Robservations with Rob Liefeld

Did Marvel really launch a crossover out of order? They sure did and we are re-living every fascinating aspect of it! Plus – Venom! Carnage! Luke Cage! Avengers! Spider Man! Beastmaster! It’s a full plate of comic book themed awesomeness! 

Did DC Comics really ship 15 Batman comics in one week? Amazing Comic Convention CEO Jimmy Jay joins Rob for an extensive examination of the current comic book market from a retail perspective! Also, how a search for a comic book store led young 14-year-old Rob Liefeld to a surprise visit to an Adult Sex Shop! 

The 2000’s!! A new Millennium was dawning and the comics industry was rebuilding. New talent was rising and shaping the business! The Ultimate Comics line! Y:The Last Man! The Walking Dead! Invincible! Rob looks back 20 years later to see the millennial turn and the changes that resonate today! 

The emergence of Fantasy themed comics was surging, future comic book superstars were cutting their teeth on classic pulp characters. Sword and Sorcery by names you love but didn’t expect to see on a DC series you never heard of! 

On the 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, Rob looks back on the series of tragic events and how they rallied not just a nation but the entire comics industry to action. Marvel and DC Comics publishing operations were based in Manhattan, their heroes boldest adventures were set in the heart of the greatest city in the world. Rob remembers how publishers and talent united to crea...

An entire episode of Hot Topics covering Marvel’s latest breakout star, SHANG-CHI and Top Marvel Annuals from summer’s past! Avengers! X-Men! Spider-Man! Thanos! 

On February 20, 1978, the first official entry into the Star Wars Expanded Universe was released, opening up a portal for a stream of seemingly endless tales to follow. As the first official follow up to Star Wars smashing success, Splinter Of The Minds Eye was a blockbuster, it’s true origins revealing a possible fate for the sequel to the original film and beyond! The fans of this period, 1st ge...

An award-winning fantasy series as well as a pioneer of the independent comic book movement, Rob examines the humble beginnings and overwhelming success that is the phenomenon of ELFQUEST! Hot Topics advises how to best navigate the phony news and fake headlines driving reckless fan sites! 

One of the most popular comic book characters of all time, Wolverine debuted 46 years ago in an issue of The Incredible Hulk, 1974! Did you know that Marvel considered him a teenager when he made his first appearance? Later, his true lineage was revealed, or was it? Rob goes deep inside his intense creation and extensive development across several influential comic book creative teams. 

The Super Feud to end them all! Some feuds are bigger than others and this one between two of comics biggest writers is a scorcher! Alan Moore vs. Grant Morrison! Learn about SUPER-FOLKS, the 1977 Super Hero satire at the center of it all! Grant’s accusations! Alan’s hilarious response! Who called who a “Gilded Turd”? Rob goes deep into the divide between these comic book icons! 

With two Game Of Thrones leads cast in Marvel’s The Eternals Rob examines Kit Harrington’s top secret role as The Black Knight and his complicated comic book history! Also, the art of being an apprentice revealed! The role of an assistant has been a gateway to many blockbuster careers and Rob discusses his time as an apprentice as well as the many that came before him!

How close did we come to a Batman/Spider Man Crossover by Frank Miller & Todd McFarlane? With Joker & Kingpin! What role does Captain America play in Jack Kirby’s DC creation, OMAC? Untold Tales of comics revealed! Plus Hot Topics provides a deep  dive into the high-end collectible incentives driving today’s comic book sales! What will they think of next? 

Dark Knight & Watchmen we’re all the rave and as such, the grim & gritty movement flooded the entire industry! It most definitely was not a one size fits all equation! During the 80’s, The Legion Of Super Heroes once rivaled the X-Men in popularity, boasting multiple titles & spin offs for DC Comics. Then, they applied the Grim & Gritty approach to the Legion with a bleak dystopian...

The Underground comic book movement spread like wildfire in the late 1960’s, the champion of the form was Robert Crumb, a pioneer of Comix! In the 1970’s Crumb’s work would spread across the culture with his popular “Keep On Trucking” images and comic strips. In the early 2000’s R. Crumb shocked the world as he began work on a word for word adaptation of the Book Of Genesis. Published in 2009, it...

As Image Comics fractures Todd McFarlane leads the charge to cripple Rob Liefeld’s publishing endeavors, but 3 key moves backfire spectacularly, the fallout becomes too much for Jim Lee, who becomes the ultimate decider. Tantrums and meltdowns follow! You cannot miss the pulse-pounding conclusion to one of comic books’ biggest feuds ever! 

A feud for the ages! So big it can’t be contained in just one installment!! In July 1996, Rob Liefeld moved his popular titles, including the comic that launched Image Comics, Youngblood, to Maximum Press, a publishing label Liefeld owned outright. This created a turbulent, hostile response from his Image partners, none as furious as the one from Todd McFarlane. Accusations were thrown, Threats we...

A bitter dispute between talent and label creates a window of opportunity that provides an alternative path putting Michael Turner on top of the comics world! Turner’s introduction to the big two publishers was a result of a standoff with his former studio, his work at DC put him in another league of recognition and acclaim which carried until his tragic passing in 2008.

The most celebrated scribe in the history of modern comics, Alan Moore, (Watchmen, From Hell) has feuds with both Marvel & DC! His feuds are almost as notorious as his acclaimed stories. Rob walks you through the timeline that finds Alan vowing to never work for DC Comics again post Watchmen controversy, which he maintained right up until DC acquired his newest line of titles without his knowl...

Our Comic Book Feuds series kicks off with a Clash of Titans! Together, John Byrne and Chris Claremont created the most acclaimed run in modern comic books. Their X-Men stories transformed the industry, adapted in no less than 4 Major motion pictures as well as cartoons and toys. Their celebrated work inspired a generation, until they parted ways, never to work together at Marvel again. Rob breaks...

Prior to Disney purchasing Marvel and the MCU Films going on their extended run of unprecedented box office success, the market was uncertain of their prospects. Back in 2004, the business world preached caution, advising that all Marvel had left was “inferior characters” going so far as to hedge against them as they prepared to finance their own slate of films. Rob has done the research and takes...

Everyone loves a great duet, two top talents combining to forge a new sound, or in this case, look! Comic books has long boasted many such collaborations where two unique, powerhouse talents combine, becoming one, often offering an alternate look with equal appeal. Rob counts down his favorite duets in the history of comic books! 

An historic pairing of comic book’s most celebrated art team put Uncanny X-Men on the map! But it almost never happened and you’ll never believe why! Also, more comic book secret history and how it impacted Justice League and a fledgling Young Avengers title! Rob details all the near-misses and could have been’s that shaped the industry! 

Wolverine’s impact on the popularity of X-Men and comics in general is immeasurable. Rob breaks down the 5 artists who defined him for all who followed. In Hot Topics, we discuss who broke the 4th wall in the first place and why it matters! 

A deep discussion of the state of fandom and the fan experience in comic books and pop culture.

As Black Widow storms towards theaters, it’s international scope provides a perfect platform to discuss the myriad of international heroes from Marvel and DC! Rob shares The Global Guardians and many other worldwide characters from past & present!