The news that Rob Liefeld has turned in his resignation at DC Comics shouldn’t come as a surprise. A few weeks ago, the writer/artist posted a hint of things to come, he just didn’t make it official until yesterday.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238339489553080320″] [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238339848719699969″] [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238340139577905152″] [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238340480096694272″] [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238340926819418112″] [blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/statuses/238344519198863360″]
Liefeld isn’t going out kicking and screaming, as far as we can tell. DC hasn’t posted anything official via its blog, The Source, and we haven’t seen anything show up in our email box. Though there may be some initial scrambling on DC’s part to replace and reschedule, Liefeld is quick to point out that he has nothing against the comic book publisher.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/robertliefeld/status/238697242905694208″]Liefeld did hit every one of his deadlines on the books he worked on, and his books did boost sales and awareness of the properties during his run, but the big question remains, “Will he be missed?”
13 Comments
I still don’t understand why people would buy his books, and how he keeps getting jobs.
The comic book publishers love him because, though RL’s actually only ever drawn one complete comic book, all they do is white out a couple of the leg/arm/forehead/ankle/wrist/mouth belts and recolor the art and Bloodshot becomes Nightwing (or interchange any other RL hero or villain here). I’m sorry. That was a cheap shot.
Actually, there are plenty of other famous comic book artists whose male characters all look alike and female characters all look alive – Mike Grell and Howard Cheykin come to mind – so it’s not always a bad thing.
I heard rumors that DC and RL parted ways because DC refused to widen the doorways in the buildings so that RL could get his ego inside. I’m sorry, that was another cheap shot.
Having spent my youth trying to break in to comic strip or comic book industry without much success, I have little sympathy for somebody who walks away from what, for me, would be a dream job. It annoys me the same way it annoys me when some celebrity, like Jerry Lewis, (who makes more money blowing their nose than I’ve made in forty years of working), begs me to contribute to some worthy cause or another when they could finance the whole kit and kaboodle out of petty cash and not miss it. But, hey, I am just a sour and bitter old man.
Though I’m no Liefield fan, it seems that DC editorial may have a problem with driving some creators away.
In this case, we should be thanking them, not faulting them.
Except:
– DC rewarded the cancellation of Hawk & Dove by giving Rob three more books. Now I do understand DC hiring Rob to do Hawk & Dove, since he first started getting hot on the Hawk & Dove mini back in the late 80s, but to reward a book’s failure by giving the artist (who also ended up being the writer at the end of the book) three more books is a bit mystifying. And that DC expected (I’d assume) for the books to do well is even more mystifying.
– Unless DC’s allowing Rob to say it to save face, DC didn’t fire Rob. He quit. Apparently for the fourth time in as many months.
Agreed. Even if he’s being really cordial about it, it seems like they’ve been losing a lot of people out of simple frustration lately. Not a good sign.
I think it gives some interesting if distressing insight into what’s going on behind the scenes at DC these days.
One question I do have though, is how much time are they trying to put between a given issue being finished before it goes to the printers? Assuming RL turned in his Issue 0s within the last month (unless several weeks have passed since he turned in the 0 issues, which seems unlikely since he wasn’t being reported as leaving any of his books until now) that’s not a lot of time since they go on sale next month.
We already have George Perez on record as saying that he didn’t like his time on Superman as he’d keep asking who and what he could use only to be met with silence, meaning either Morrison didn’t or couldn’t tell anyone or that he never got the question to be able to answer it.
Either way it doesn’t bode well.
And I always did wonder how Liefield was rewarded for Hawk & Dove’s cancellation with three more books while Sterling gates (as far as I can tell) got nada.
Liefield is leaving DC?
*looks at the old lamp he found in a cave*
Well, looks like I have two more wishes left…
Ba dum BUM!
Wow! All I could hear were rimshots after every joke you made.
P.S. I agree with every one of your points.
DC can’t respond because they are buzy poping champagne and ready to start taking my money again on those books.
Glad he is off my fave character Grifter, he deserves better and more realistic body proportions.
yes!