dragon into basically-porn. All the other Image founders have been at some point or still are much better artists and writers, and none of them have the infamous aura of being a shithead and a punchline surrounding them.

[@biggybg98]

Rob Liefeld refuses to give co-creating credit of Cable to Louise Simonson. Mention it and he’ll block you. He does the same with fabian nicieza co-creator of deadpool. Besides being an overrated artist hes not a good person as well as being an ego maniac. The comparison to Kurt Cobain(a true genius) is laughable.

[@samk4339]

@@BizarreCocktail what a rambling pile of shit comment you just made and it's like you're trying to promote yourself and give yourself compliments in the process. But you just sound like a total douchebag!

[@andrewgrant6516]

Also he copied Cable from the Droid Hunter that Walt Simonson drew in Star Wars.

[@bricksbullets5261]

Cobain was a hack

[@shanelorrison5224]

Sam K - But he isn’t wrong.

[@dickbison]

Cobain is overrated, made one or two ok songs and a shitload of crappy boring ones. He was kind of a Justin Bieber of the 90's - only teen girls would openly admit to listening to Nirvana and wearing the tshirts, cause he was pretty.

[@pricedownproductions9851]

13:09 "These pages are about old school and conventional as comics get" That page is actually pretty well-stocked with typical modern Liefeld tropes, e.g. sleeveless jacket with the collar popped, huge guns, cross-hatching for background, extraneous cranial reflection, gigantic groin area, hand that doesn't line up to the gun handle, etc.

[@Mistopherchristopher]

The ton of work you put into this video is evident, dude i'd never seen anything from this channel and all of the sudden this pops up in my recommended. I didn't know much about Liefeld, only that he was dead pools creator, but now i feel a new respect and desire to check out some of his work. i'm in love with the 90's image comics style having read and loved 'The Maxx' and this guys work looks right up an avenue i want to explore. you've earned yourself a subscriber here man, great video !

[@soulcraft_84]

I'm a fan of Rob. Every successful illustrator has a instantly recognizable style, and Liefeld definitely has one. You can look at anything he has done and instantly tell it was his. There are a lot of comic artists, while technically great, that don't stand out in that way.

[@RetroGameQuest]

Completely agree. Rob was a legend in the 90s. Everyone was praising him. Love or hate his art, the guy is extremely passionate about the industry. Nothing but respect from me. Also I really appreciate this video. Some really nice editing and a great overview of Rob's career.

[@Fluxwithit]

As a kid I grew up loving his style. It was so over the top. As an adult I look back and think man that was so over the top. Love it ... flaws and all. His style even when he does bad work it’s still more fun than man other artists. #whoneedsfeet #thighpouchesforthewin

[@juanc1328]

Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit , I still rather read (if there was a story) his old books then pick up anything current from marvel.

[@muticere]

I remember getting really annoyed with people sharing the Stan Lee / Rob Liefeld video, everyone had just the worst takes. They kept projecting onto the video stuff that wasn't even there, that Liefeld was disrespecting Stan Lee, that there was animosity, etc. But what I always saw was this industry legend hanging out with this starstruck kid and them having some light banter and having fun. Lee gave Liefeld a hard time over his exaggerated style, but overall it seems like they had a fairly chill vibe.

[@kalkrypto]

This was one of the best mini-docs I've ever seen about comics. Kudos to you, sir! I stood in the freezing cold outside Midtown Comics back in 1993 to see Rob, and he was gracious enough to stay until every last person got every last book signed. I'll never apologize for enjoying his work. Rob Liefeld for Life!

[@gyga100]

"this pages are about old school and conventional as comics gets" looks at 13:09 proceed to show a muscular Hawk with a jacket and a bunch of guns

[@brmbkl]

good point. well spotted.

[@wallrider73]

Fantastic video. I remember picking up his New Mutants work (including #98 - one of my most prized comics) and while you could pick holes in his anatomy all day, there was a dynamism and energy to his work that just made it infectious. When he says he always saw his role as a creative storyteller rather than a great artist it made everything clear. No-one made Deadpool look as cool as he did. And Cable! The Cable pitch was he's a cross between Arnie in Predator and Arnie in Terminator. For the early 90s it' didn't get better than that. I wasn't a fan of the early Youngblood but it picked up around #6 (was that the one where Shaft had body image issues?) You really contextualised what happened with Image when you position it as a young, self-taught guy in a position no-one has been in before. His ambition and vision outstripped what he could deliver (see also Jodorowsky's Dune). At somepoint it became cool to bash Liefeld for the exact same things people loved about Kirby. Go figure! Thanks for this video.

[@mikecargioli3030]

This video has sent me on an insane binge of 90s Image stuffs. I just started watching The Maxx animated series and it’s giving me a crazy “How has I never heard of this!” Experience. Thank you so much for opening this world for me.

[@Elementa2006]

You make a compelling argument with many good points. HOWEVER, I'll still take works of artists like Curt Swan, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez (Praise His Name), George Perez, Neal Adams, E.C. Segar, Osamu Tezuka and the master himself Will Eisner over any of Liefeld's art, because their art has amazing use of sequential storytelling (I'll fight any argument claiming Eisner's use of sequential storytelling in his artwork sucks) along with looking better than any of Liefeld's art. Also for a lot of people like myself, criticism of his art doesn't really have much to do with realism. I'm a fan of 90s comics like Savage Dragon, Spawn as well other works like One Piece that feature less realistic art style, I just don't find Liefeld's art appealing

[@nicky923nk]

I agree. I kept getting confused when he kept bringing up realism as a reason people dislike Liefeld's art because that isn't the main argument I've heard from a large amount of people.

[@ComicDan]

That's not really a criticism. Not funding something appealing isn't really criticizing anything.

[@Elementa2006]

@@ComicDanOkay, a lot of facial expressions he draws can really look bland a lot of the times, the postures feel very awkward and not as dynamic as the scene wants to display and whenever he tries to draw a fight scene, there are times when those scenes just doesn't feel exciting to me, in fact they come across as pretty boring.

[@WyattoonsComics]

While I may not be a fan of most of his work or the way he handles himself sometimes on social media, I truly admire and respect his ambitious passionate attitude. Dude knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and just went out and did it.

[@paulmay1729]

IMO as a comic fan in the early 90s, it was a time that sizzled with excitement and each book was trying something new--good, bad, or unnoticeable. You bring up many of the ingrained pop culture reasons that drove the art style of that time. Great video. Thanks!

[@FCSchaefer]

As someone who read comics all through the '90s and beyond, I really enjoyed this video. Not always a Liefeld fan, but you made your points well.

[@MattDraper]

Fantastic video, Josh! I just loved your focus and whole style here. This was really great. And you're too kind!

[@Vasco1001]

Dude, your videos are amazing, I absolutely love them

[@NWGhost71]

I really liked your perspective here. Early Liefeld really caught my attention back in the day. It was a new, exciting and different. One of my favorite books was the New Mutants and I felt he took it to the next level. The style did eventually start to wear on me though and seeing some of the obvious flaws of some of his work pushed me away. This video has pointed out alot to me from a different angle and I think I may have to reassess my attitude towards his work. Nice job my friend.

[@AriaRedux]

Thank you! This was a very well written, narrated and overall superbly crafted production. Keep up the amazing work! Rob and the Image comics crew had a really positive impact on me growing up, and it's great to see positive insight like this being shared. ♥

[@IndieHypeMan]

Rob Liefeld saying he's going to improve every day but then spending 40 years not improving anything is the most Rob Liefeld thing ever.

[@Eleven17Studios]

As someone who grew up reading whatever New Mutant I could find at comic swap meets, I'm glad to hear that I actually had good taste. Really love how this one's put together, and that Jack Kirby comparison is wonderful

[@PanelstoPixels]

Thanks! I've been buying up a lot of that New Mutants stuff whenever I see it. McFarlane inks on Liefeld pencils = some of the best covers ever.

[@shanelorrison5224]

Didn’t even mention John Buscema by name when he appeared onscreen.

[@greg_static_art]

Lol I was kinda waiting for his mention too

[@shanelorrison5224]

Greg L - I’m not a fan of Liefeld. I don’t like his arrogance and I find especially distasteful his unwillingness to give Louise Simonson any credit for co-creating Cable or Fabian Nicieza any credit for co-creating Deadpool.

[@terencemcclenney8854]

I know. You're not gonna drop Big John's name? Disrespectful. Shows what this guy knows or rather, doesn't know about good comic art.

[@colinleat8309]

Just discovered your channel and subscribed. As a life long lover of comic's and an illustrator, it's great to find your channel. I'm not a BIG fan of Liefeld, but I still read his stuff and always admired him. I've come to appreciate his talent more as I've gotten older ( still a kid at heart) . I look forward to binging your videos. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to dive into some of my comics 🤘😁🖖🇨🇦

[@WrestlingWithGaming]

Man, this was fantastic. Great script, delivery, and buttery smooth editing. I've always liked Liefeld's art, it's fun. And anyone who watches the Image Revolution documentary will find him hard not to like.

[@lefthandedsophiethepop-wit503]

Though I enjoy this video and respect the reassessment, Todd Mcfarlane is a far superior artist in all accounts particularly in being pleasant to look at. As much as I like liefield as an underdog cult figure, his work is just ugly even by those 90s image standards. Mcfarlane, Jim lee, and Marc silvestri could do everything liefield did while achieving something akin to beauty. Liefield's work is clunky, one note, and soulless, he's cashing in on his extreme personality more than his comics which have looked the exact same since x-force.

[@fism8830]

Liefield's work is also dumb

[@TEAMSTARBLOCKBlueslime]

@Gzus Kreist you're not.

[@lugaruclone]

I have more than a few issues with this video and one is that it has to pretend none of the other image founders existed for Liefield to be good. They where all dramatic, inventive and dynamic just one of them was also really bad. Almost every argument is a huge stretch, the only one I tend to sympathize with is the Kirby comparison only Kirby was not only a lot better, he also drew backgrounds instead of leaving all his panels blank.

[@IzzetArtificer]

@@lugaruclone Thank you for putting into words what I was trying to figure out was bothering me. One of the arguments is pretty much exactly "I could compare Liefield to the other artist, but I won't." Directly followed by "he's really good at making dynamic images, unless all these other artists, who make good art, but suck at dynamism." There are so many arguments in here that either flatout ignore other artists or put them down in a way that feels borderline ad hominem (to either the other artists or Liefield's critics). Most people who hate Liefield hate him on two particular points: His shitty anatomy and his shitty personality, as stated in this video. And no amount of arguing "but he's a good storyteller." will make those points moot. There are plenty of artists who are very capable of exaggerating and stylising without flatout ignoring fundamentals. Someone who I like to bring up as a counterpoint to Liefield is Michael Turner. He has a similarly exaggerated, dynamic style to Liefield, but he does it in a way that is consistent both within his work (it 'makes sense' in his world) and with expectations. Liefield does neither of that. And no, "he challenges himself on each page" is really, really no explanation for jumping all over the place with his anatomy. Don't get me wrong. It's okay to like what Liefield does. Heck, I adore Deadpool and therefore absolutely cannot hate Liefield completely. But trying to talk up his art and go "oh, no, it's actually really good, all of you just DON'T UNDERSTAND!" is really not the way to go.

[@abloshow91]

@@IzzetArtificer but like i dont find him wrong in an opinion stand point. Like argument aside liefelds work may be ugly but it does fucken rock and yeah fundamentals and all that shit is important but as someone who makes this stuff and is annoyed at the overall overemphasis on art over HOW FUCKEN SICK THAG LOOKS i kinda get depressed when i make something pretty but then put if on sequence and realise the sequence has no umph nothing to scream "oh fuck!" About. The video aside maybe try not just dismissing liefeld and take a look at why wpuld he draw in such a way ( maybr laziness).

[@GDM245]

This is really well done. Keep up the good work and maybe even make another one please.

[@PanelstoPixels]

Thanks a bunch!

[@davidgeldner2167]

The main difference batsmen Cobain and Liefeld is Cobain was talented.

[@raiseanothermanskidsforlov4920]

If you call mumbling into a microphone and playing guitar horribly talented

[@AdrianT-jw2sz]

I'd say the difference is Cobain is dead.

[@mrquake7789]

More like Fred Durst.

[@joshdillon9637]

I loved Liefeld's art growing up and as a kid who did his best to try to draw super heroes and the like, I could care less if an artist could draw everything correctly as no matter how much I studied or tried, my feet, hands and overall body structure came out looking weird. The man did what almost none of us ever get the chance to do and he did it with no formal training. I don't care what anyone says, Rob is a legend.

[@Replica_Rabbit]

I respect Liefeld, but I dislike his art style. His art style made me not want to get into New Mutants or X-Force, I think I was spoil by Batman TAS and Superman TAS. It not because his art doesn't look Realism (I'm a fan of One Piece), I don't like the fighting and it very hard to follow.

[@B.-T.]

The "you only hate it because you crave photorealism" rebuttal at critics is so weird because like.... I always favored simple and stylish art styles like that of the Timmverse and the late great Mike Parobeck.

[@ericdravennevermore2566]

it was lazy, rushed & exaggerated.

[@juanc1328]

New mutants and X-force were ok, it’s when he broke off to image, that art work was just one dimensional one trick pony and all his books were carbon copies of New Mutants and X-force.

[@thestranger9608]

I love the 90s look big guns,boobs and masculinity. Rob will always have a place in comic fandom

[@user-in1gv1uh2v]

I always hated how people criticize Rob's style, but praise Jack Kirby and Mike Mignola.

[@user-in1gv1uh2v]

@Tom Nye Creating new characters I'll admit Rob isn't good at. When it comes to drawing I feel it hypocritical that Jack Kirby gets praised. I find some of his art to be kinda bad to look at.

[@TheUncannykodiak]

You not only captured the music I felt the comics I read but you accurately describe the 90s experience for me growing up! Hell yeah!!!

[@henrymartinez4871]

Thanks for this post! I've been saying this for years. The man's love of the medium is contagious, I don't know of anyone that publicly loves comics more!

[@needhamcomics6370]

I do believe he went to art school and anatomy class taught by a former teacher of mine. The college art teacher told me this and at a convention Rob confirmed it.

[@schmuckytheraiderbear5043]

Does that mean Leifeld is lying in the video clip?

[@tigerfestivals5137]

@@schmuckytheraiderbear5043 it's far more likely that the random person on the internet is lying or mistaken

[@schmuckytheraiderbear5043]

@@tigerfestivals5137 exactly. I was trying to see what their response would be.

[@joepulford83]

Rob Liefeld Draws the perfect characters for 13-year-old boys, and that used to be the main demographic for the field. His art is Dynamic and fun.

[@3dartistguy]

His art is garbage

[@MichaelDrought]

Good job. I have been enjoying his Instagram too. The length was just right on this video 👍

[@ImCurrentlyNaked]

I think you nailed it when you were talking about nerds laughing at themselves in fear of this all having been a joke on them - it's a clash of niche culture and mainstream culture. I get the feeling Rob's a 'nerd's artist', and as comics became more "mainstream" (which almost seems like a joke now, given their sales), the mainstream looked at what had come before and started judging it. Meanwhile there are many great indie comics that are chicken scratch that they likely wouldn't criticise.

[@jesusstaccato8448]

I think that the backlash against Rob's art comes down to one thing: we've seen it, and we don't like it. It doesn't matter that he was young and punk and independent and avant garde and yadda-yadda: all that matter is that his art looks bad to most people. If you like it that's fine, but you don't need an elaborate theory to explain why we don't like it: we don't like it because it looks bad.

[@jesusstaccato8448]

@White Portuguese Yeah, no shit. You think I'm buying Rob Liefeld comics?

[@theraVen27]

White Portuguese Hot damn you’re a sensitive little bitch! Wow, it’s amazing to see that someone can be such a yeasty douche.

[@WeyounSix]

@White Portuguese It's called the recommended video section lmfao. And its a persuasive piece, is calls for criticism by nature.

[@Ravathiel]

I just remember him not finishing a lot of books and my father started to get sick of him back in the day when he read his books.

[@IAmAnEvilTaco]

His entire gimmick was throwing Shit at the wall and seeing what stuck. I never read his non x-books because of it, you knew it was getting canceled eventually.

[@Meganstaek]

Great video! This video has made me really re-examine my opinion of Liefeld, especially all the historical context. I can't help but respect his passion.

[@minichou]

This was a pretty cool mini-documentary. I really didn't know anything about Mr. Liefeld other than his funny looking drawings but I gotta say, without him, so many comics today wouldn't exist. It's pretty amazing that because of one person, they created so many breakthrough things that other things can be born from that one thing. Cool. As an artist myself, I get picky as hell about anatomy but Liefeld got some balls to be drawing what he drew. It's just so cool that he did his own thing. That's really inspirational.

[@victorcabanelas]

First things first: Art is subjective. To each his/her own. Second: I've been a professional comicbook artist for over 15 years and a fan of Nirvana for even longer, so I feel obligated to make a comment. In any case, frankly, I think you're missing the point. The problem with Liefeld's work's that the storytelling's terrible. Transitions between panels are really hard to read. He barely bothers with backgrounds. Did he ever heard of the 180 rule (which CAN be broken, but you should learn the basics first)? The anatomy, style, splash pages, etc. All of that comes later. Storytelling comes first. I think it's great that he can make atractive drawings but if the story suffers... what's the point? Again, to each his/her own. Cheers. PS: I won't comment on his writting since I haven't really read that much by him and it wouldn't be fair. And, by no means I'm a good artist, so all c&c's more than welcome.

[@georgwisniewski4118]

That's very much the point. The bad art leads to the bad storytelling. If your characters have little emotion other than "addrenaline pumped", you don't have a good story. If you can only portray characters fighting the fighting is meaningless, because you don't set stakes, and I can't empathize or connect to anything other than testosterone-driven delusions of carving a place in the world by beating people to the ground. And that doesn't go far. People usually try to connect to other people, to form bounds, make memories, struggle and grow personally. That doesn't happen through throwing punches around or simply feeling the recoil of a big gun. That happens through the recognition of subjectivety, that requires much more sensibility than breaking stuff.

[@victorcabanelas]

@Pepe Lopez Indie stuff. The, let's say, 'biggest' thing I worked on was The Adventures Of Lightning Squirrel", but it was also independent.

[@TarriPup]

I find it inspiring, as a comic artist myself, trying to make it in the world. :3 In addition, I see so often where other artists are fussing over whether their art is "good enough" to make comics - I'm all for improving, but if you want to make comics, just go for it. You need to chase your own style, your own signature - not the styles of other artists. You don't want to drown in an ocean - you want to be the unusual island that sticks out of it, always catching your eye. :3

[@joedent3323]

Thanks for this. Its very nicely done - and you argue some decent points. I especially like that little guitar riff you have in certain sections; it sounds like The Longpigs, and Bush. Nice work :) Cheers mate, "LiL'JpD."

[@JesseTurner]

Really loved this one. Thanks so much for the hard work. Fascinating that the cap drawing was never even published. That must drive a person so crazy to have that be the big "Hurr Hurr" target for so many fools. Really great production values as well, you really put his work into a great perspective.

[@Roadman1000]

As an aspiring self taught comic book artist to be I can relate to Liefeld

[@TheShadowchiefstudio]

Interesting video. Honestly, I've never had a issue with Liefeld arts, it's certainly not my cup of tea, but that's purely me. It's his dickishness that puts me off, and not for unprecedented reasons, a lot of his recent actions feel unfortunately familiar to another comic artist who went down a dark path.

[@RbkARI]

Wait, what artist?

[@greg_static_art]

Which artist?

[@RbkARI]

@TheBrokenUpEndEx how did I not think of him

[@rogbard]

Frank Miller or Ethan van Sciver?

[@epitaphboi4816]

Butch Hartman? Lol

[@gc41]

I dont know if I think RL is any better but that was a great video. Its nice to see a reasoned argument about something your obviously very passionate about. Keep it up man!

[@thochdalam]

Really enjoyed the video. The Kirby comparisons are right on. Keep up the good work!

[@mrheem]

Rob Liefeld is pure passion for comic and superheroes, realism is boring.

[@kle2217]

I like how you brought in Jack Kirby as a comparison to Liefeld in terms of anatomy and dynamic poses and story telling. I often thought both of them could stand to be compared to one another in terms of what they brought to comics, but was scared of the criticism I might get. I mean, today Jack Kirby is considered a legend in comics artwork, story telling, and pure creative talent who's come up with a library of well known characters. Who's to say that Liefeld may someday be known for the same reasons? I admit, I grew up in my teens collecting comics in the late 80's to the mid/late 90's, and will always have a soft spot for artists like Art Adams, Frank Miller, Jim Lee (my favorite), Marc Silvestri, Todd Macfarlane, and yes Rob Liefeld damn it! His artwork can be fun to look at. Thanks for the video.

[@Rockjesu]

Comparing Jack "The King" Kirby with Liefeld is one of the most horrible things to do.

[@PaoloFerrerChannel]

Great video and a great analysis on the legacy of an awesome artist. Gonna go and watch more of your stuff. Thanks!

[@votedworstchannelonyoutube1537]

A lot of great points and i remember it all i was around for it indulged in it and loved it i was at ground zero and you sir hit the nail on the head man and drove in some excellent insights great video man

[@luciferfernandez7094]

I don’t need to see the video to positively assert that comparing Rob Liefeld to Kurt Cobain is so way of the mark that I wonder if you really know anything about them, specially Cobain. For starters Cobain didn’t play shit music, nor plagiarized, nor punched his band mates and he really really hated becoming a celebrity. Ambitiousness was not Liefeld’s biggest crime, it was being an asshole.

[@n3zum1]

thanks mate!

[@tigerfestivals5137]

Idk, I find it hard to like a lot of kurt Cobain's music because it sounds so off tune and well.. shit. I'd say they're comparable.

[@blakeswanson1322]

Lucifer Fernandez eh as much as I love cobain he really wasn’t a great guitar player

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Tiger Festivals I could agree to Cobain not being a great music performer, nevertheless I refer to the attitude: Liefeld was more Axel Asshole Rose like than Kurt leave me alone to depression Cobain.

[@AbVoxNihil]

Look, i don't like Liefeld's style but i understand his appeal i remember a 13 year old me fascinated with pouches and belts. Does he deserve all the negativity he gets? not really, and like you pointed out he did good things for the industry(maybe). BUT. most of the points you make in the video are subjective, his impact, goals and effect are all subjective, are his drawings dynamic? subjective. Does he transmit energy and excitement with his drawings? Subjective. Did he change the industry? Subjective, one could argue every single point by either saying he didn't do it alone, and how much is his own personal effort and how much of the peers he surrounded himself with or how it was all accidental and it was actually the talent of the people that came after that managed to save his characters and ideas (for example Deadpool). Most if not everything Liefeld is critiqued by is pretty much objective, Is the anatomy wrong? Yes. Does he have pacing issues? Yes, details from characters change from page to page and scenes are rarely explained, there's never a wide shot telling you what's going or where. Are his background simple and/or blank? Yes, just lines or colour most of the time, having colour and lines is factually "simple". To summarize or as simpletons put it (TL;DR), Although it's a nice video and i applaud the effort most of your arguments are flawed and invalid, things you establish are based on fallacies and therefore are false. whereas the criticism is mostly "logically sound" based on actual facts and conventions not opinions, even the Captain America drawing that as you say wasn't meant to be in a comic book is anatomically incorrect, the lights and shadows are wrong and it's overall just poor craftsmanship, again a fact not an opinion, all of this regardless of any context, it's a bad drawing done by an artist who, historically has never shown more talent or skill. If you want to bend the rules you need to master them first, look at Picasso's early portraits he is a master of the drawing and allows himself to disturb the realism with his very late cubist style, Rob Liefeld has made a career of just the last part without an understanding of the basics. Fact, sadly. Props on the video nevertheless, it was entertaining and your rhetoric is effective, i do feel slightly less prone to judge Liefeld harshly and actually feel bad for the guy.

[@enragedkaiser237]

Great video! You just earned a new viewer! Rob is my hero. Im still practicing my drawings, but everytime i read his comics i get inspired to draw even more. The way he drew metallic armour and textures is great and his faces look amazing. He does not deserve any hate he gets.

[@mickmons3267]

This shined a whole new light on my view on Liefeld. I remember first learning about him through lists of "worst comic artists ever" and having fun with mutuals poking fun of the anatomic inconsistencies. Though later, I would still be able to admire the sheer working effort he's put into it, the guy clearly has a burning passion for the media, and I have nothing but respect for that. Thank you for making this video! It's honestly really inspiring to hear how a guy that's so often mocked for his quirks, still was such a detrimental part of comic book history. Many of us can only dream of ever coming close to the same kind of cultural impact this man's work has had.

[@robertmarquez7382]

I’ve met Liefeld a few times, a real nice guy (really cares about the fans). The guy is very passionate about what he does. He’s like a big kid that lives and breathes comics.

[@Arthur-ex4yj]

Man you really changed my mind on him. Thank you. I won’t blindly hate people just because others tell me to anymore.

[@doc_sav]

People seem to forget that this guy's comics are amongst the best selling of all time. It's not like people were getting duped into buying them. If you were the most skilled and perfect guitarist in the world, but nobody buys your albums, are you really one of the greatest guitarists of all time? When it comes to art, connecting with the consumer is at least one aspect of success. So many people will call his art terrible in the same breath as talking about how exciting and accessible it felt to them at the time. I definitely think the SomethingAwful exposure from back in the day just started a fun bandwagon to jump on.

[@johnnyfitzlive]

This is really well done. Great editing, writing and pacing.

[@Crazelord91]

While I would never say his style is anywhere near my favorite (that's reserved for the likes of John Romata Jr and Steve Dillon) bc I do think he isn't the best artist I do have a nostalgia for it for the reasons you stated in this video. It's the same reason I love grunge. Sometimes the attitude and intent is more impactful than the polish. I don't care much for a lot of mainstream comic art now for instance bc it's just so polished. Like everything looks nice, great. It takes a lot of work I know but it's kind of boring to me personally. It's similar to why I love art styles in Anime like Mob Psycho 100 vs SAO. While MP1 is actually drawn by incredible artists what I love most is how interesting the style is vs the bland pretty style of more mainstream anime. There's something about the punk rock rough style of Liefeld, Mcfarlane, early Lee, and others that I still get a kick out of going back to read today.

[@PanelstoPixels]

"Sometimes the attitude and intent is more impactful than the polish." This guy gets it.

[@Crazelord91]

@@PanelstoPixels Yessir. Great video btw

[@GODemon13]

JRjr is one of the worst artists in the industry. I would take Liefeld over JRjr Anyday.

[@realghostface2370]

​@Mikhail G Liefeld isn't generic 90s, Liefeld's style was bizarre or unique even then. Jim Lee probably defines the 90s more than anyone else. in terms of superhero comics everyone just tried to draw like Jim Lee. but there truthfully isn't really any such thing as a generic 90s style, since that time was so diverse and varied for art styles.

[@DouglasPendletonintherealms]

Rob Liefeld brought a certain energy that was honesty not there before. Folks will say they don't like him but they damn sure bought his books.

[@Gemini3K]

This was an absolute pleasureto watch. Well thought out and credible. Welldone.

[@blyrax]

i found out about a week ago or so that there are an army of people who hate Liefeld's art. I find that surprising, i find nothing wrong with this mans art. i can see how a lot of people could hate a style of drawing, but the level of hate Liefeld gets for his style is shocking; the man clearly knows how to draw- excellently. i'm not saying he's the greatest to ever do it, but he's certainly a truck load of miles above average- even by todays standards.

[@mzelster]

His what if issue was very good. That's when I first saw his art

[@Dan14thPrime]

The guy invented extreme pouches. 😁 His career reminds me of fashion. He was “in” in the ‘90’s when artwork and new characters sold books, but he fell out of style like parachute pants.

[@macuna1995]

Honestly, everyone's style is unique, and there's something about Rob's style that has some kind of uniqueness that I find interesting. It would be fascinating if I ever met Rob or even had him illustrate any story I wrote.

[@stampscapes]

Great vid! I had been out of comic collecting for years and when I saw what type of art was being done by Liefeld and his gen of artists I was blown away.

[@jackgoblue]

Calling Liefeld the Cobain of comics is a terrible comparison. Liefeld embraced his celebrity and his art is not my cup of tea but I can appreciate his passion for comics.

[@ericdravennevermore2566]

and he didn't kill himself like cobain, so i was confused about this comparison.

[@almightycinder]

Did you ignore that part in the video where he said why? Cobain broke into the music industry at a very young age, with (self-admittedly) 1/4 of the talent as other rockers, yet was still incredibly popular with the younglings. It's very possible that if Cobain DID embrace it and was still alive today, music snobs would be doing nothing but bashing his work, with memes about "Nirvana can't play guitar!" Or if Liefeld killed himself at 27, he'd be the same kind of unquestionable, sacred cow that Cobain is.

[@theraVen27]

almightycinder I’m that guy who everyone hates because I don’t see talent in Nirvana, the lyrics are nonsense, the music is simple and repetitive. The hype is overblown.

[@JesseDraws808]

An amazing video man! There is so much i agree with and have thought of a billion times before. The way it was edit made it feel like a roller coaster and was fun the whole way through. Beautiful stuff man!

[@chevy-is-a-good-boy]

While not an avid reader (of comics) these days I do fondly remember Liefeld's work from my teen years back in the day. Kinda shocked to hear he has so many detractors, what an excellent upload, mate.

[@AgentNevets]

This was a fantastic video. Well done! It made me subscribe to your Patreon!

[@sirperybLakeney]

This video fails to address why Liefeld is actually disliked by comic fans and instead confronts the mockery of the internet that uses him as the punching bag for the whole Image fiasco (at least artistically, no one comes close to McFarlane for being Satan on the business side...). It's a total misunderstanding. Yes, internet articles commonly knock Liefeld for obvious technical deficiencies but only the most narrow minded and least broad appreciation of comics could possibly conceive of taking that approach. It's a criticism that largely makes an impact with non comic fans rather than actual fans. Liefeld is hated because he is appallingly shallow. His style is obviously a cynical blend of the 80's commercial giants like Perez and Byrne combined with the scratchy grit that had become fashionable in the later part of the decade. His figures are laughable, pouting, pneumatic women and perma-grimace muscle freaks -with big guns and lots of pouches. It appealed to the youngest in the market ...and those kids mostly grew out of it. Once they were old enough they realised how empty Liefeld and a lot of the others' work was. I know I did ...and pretty quickly too. Boom and bust. It's appeal to the LCD and that's why Liefeld's fans were the youngest and stupidest. One of the few cultural connections you make that is actually accurate is with 80s muscle flicks. These had huge commercial success but were always widely despised and derided. Notice any similarity? Your other comparisons are generally appeals to 'cool stuff' to make Liefeld look better but are completely unsubstantiated. You even try to construct arguments on the basis of him being Punk without ever actually providing any evidence that he ever was. The British invasion you talk about had far more to do with punk rock and most were 2000AD veterans (try Zenith, Marshal Law, or Tank Girl for punk influenced comics. Hell, try Judge Dredd). The artists of the previous generation like Miller, Romita Jr, Sienkiewicz etc. were the ones that brought punk and post-punk aesthetic into American comics not the Image crew. In Britain Kevin O'Neill or Mike McMahon would be possible examples. If anything the excess of Liefeld was the very antithesis of punk minimalism. Similarly a few vague comparisons to Kirby are not evidence for a strong influence or admiration. Kirby influenced everyone -but often indirectly and that is especially the case with artists emerging in the late 80s. You also manage to praise him as a great storyteller about 10 seconds breadth away from acknowledging that his layouts are confusing and hard to follow. Are these in any way compatible? The comparison with Nirvana is the most insulting. Nirvana's mass appeal stemmed from combing a hard rock sound with great depth and feeling. They made the underground mainstream. Liefeld was a crass imitation of superficial elements of the cult comics scene that had gained popularity through DKR and Watchmen with none of their intelligence, depth or wit. It was cynically marketed to cash in, self-consciously 'kewl' and utterly shallow. Liefeld (and Lee...) wasn't a reaction against Miller and Moore -it was exploitation of them. Nirvana popularized the underground and brought credit to it. Liefeld cashed in on the new poularity of the underground and practiced a cheap pastiche of its' most superficial elements bringing great discredit to it. Indeed, it might be argued to an extent that arguably caused an, as yet, permanent and massive decline in the market after a brief boom. Now it's not fair that Liefeld takes all the flak for the aesthetic of the Image era when other luminaries who were just as guilty tend to get off lightly in mass media but that doesn't mean he isn't awful. He absolutely is. I've nothing personal against Liefeld. I've heard he's a great guy as everyone says Jim Lee is too. Doesn't change the fact that I despise their style and what it did to the industry. Your arguments are based on a total lack of understanding of the culture of the time in which this happened. Your cultural references are, as a result, complete distortions and as I said at the beginning your premise is founded on assumptions drawn from internet mockery of an easy target and not the real reasons why Liefeld is hated by many comic book fans. He work was appallingly shallow and his layouts were indeed confusing -resulting in superficial appeal to the LCD and poor storytelling that favoured style over substance.

[@DouglasPendletonintherealms]

I have always said that his books read like 80's action movies.

[@YoloSWAGJude]

I appreciate your post

[@moirad3504]

I agree. but I do think Liefeld gets a bit too much flack. His runs on New Mutants/X-force is a lot of what made me fall in love with comics. Cable to this day remains one of my favorite characters because he so perfectly represents weird marvel x titles bullshit (I also haven't read a marvel thing in years so maybe cable's been out cabled). Also Image comics spent years being kinda a joke that most of the comic readers I knew wouldn't touch with a pole unless pretty recently. Hell, The Walking Dead started like a decade after they founded and that is the first thing from them that I remember getting any real acclaim (and I ignored that) and the show for it started ten years after that, so I wonder how much of Image doing well now is based or helped on along by that.

[@DouglasPendletonintherealms]

@@moirad3504 Thing is with Liefeld and most of the image guys they had great editors to reign them in. I think if he had a good editor over at image and one that did not cower from them I think they would have put out more consistent books at that time.

[@Spongemonkey26]

Ironically if there were more Rob Liefeld's in the comic industry, I'd bet sales would be better.

[@Phlogiston2312]

I really appreciate that you went through this, it kinda gets lost sometimes

[@jazzlehazzle]

Damn skippy. You're the first guy to tell the haters they've been hallucinating nonsense in a self-affirming echo-chamber of jealousy, corporate spin, and wannabes who can't draw. What started as calculated smear campaigns by Marvel & Wizard, to criticize him for the exact same things for which he was celebrated (and which earned them millions), became a lame all-too-easy meme for any rando to slam him just to feel like they could be part of a knowledgeable conversation. An amazing example of media brainwashing as the social internet was just starting to take shape. Well I'm a pro artist myself, those twerps were clueless, and Rob Liefeld is AWESOME. He hard-earned every last dime by grinding to make millions of kids' heads explode with joy, over and over again. Anyone with half a mind for art knows exactly why that's so hard, and exactly why Liefeld's accomplishments are so admirable. Millions of people weren't suckered into buying his books, we genuinely loved them, and some of us really know our craft. That man is a soldier for the love of comics & fans, and a fabulous page designer whose work inspired me to start my whole career, for which I'm eternally grateful, and continues to inspire me to this day. If there's one word to sum up Rob Liefeld's core philosophy, emotion, life, and works, I think it would be "WOW!!!" He just wants you to feel fantastic. And you do, when you look at any page of his. What a champ. ❤

[@Gumba213]

Good argument, but I'm still not buying it. Kirby was a level 10, Rob is a 5

[@johnnymoon]

Gumba 213 lets be honest he’s a 3 on a good day

[@ChartreusianInfusion]

2.5 or 3 at best. >___>

[@7superdaimajin]

Jack Kirby's early art (1940s & 1950s) is quite conventional and realistic. It's only later that his style became abstract and in my opinion Kirby's art began to decline until it became very amateurish, e.g. Captain Victory. Kirby is really not an artist to emulate. Comparing Liefeld to Kirby isn't doing Liefeld any favors. Also, just because an artist is popular, doesn't mean he's good. Vanilla Ice was popular.

[@Gumba213]

​@@7superdaimajin Nobody can emulate Kirby, his work is too abstract and original that no one has even tried. That means he is truly a unique artist. On top of being an incredible artist he helped create most of the Marvel Universe and even went on to invent his own characters like Silver Surfer. The sheer volume of work he did compared to Rob is monumental, and this is why they call him King Kirby. No one in comic history will replicate both his art style or the speed at which he could draw. I'm sorry Rob is still no where near Kirby's caliber, or professionalism when it comes to the comic history. Kirby was a pioneer, helping develop what is now the Marvel Universe. Rob came out with Wildcats, and Bloodstrike, Prophet, etc, all crap stories and bad art by most standards. Most of Rob's work is junk in my opinion, with exception to his collaborative work with McFarlane. Which of course most of the credit goes to McFarlane.

[@AdrianT-jw2sz]

@@Gumba213 I suggest you look up Tom Scolli.

[@RansomeStoddard]

3:52 "...it wasn't so much about the quality of the work itself..." Yes, and therein lies the problem. Look, you can talk about how he started as a teenager and had no formal art training, but that just reinforces the idea that he probably shouldn't have been hired. Great video, but it didn't do anything to change my mind. And maybe he is the Kurt Cobain of comics. I haven't seen much hype for either in 20 years.

[@devote]

I'm not a fan but millions of comics sold sorta means it was a very good idea he got hired.

[@vanjagalovic3621]

@@devote That means very little since around that time most comic books sold very well. Also just because something was popular once doesn't mean it was good even then, it just happened to be popular

[@devote]

@@vanjagalovic3621 that's like saying Nirvana didn't mean much because plenty of other bands were making money. X Force #1 is the second best selling single issue of all time(Nirvana aren't even in the top 25 of best selling albums). I get that you hate him but at least get your head out your ass. Again I'm not a fan of Rob but I respect what all those guys did in the early 90s they brought comics into the new era. It wasn't all great but for the time it was something special.

[@ankurpatel6538]

@@devote Thank you 👏👏

[@viktorsaurus]

Dude that was one kick ass video. Superb. You make an incredibly strong case

[@Slim7073]

Great video. I noticed that you annually make a vid about upcoming Marvel/DC games. Would you make an impressions video on Marvel's Midnight Suns?