Rob Liefeld, the comic book creator who has spent decades dreaming up fantastical stories, is ready to put his own story down on the printed page.
Liefeld will pen a memoir titled Robservations, which BenBella Publishing will release early next year. As a creator, Liefeld has had a front-row seat to a number of crucial moments in comics over the past 30 years and promises to offer a candid accounting of what went down.
The book chronicles Liefeld’s trajectory from the son of a preacher in Orange County, California, to becoming a rising star at Marvel in the early 1990s, when his work on titles such as X-Force set sales records. He then went on to help disrupt the industry as one of the founders of Image Comics, which launched in 1992 with the premise that comic book creators could retain the rights to their work. In recent decades, Deadpool has become one of the biggest comic book characters in the world thanks to the films starring Ryan Reynolds.
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“BenBella is thrilled to partner with legendary comic artist Rob Liefeld on the release of his memoir. 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. We’re excited to help Rob share his story with fans who love comic books as much as he does,” said BenBella CEO Glenn Yeffeth.
In addition to characters such as Deadpool and Cable, Liefeld is known for Youngblood, Bloodstrike and Prophet, all of which topped 1 million in sales when their first issues hit stands.
“I have had a lifelong love affair with comic books. They have been my passion since I was 7 years old. 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. It’s been quite a ride, and I’m eager to share this incredible ride with everyone,” said Liefeld. “Watching my creations become roles portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Minka Kelly with many more on the way, is a crazy culmination of my comic book dreams as a kid. Over the course of my career, comic books have become a rich minefield that drives pop culture.”
The announcement comes as Deadpool prepares to return to the big screen with Deadpool & Wolverine, which arrives in theaters July 26.
Liefeld, who hosts a podcast called Robservations, is repped by Verve’s Liz Parker and David Boxerbaum.
