I've made it no secret that Yes, I Am a Fan of Rob Liefeld, because he's one of Seven Comic Writers That Inspire Me. Now mostly, it's that he created so many characters after his move to Image, and the joy of discovering new characters is one of the things I love about comics. I don't buy this kind of thing at the ridiculous retail prices such "collector items" are priced at, but for a buck? You betcha. Picked this one out of the dollar bin today. (Sorry, Rob.)

The info off of the envelope:

Youngblood

Exclusive Original Art Included

Keepsake Collection By Comic Images Artwork By Rob Liefeld

Thrilling art by Rob Liefeld of this new Superteam, including an original piece done specifically for Comic Images. This set contains six giant 6" x 9" laminated black and white trading cards of several Youngblood members including Bedrock, Combat, Vogue, Cougar and many more. All six illustrations are also done in full-color 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" trading cards size on one laminated press sheet. Packed in a specially printed collector's envelope. This product is limited and number to 5000 copies.

Youngblood: TM & (c)1992 Robe Liefeld. Produced by Comic Images, Saddle Brook, NJ 07662. Designed By McNabb Art Studio

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I assume that the last picture above is the "original piece done specifically for Comic Images," because it's also on the front of the envelope with the quoted text.

Notice that the giant rock-covered member is listed as Bedrock, not Badrock. If you're not familiar with the Youngblood characters, well, the guy was originally called "Bedrock." Makes sense- he's a giant rock guy, right? Well, because "Bedrock" is the home of The Flintstones, which in 1992 was being published by Harvey, Hannah-Barbera objected and threatened to sue.

Personally, I think Rob could have won the case. I'm not certain, but I didn't think you could claim copyright on a word that's in the dictionary, only on its logo. Liefeld chose not to fight a costly lawsuit though, and instead simply changed the name to Badrock. The character was a super hit from there- probably his biggest before Alan Moore started writing Rob's Supreme.

Despite the popularity of Badrock, Rob may have been a little bitter about the name change. A later scene in Badrock and Company #3 found him yelling at a mall Fred Flintstone-type (yeah, just a type- not the actual character). (See the pic)

That said, the only thing left to show you is the scans of the Keepsake Collection envelope:

Gallery

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Thanks for reading! :^D

Ahh the 90's!

Where speed lines, pouches and bad feet ruled! Where a team had to have a big guy, a gun guy, a Wolverine-esque guy and two others, often an out of proportion female & someone "odd".

And now, it's back again. The cycle is complete.

@cbishop: This was in the DOLLAR BIN?? Pfft, I guess the ignorance of others is your gain, mate! :)

Also, nice to see some praise for Liefeld. Not in the sense that I agree (I'm on the fence, there are things I like, things I don't), but more in the sense that as you point out, the hate is so, so old. So good on you for sticking up for what you enjoy! ^___^

True enough- many of the teams followed a formula to mimic either The X-Men or The New Teen Titans- more often the X-Men.

Yeah, my LCS dealer hates Rob Liefeld, and banished the set to the dollar bin as soon as he was made aware that it was lingering in the back room of his shop. I praise Liefeld for his creativity, and defended him for it at length on the Yes, I Am a Fan of Rob Liefeld thread. Don't get me wrong though- I don't like everything about the guy- including some of his art. As I keep saying though, he draws better than me.

I appreciate the sense of energy and excitement I get from his works, but it's constantly tainted by his inability to meet a deadline or fulfill a solicitation. If he could consistently put out the same book month after month, I think he'd have a decent following. Some of it even begrudging fans who don't want to admit they started liking his stuff.

The guy is human, and the Internet-level of hatred he gets is inappropriate. If that were heaped upon him in person, the deliverer would be viewed as a monster by sane, reasonable people. I love the things only a little less than air, but it's just comics, y'know? Folks need to chill.

@cbishop: I feel like you really hit the nail on the head there! Plus I find a lot of his harshest critics talk endlessly of how his proportions are not realistic, how the people he draws don't look real? But if I wanted real, I'd watch a documentary, or read a technical manual. This is a world of fantasy!

I will admit to not being keen on some of his work, but always thought his style actually suited Image pretty well. As you say, people need to chill, it is so weird the obsessive hate he attracts at times O_O

@bumpyboo: I think the pinnacle of it was the Infamous video of the "Yellow Hat Guy," who giggled himself silly to walk up to Liefeld's table at a convention, and give him a copy of How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way. The guy looked like he was about to wet himself with excitement, mumbled something to Liefeld, and practically ran before Liefeld could make out what he said, much less respond. Liefeld shrugged it off as something weird, but did mention it on Twitter later. No big deal. You can probably still find the video online, if you really feel the need- it is the Internet, as we have been saying. <rolls eyes>

Now, I've heard tales of him being a jerk to fans before, and some of that's hard to ignore. But who knows what actually precipitated those acts of rudeness? Maybe something is left out of the tale, where the maligned fan said something out-of-the-way. Maybe Liefeld's just an a-hole when he's hungry. I know I am. I've heard plenty of tales of him being a genuinely nice guy too though. <shrugs> Y'gotta take the good with the bad. Again, he's human.

@cbishop: That sounds awful! I think it is easy for some people to forget that these writers and artists are real people, with feelings and hopes and insecurities just like the rest of us. I guess we can't know what a lot of them are really like, but probably in a lot of accounts from fans bias will come into play.

@bumpyboo: Sorry for the mega-long response time- I sleep during the day (2nd shift schedule). I'm sure bias comes into play where he is concerned- he's comics' favorite whipping boy. People suck sometimes. ;}