Waiting For Tommy XXII
Interview with Rob Liefeld |
RICHARD: Okay, I'm
not going to labor that point, but let's look at the fans.
When you were first working on the Image titles, you had readers
in the hundreds of thousands. While they may equivocate that
interest away these days, there were so many readers who genuinely
loved your work. Do you believe there is anyway you can bring
those readers back?
ROB:
No. Case in point, there is an intern at a huge movie studio
that went out of his way to seek me out in the lobby and reminisce
about the early Image period. He was crazy about our comics
and he expressed nothing but love for that period. However,
when I pulled out the latest Ultimates comic and encouraged
him to pursue the series, he said that he had sold his collection
and no longer followed comics. He wasn't even aware of the
prominent comic store that was five blocks down the road.
He is one of a hundred people I've met in the last two years
who have moved past the medium. Games swooped in and took
the next generations that were behind this 23 year old intern,
and we've been relying on fans like you and me to prop our
business up for years. Statistically, we are so far off from
experiencing the sales surges of the late '80s and early '90s.
Could
it happen again? Certainly. But not likely and not anytime
soon. Another fan approached me at a recent Laker game. He
was screaming about how much he loved Image. But he wanted
to know what I'm doing with Image Comics at the moment. He
had no idea I'd ever left.
RICHARD:
Well let's look at current sales figures. I've quite happily
stated that, on numbers alone, Youngblood: Bloodsport seems
under-ordered for what's clearly a revival of what was a very
popular property, by one of the most popular writers in comics
today and from an artist who still has sway in the industry.
When this was Transformers, the retailers ordered hundreds
of thousands and sold out in seconds. Youngblood has had a
low five figure order. When it ships (hopefully) in the next
few weeks, what will your reaction be if: a) it sells out
in milliseconds, or b) sits on the shelf like Mek and Lab
Rats?
ROB:
There's no chance that this will sit on the shelf. It will
be gone in the first afternoon and there will be little to
no chance to catch it after that. The system that is in place
ensures that outcome. The only books currently rotting on
my retailer's shelves are mostly the last eight months of
Uncanny X-Men's and all of The Call comics.
RICHARD:
Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Working in the industry,
creators make friends and enemies. It seems to be the way
of things. You've had a habit though of seemingly making more
enemies than friends. Whether that's former business partners
like Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Erik Larsen or employees
like Terry Moore or Dan Fraga. Even Gary Groth doesn't have
that spread of negative opinion - and he's gone out of his
way to get it. What gives, why you, and will it ever be repaired?
ROB:
I'm young, sexy, loaded and opinionated. I'm my own boss and
it truly doesn't matter whether or not the negative opinion
changes. The only person that's holding me back is me.
RICHARD:
Have you paid everyone, Rob? Is there anyone, to your knowledge,
still owed by your past enterprises?
ROB:
To the best of my knowledge, yes, everyone has been paid and
nearly all the artwork that belonged to others has been returned.
Some of it was kept to be re-scanned or inked. But as that
process is completed, everything is wrapping up. I have not
been contacted about back pay or compensation for four years
plus. But I'm sure that someone else is bound to pop up and
make a public spectacle of it.
Continued
here...
 |
 |
 |
 |
