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PIPELINE COMMENTARY AND REVIEW #39
01 March 1998
by Augie De Blieck Jr.
http://www.nic.com/~augie/pipeline
"Rob Liefeld and Stan Lee: Separated at Birth?"
Merry March to one and all! (And in an ironic twist that would have
Batman's arch-fiend TWO-FACE all a twitter, this coming TUEsday is my 22nd
birthday. I'm such a fanboy to make note of that. =)
This week, Awesome Comics thought well enough of us to publish the new
YOUNGBLOOD #1, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Steve Skroce.
Alan Moore is Alan Moore. I know there are some who have problems with his
current super-hero writings, but I'm not one of them. This is clever
stuff, often complex, always strongly characterized, and with a dash of
style not lacking substance.
Steve Skroce's pencils are something new to me, other than the AWESOME
HOLIDAY SPECIAL Youngblood short story. And I still like them. There's a
lot of detail in here, a strong design sense, and consistent technical
work. In other words, he tells the story and makes it look good all at the
same time.
But the thing that struck me most about the book is the inside back cover.
You see, Rob Liefeld has been getting up on his soap box on that coveted
page for most issues of most everything Awesome has put out in the past 6
months to a year. And what does he write about? Well, it's the usual
introduction to the creative team involved in the piece of work you just
read. It's the story of how this group has somehow formed a family. And
that's the way they all became the Awesome bunch. (Sorry, it's been a long
week. =) Sometimes it veers off to plain old excitement about upcoming
things he can't talk about, but promises will be great.
But what strikes me even more about this page is the sheer hucksterism
involved. And, no, I don't necessarily mean the negative connotation of
the word here. Maybe something along the lines of a "carnival barker"
would be more appropriate. For here Rob Liefeld writes a text page
containing more hyperbole and more over-abundant enthusiasm than has been
seen since, well, Stan's Soapbox.
What has Stan Lee been doing for Marvel lately? Aside from a Spider-Man
special and a short run on the 2099 book, RAVAGE -- nothing, creatively.
He's been reduced to company spokesman, there to put a happy face on the
company he founded and put a direction on. He's the media-friendly guy
there to exclaim all the great things Marvel has done to whoever will
listen.
See the parallel yet? Rob Liefeld founded Awesome Comics, by way of
Maximum Press by way of Image Comics. He created most of the characters
involved in the main universe, although I think Alan Moore may have
finally beaten him on that now, too. But he hasn't really done anything
for it recently, other than part of a weak FIGHTING AMERICAN series, which
was nothing more than rehashed pages of leftover artwork from a series
pulled out from underneath him a few months prior. So he takes the title
of Publisher/CEO and becomes Awesome Comics' #1 Huckster Supreme. (Given
the rumors and the reports of tax and paycheck problems, though, would you
really want Rob Liefeld listed as your CEO? I'm digressing. Sorry.)
He writes a page a month for every comic book his company publishes. He
extols their virtues and uses a ton of exclamation points in the process.
He makes everyone look good, he has a pretty face, and comes across as our
brother, a little exuberant, a little immature -- but having a ton of fun.
Stan Lee has the maturity, but still wields all the excitement and comes
across maybe more as our father figure of comics.
I think the one big difference between the two is that Rob Liefeld believes
everything he writes. I think Stan Lee recognized the hyperbole in his
statement when he proclaimed Marvel Comics to be better written than
Shakespeare's plays. I'm not sure Rob Liefeld would be able to say the
same.
There's another weak spot to my argument. Stan Lee put out some
revolutionary comic books in his heyday, co-creating a universe of
characters beloved by a generation and recognized by not just the comic
book community, but also the mainstream. Rob Liefeld is still stuck in the
comic book community, but with friends in Hollywood, the current hot trend.
Nor has he ever been truly universally loved. It comes closer to
universally loathed, actually. But maybe that's his saving grace. As long
as he's cutting the paychecks to get this great talent together to make
these great books, we can forgive him that. If only he could keep up his
end of the bargain, though, and stick with his own self-promotions. How
many people think his upcoming Re: Gex won't last past 6 issues?
But it doesn't matter. Awesome Comics is still putting out some great
books by some truly hot talent. YOUNGBLOOD is a good comic, as is SUPREME.
And books like THE COVEN and KABOOM may not always hit the mark with me,
but they are honest efforts by people having fun and taking pride in their
creator-owned book, all the while finding an audience.
-Augie
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