How this "terrible artist" made MILLIONS

A few notes/corrections (includes spoilers): -I mention Louise Simonson but show a picture of Ann Nocenti. This will haunt me until the end of my days. Weezy deserves better. As does Ann. I'll be sure to get to them both in future videos. -I show Stan Lee and say Spike Lee. I actually do mean Spike Lee though! The video of him in a yellow shirt is a Levis ad commercial that was directed by Spike Lee, where Rob creates a character called "Spike man" for him. The Stan Lee video was a direct-to-VHS interview. But the way I edited it is very confusing. -Marc Gruenwald hires him to Marvel and then I show DC books. His first published work was for Marvel, illustrations of the Zodiac in a Handbook of the Marvel Universe Issue. I found what I believed was the work in question, but I wasn't able to verify it, so I ended up cutting it, leading to the confusion. So yes, he does start at Marvel, before really launching his career at DC before dramatically returning to Marvel. -Someone said I slipped a Larsen page in with Todd's Spider-Man pages, sorry about that! -As always, there's a ton I left out. There were multiple causes of Liefeld's departure from image. His poaching of talent from Silvestri's Top Cow, some accusations of using Image resources to promote non-Image books, inability to pay back a fee that was inadvertently paid out to all the image partners, etc. And yes, Jim Lee would return to do work for Marvel as well and wasn't kicked out of Image. But again, there's so much to the Image story that I'll cover in the future, I really just wanted to focus on Liefeld and his relationship with McFarlane and not spend half the video on Image drama. -I show an establishing shot of San Francisco when I say San Diego! I was too focused on trying to get that little graphic to look cool. Oops! Thank you all for embracing this video and for keeping me honest with the fact checks! I always strive to catch everything but things inevitably slip by me.

I was prepared to hate an untalented egomaniac, then i saw a creative kid with a dream, then the untalented egomaniac, but was thrown back around to the creative guy who moved past his ego and picked up the pieces and learned. A rollercoaster of emotions, what an arc.

I honestly don’t care how bad his art style is. The fact that he worked hard at a young age to provide for his dad and family automatically gives him my highest respect.

I got to meet Rob Liefeld at San Diego Comic Con 2023 while cosplaying Deadpool (not even planned, we just saw each other while walking the halls). He was a super nice and down-to-earth guy. Complimented my costume and everything. I'm also an avid listener of his podcast. He's not the most technically clean artist but his work is a LOT better than people give him credit for. It's clear, distinct, and has a vibrant vibe that a lot of art misses. If you listen to his podcasts and interviews, he's also very passionate about and well-versed in pop culture and superheroes. He's really one of us and a true geek. I've always thought the hate against him was unwarranted and, frankly, driven by jealousy because he is successful and does not hide from it. (Not that he boasts about it, either.) He's genuine, which can rub some people the wrong way. He was very influential on comics and superheroes. That goes overlooked. His humble roots and wish to help his family is admirable. His work ethic and persistence is inspiring. He's also one of the few nerds who understands the business side and potential of superheroes. Not enough geeks realize or respect the importance of that.

It's honestly very heart whelming to see that Liefeld and McFarlane made amends

I feel for his backstory but "he robs, he lies and he fails" must have delivered pure emotional damage 😂

Letting go your own ego and making up with someone whom you had a bitter falling out with despite of your success is pretty brave. I have a new found respect for Rob Liefeld as a person.

The things you need to know about Liefeld are 1. He hates drawing feet. Mostly hides them off panel, behind furniture, or inside energy effects. 2. He's a great splash artist. He excelled at covers, adverts, and splash reveals, particularly in his early work when he still had an editor willing him to improve. 3. He approaches multi panel layouts as if every panel is a splash. Sometimes the result is great to look at, sometimes it's confusing, rarely does it tell a story. 4. When he was "writing" his comics he would just draw splash filled pages until he had 30 or more, then pick 22 that he thought sort of told a story, and left the scripter to dredge something together out of the mess. 5. Everything else is subjective. It's art. You know what you like.

Looking at all his art in this video he's actually insanely talented. The only frame of reference I've ever had for what Rob Liefeld art looks like is the infamous Captain America drawing. Most of his art seems to actually be insanely good.

Imagine Liefeld drawing JoJo characters and poses with such physical proportions...

I gotta say, I have a newfound respect for Rob, regardless of his ridiculous art style. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and that thing about his dad was just heart-breaking.

Liefeld was a workhorse. Dude can draw an entire 22 page comic book in just a few days.

The ending scene with them sort of reconciling made me tear up. Still goes to show they still care for each other despite past mistakes and grievances.

Who didn't make incredibly stupid decisions when they were young? Age brings wisdom and humility. Glad Rob pulled it back together.

He made Deadpool?! Actually insane. Competition really brings out the best in people.

The quiet light work: you embrace this particular art with love, for the stories told and the stories behind and under the stories we know. This is low-key wholesome and I like it.

I am just loving your documentaries. You have a way about you that just draws a viewer in. I am going to slowly watch all of them and savor them as I know that you do not put content out that often. Keep up the great work!

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.

Genuinely glad to see that he wisened up and actually reconnected with his old friend, and it looks like he genuinely has come to accept his failings and move forward. I respect a man who can do that.

Dude your work is genuinely my favourite comic content on YouTube I just binged them all now eagerly awaiting your next video