... and he deserves every penny. One of my favorite comic images of all time is a Rob Liefeld rendering of Chapel lazily getting out of bed (after a heavy night with a total hardbody). every muscle in his body is tensed and flexing even when he's just sat on the edge of his bed. This is how I want my superhero's, ever ready for a scrap, even post coitus.
This is staggering. Truly. From Rob's own website. His "early work". I expected infinite mirth, but it's OK! Fair enough it's kind of John Byrne knock off, but it's better than the stuff he made his name with! Proper anatomy! No shoulder pads, pouches or 20 foot guns. I'll say again: No shoulder pads, pouches or 20 foot guns!
How bizarre. I wonder what went wrong? As you say, the best pieces look like he was tracing some John Byrne (and the Wolverine pic is really crappy) and the one he's partially coloured in with a felt-tip is brilliantly poor, but overall...wow. So he can draw feet!
However, look again. Scrutinise. The early seeds were there - the sizes of some of the heads (either tiny or massive), some truly ridiculous hair and a distinct lack of backgrounds (not even some scribbly lines)...
Hang on. Wait a sec. Mike, why were you looking at Rob's site? And, even if some horrid mishap took you to his site, why would you take the time to look at his early work? Can't you use the web for the same thing as everyone else (by which I mean shopping, of course...)?
They aren't in any sense very good but the promise is there...If he was 8 or something when he "did" them. His Doctor Doom is okay to my withered eyes, actually. Overall I like the way the heads vary in size but the faces stay roughly the same; particularly on the big heads whre the face seems marooned in a sea of flesh and hair. Does Wolverine have eyes on the side of his head now? Like a fly or something?
This is a bit scary but it has to be said- they remind me of - Starlin. And I'm not even joking. Starlin. Jim Starlin.
So, Liefeld started out doing promising Starlin cribs. Then a truck hit him and broke all the talent in his body. Or something. Oh yeah, he discovered cross hatching (covers a million mistakes!(which isn't enough, Rob)) and in the '90s every single comic fan was melty-brain insane. Or something.
(Note: At his worst Liefeld is a kajillion times better at drawing than me. That's not the point.)
Lamont, thou dost protest too much! I can't draw for toffee (as anyone at Drink and Draw will testify) but even I, yes I! am a kajillion times better than Rob Liefield!
