How To Torpedo Friends And Napalm Bridges: Rob Liefeld Loudly Quits DC Comics

Earlier this evening, an monumentous event happened in the comics world that can only be adequately described by the chroniclers of the two extremes of human morality and mortality: King James and Dante:

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

- King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)

Try not to suck any dick on your way across the parking lot!

- Dante, Clerks

In short: Rob Liefeld has left DC Comics, in a fashion in which we all wish we could leave our employers: by apparently screeching, “Fuck you, I quit!” and telling the world the boss sucks on Twitter.

Just finished sending my thank you’s to DC personnel. Officially got off the DC52 treadmill this morning…

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) August 22, 2012

Liefeld has, for good or ill - yeah, mostly ill – been involved with DC’s New 52 since literally day one, starting with Hawk & Dove art duties, and gradually branching out to writing on Hawk & Dove before taking over art and pencils on The Savage Hawkman, Deathstroke and Grifter. The man was a regular presence at DC’s SDCC 2012 panels, hyping those books and the things he had planned. At face value, Liefeld seemed to be psyched to be working on DC New 52 books…

…and then today happened.

I walked off all 3 books. Can’t wait to see any attempts to spin. I have every email.

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) August 22, 2012

Look: it’s no secret that we are not fans of Liefeld’s art or writing here at Crisis On Infinite Midlives. And when it comes to the DC books he was drawing, well, we’re not gonna miss his subtle, weirdly anatomied footless hand. However, we do respect a man willing to torch almost every professional relationship in his life on what is, at least at face value, a principle.

I believe in what DC is doing, but had to preserve my sanity.

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) August 22, 2012

However, shed no tears for Rob Liefeld. In the midst of the wave of mainstream publicity he got from being involved in the New 52, Liefeld relaunched most of the properties he owned in his old Awesome Comics imprint – including Prophet, Glory and Supreme - with interesting creative teams and completely new directions… meaning for the most part that while he’s drawing a check from them, he’s not drawing them to get that check. So they’re readable.

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