Comic artist Rob Liefeld has announced he’s writing his memoir, to be released in 2025. The book, Robservations, promises an exploration of the comic book industry as a whole, through the lens of Liefeld’s own career. Having worked in comics across several different eras, Liefeld has frequently found himself a lightning rod for controversy. His book will be an opportunity for him to provide his perspective.
According to the announcement of Robservations shared by Variety, Liefeld’s memoir “will feature 10 original illustrations” along with the author’s retrospective account of his career. The creator of classic Marvel characters like Deadpool and Cable, as well as one of the founders of Image Comics, Rob Liefeld had an undeniable impact on contemporary pop culture, which he will unpack himself in the book.
Set to be released by BenBella Publishing, Robersvations is intended to “lift the veil on the inner workings of comic book publishers, the suits behind Hollywood studios, and pivotal moments that have shaped modern pop culture.”
As described in the release announcing the book, Rob Liefeld’s autobiography will chart a classic story, as he recounts his path from humble origins to superstardom in the comic book industry, just as its role in popular culture was becoming more relevant than ever. According to the release:
Though the style and aesthetic he cultivated early in his career – and pushed to extremes throughout the 1990s and beyond – made him popular, it has also made Liefeld a divisive figure among fans and other creators in the industry over the years.
Liefeld’s style leaned heavily on big guns, bigger muscles, and badass figures, many of whom became fan favorites. Liefeld’s groundbreaking work at Marvel was followed by co-founding Image Comics, which revolutionized the industry beyond just the page, as the company “allowed creators to publish material of their own creation without giving up copyrights to those characters, something that other publishers had never offered.” The creator introduced several of Image’s early successful titles, helping to ensure the company would endure, before returning to Marvel in the mid-1990s.
As the decade progressed, Rob Liefeld’s continued to attract more attention, both positive and negative. Robservations will allow him the opportunity to undertake an in-depth account of his own perspective on his accomplishments, as well as his controversies throughout his career. Though his role in the comic book industry has been polarizing at times, it is undeniable that Liefeld is one of the most important creators of the past several decades; understanding his work is essential to a detailed view of comic history. His memoir will add another layer to the story.
As described by BenBella CEO Glenn Yeffeth, Robservations will look to the past, but also the future, of its author.
Meanwhile, Liefeld himself was quoted in the press release, giving readers a sense of what to expect:
As the author himself admits, he has not been entirely blameless when it comes to the turbulent parts of his career. Robservations will be an opportunity for him to clarify misconceptions about himself, while also offering a more nuanced – or at least, an alternative – perspective on himself and his career, as opposed to that of his critics.
Given his high-profile, long-time career it makes sense that Rob Liefeld is not without his detractors. He has an out loud personality – which makes sense as the creator of Deadpool – and has gotten into public spats with other creators. In 2012, he tweeted that Deadpool has so much appeal even when relegated “to D-list talent,” offending many of the great writers and artists who had taken the character on. He also feuded with his co-founders of Image Comics: when he left, he issued a statement that he had resigned just as his former partners announced that he had been fired.
Liefeld’s art style has repeatedly come under heavy criticism. The muscles on his characters are out of proportion to the rest of their bodies. His women are stylized like pin-up models, with an over-emphasis on their physical attributes. One of his trademarks was covering up characters’ feet whenever possible, with foreground art or other characters, as the few times they appear in his drawings, it seems like the legs just narrow down to a point. However, some creators have defended Liefeld’s style; notably, Grant Morrison has said that Liefeld’s work isinspirational as avant-garde abstraction, not as photorealistic representation.
As seen above, Rob Liefeld has no shortage of stories to share from his long career. Given his role in defining 1990s comic book art, creating unforgettable characters, and making friends and enemies along the way, his book will be a must-read for the fans and critics alike. While the autobiography will contain illustrations, both new and archival, it doesn’t look like Liefeld is making his memoir a full graphic novel, which seems a missed opportunity. Between his book and his final upcoming Deadpool story, Rob Liefeld has a busy year ahead of him, appropriate for someone of his legendary status.
Source: Variety
Robservations will be released in 2025 from BenBella Publishing.