Rob Liefeld's new column on SpinnerRack.com
Allen Hui
Okay, Rob Liefeld's new column "Robservations" is now on
http://www.SpinnerRack.com. I'll admit, it's not the usual
controversial stuff we all expect from Rob. In fact, this time he's
complementing people. Drop by and check it out when you get the chance.
We also have a new poll up. We'll put the results of past polls in the
future. As always, we're trying to update the site everyday along with
the usual archives and message boards. Look for our Comicography page
to launch soon with resources on publishers, creators, and characters.
Plus Retailer of the Month.
Reminder: New Comics Day is Thursday this week.
V. Yim
(cut and pasted from
http://www.SpinnerRack.com/columns/robservations/rl010702.php )
> As a side note: It's interesting to note that Marvel's editor-in-chief, whose recent remarks regarding the relevance
> of certain "artistic voices" launched this debate, has never had a consistent voice of his own. Once an aspiring
> newcomer himself, he never hung around long enough on any title to have a lasting impact. His original tenure at
> Marvel was brief and spotty, ditto for his work at Valiant. Three issues here, four issues there—where's the run?
> Event was anything but and, quite frankly, his Daredevil run, like the current Green Arrow phenomena, was all
> about Kevin Smith except for the fact that GA ships monthly, whereas DD maintained a quarterly schedule at best.
I agreed with him up until the last two paragraphs, which came across as
a really petty potshot towards Joe Quesada. While he is gracious enough
to not name names and he does raise many good points, several things
keep me from agreeing with him on this stance.
-Rob was in a similar position several years ago right after he was
removed from Image Comics and had his own upstart, "Awesome Comics".
The company was on a really wild ride and was attracting big name
talents, first snagging Alan Moore (the big one), which in turn led to
talents such as Steve Skroce, Jeff Matsuda, and a bunch of others
jumping ship to do books. Heck, he was even able to get Jada Pinket
Smith, a Hollywood celebrity, to do one of the books (did that book even
come out though?). This lasted for less than a year as their financial
backer (Crossroads, I think) pulled their cash, leading to a lot of
books being cancelled. This hasn't happened to Joe Quesada, and he has
even moved up in position.
-True, Joe Quesada has had difficulty in maintaining a monthly
schedule. But then, so has Rob Liefeld (anybody remember when
Deathmate: Red came out AFTER the Deathmate: Prologue?). Not to mention
the number of relaunches that Youngblood has undergone, plus the serious
discrepancy between what promotes his books to be in interviews vs. the
actual final product. Prophet #5 was supposed to be about a character
we can like because of his childlike mentality (a la Data from Star
Trek: TNG), instead we get a 24-page kill-spree. I didn't bother with
issue #6 as a result.
-But while the definition of art and talent varies from person to
person, it is clear who wins out on this one. Liefeld drawn books have
become notorious for skewed anatomy (small feet, massive thighs), speed
lines in lieu of backgrounds, and the like.
-So, is he agreeing that people were reading Supreme due to Alan Moore
and not due to his involvement?
> I don't believe this particular talent has ever made much of a connection with the fans, which is what an artistic voice is all about in the
> first place, isn't it? As an EIC, he has even bigger shoes to fill, given that his predecessor put together a slate of titles and events that
> resulted in sales of millions upon millions of books over the past decade. As the wheels start to come off of the latest freshly launched
> X-Men locomotive, you begin to wonder as to the sanity and discernment involved in those creative decisions. I mean, how do you justify
> eight weeks between the new Morrison-Quitely title and the fact that Ian Churchill has left Uncanny X-Men after only three issues?
> What's more, how do you explain the fact that the monthly Wolverine title has lost 40,000 units in sales since October? If the industry,
> and Marvel in particular, is headed for a resurgence, then what's with the dropping sales on Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Thor, Defenders,
> Iron Man and Hulk? Considering all the work that needs to be done, maybe the next time the EIC wants to debate the relevance of a
> generation's "artistic voices," he should think about examining the questionable impact of his own.
While he does have a point, in my opinion, Rob Liefeld is one of the
last people who should be criticizing others in higher positions,
especially since he had done the same with even more so mixed results.
That, and he seems to be forgetting about a few things, like the fact
that there are no new comic book readers to take up the slack of those
that have abandoned the hobby.
In regards to Wolverine losing 40,000 sales units...is he refering to
when HE was drawing the book? I stopped reading the book when Leinil Yu
and Steve Skroce's involvement with the book ended myself...
Peace,
Vince Yim