Rob Liefeld

Robert "Rob" Liefeld (born October 3, 1967) is an American comic book creator. A prominent writer/artist in the 1990s, he has since been called one of the most controversial figures in the comics industry.

In the early 1990s, the self-taught artist became prominent due to his work on Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and later X-Force. In 1992, he and several other popular Marvel illustrators left the company to found Image Comics, which started a wave of comic books owned by their creators rather than by publishers. The first book published by Image Comics was Rob Liefeld's Youngblood #1.

Early life

Rob Liefeld was born October 3, 1967, the youngest child of a Baptist minister and a part-time secretary. He and his sister, seven years his senior, grew up in Anaheim, California.

Liefeld's love of comics began as a child, which led early on to his decision to be a professional artist, a practice that began with his tracing artwork from comic books. As a high-school student, he took basic fundamental art courses, and attended comic book conventions at the nearby Disneyland Hotel, where he met creators such as George Pérez, John Romita Jr., Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Mike Zeck and Marv Wolfman. Liefeld cites Pérez, along with John Byrne and Frank Miller, as major influences.