Comic book creator Rob Liefeld is set to put out a memoir in early 2025, titled “Robservations” — the same name as his podcast, which has released more than 350 episodes to date. Best known for his work cocreating breakout X-Men character Deadpool and the X-Men spin-off team X-Force, Liefeld was a central part of the 1990s comic book boom.
“I have had a lifelong love affair with comic books. They have been my passion since I was 7 years old,” Liefeld said in a statement Thursday. “Having been fortunate to break into the business as a teenager in the ’80s, I’ve seen five decades of tremendous change, quite a bit of upheaval, and a fair amount of rebellion and betrayal. Some of which I started.”
Liefeld’s rebellious streak included leading an exodus of artists from Marvel to form Image Comics in the early ’90s. He went on to set up his own outside publishing company while still with Image, raided fellow Image creator’s talent pools and ultimately left Image ahead of a potential vote to oust him from the company.
The book promises to track his story from his childhood as a pastor’s son in Orange County, Calif., to his longtime prominence and, at times, controversial role in the comic book industry. Liefeld was such a big deal as an artist in the ’90s that he even starred in Levi’s jeans ads. His style focused on big muscles and tactical gear, seen on characters such as Deadpool, Cable and others.
“Rob offers a glimpse into the hurdles and triumphs of his 38-year career, the origin stories of many beloved characters and what’s next for the creator of Deadpool and Cable,” his publisher BenBella’s CEO Glenn Yeffeth said in a statement. “We’re excited to help Rob share his story with fans who love comic books as much as he does.”
Liefeld’s independent work included creating the teams “Youngblood” and “Bloodstrike,” as well as the solo books “Prophet” and “Avengelyne.” It was also announced Thursday that Avengelyne is being developed by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, with Olivia Wilde set to direct. The character vehicle has long been in development, dating back to at least 2013 with a potential project involving Gina Carano, but this is the closest it has appeared to becoming a reality.
“Watching my creations become roles portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz [and] Minka Kelly with many more on the way, is a crazy culmination of my comic book dreams as a kid,” Liefeld added. The characters he alluded to include Marvel’s Deadpool (Reynolds), Cable (Brolin) and Domino (Beetz), all seen in the “Deadpool” films, and DC Comics’ Dove (Kelly), portrayed in the “Titans” TV show. “Over the course of my career, comic books have become a rich minefield that drives pop culture.”
After its founding, Image quickly rose to the third largest comic book publisher behind Marvel and DC, putting artists in the lead rather than writers in a change for the comic industry. The company also allowed creators to retain the rights to their creations, which led to numerous TV and film releases from companies outside of the industry’s traditional big two, such as “The Walking Dead” and its assorted spin-offs.
The “Robservations” book is set to include 10 original illustrations and promises to cover not just the comic book industry, but also Liefeld’s experiences with Hollywood studios. It’s unknown how much original material will comprise the book and how much is being adapted from his podcast.
The success of Liefeld’s independent work led to his former bosses at Marvel bringing him and fellow Image cofounder Jim Lee onboard to take over production of several of their core comics in 1996, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Marvel dealt with its own financial woes before later being bought by Disney. Liefeld and his Extreme Studios put out “Captain America” and “The Avengers,” including a take on Cap that was so muscle-heavy that it led to a much-memed breakdown of the physiology that would go into such a look.
The “Robservations” book will be published in early 2025 by BenBella Publishing, while the next film starring characters he contributed to, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” comes out on July 26.
Liefeld is represented by Liz Parker and David Boxerbaum at Verve Talent.
