As part of an exclusive interview with Screen Rant during San DiegoComic-Conweekend,Deadpoolcreator andImage Comics co-founder Rob Liefeldexpressed that one of his biggest regrets in life involves not taking better care of his copy ofGiant-SizeX-Men#1, which he cited as one of the most influential comics of all time.
Speaking to Screen Rant, Rob Liefeld explained how his new release,Giant-Size Youngbloodis his way of paying homage toGiant-Size X-Men#1.
According to the author, he had a copy of the iconic Len Wein and Dave Cockrum issue, released 50 years ago, which he wishes he kept better care of,motivating him to be vocal about the virtue of preserving collectors' items.
Exclusive: Rob Liefeld Says His Biggest Regret Is Not Taking Care Of His First Edition Of An Iconic X-Men Comic
Liefeld Wishes He’d Preserved His Copy Of 1975’sGiant-Size X-Men #1
Rob Liefeld spoke to Screen Rant about preserving milestones in comic book history,withGiant-Size X-Men#1 being one that is near and dear to his heart.According to Liefeld, he wasn’ta bigX-Menfan initially, but when the franchise was relaunched in 1975, it became one of his favorites. Now, he hopes to recapture such importance through hisGiant-Size Youngblood#1.
Yet he can never get back that original copy ofGiant Size X-Men#1, which is hailed as perhaps the mostimportant comic book in modernX-Menlore, and would hold more than just major sentimental value today. It would be worth a lot of money. As Liefeld put it:
So I can tell you, so Giant-Size Youngblood is my tribute to Giant-Size X-Men No. 1, which came out in 1975. It’s currently enjoying its 50th anniversary, and I was there, eight years old pulling it off. I never bought X-Men. I’ve talked at length how Angel, Beast, Jean Gray, Iceman and Cyclops were kind of boring when I had the Avengers here and the Fantastic Four here, and then even The Defenders with Hulk and Doctor Strange.
But then, what is this new, “Who’s this silver-armored guy? I remember Wolverine from Hulk. Who’s this Storm?” It blew me away. It’s such a beautiful, incredible comic. I was checking out copies on the floor at preview night going, “How much is that one?” They’re like, “That’s $60,000,” and I’m like, “Why didn’t I take better care of my original copy?!” [Laughs] But I mean, this thing has gone through the roof.
When Rob Liefeld first bought the issue in 1975 at eight years old, he couldn’t have expected time to be so kind to the comic. The comic is worth tens of thousands of dollars today, that’s not the main reasonwhy Liefeld regrets not preserving his original copy from when it was first released.
Rob Liefeld’s Cautionary Tale About “Giant Size X-Men” Is A Reminder Of The Importance Of Preservation
Classic Comics' Value Goes Beyond Just $$$
Rob Liefeld also spoke to Screen Rant about the virtues of simplicity for characters and artwork inGiant-Size X-Men#1, something that he’s tried to recapture for his newYoungbloodcomic. Story-wise, there’s a simplicity that rewards older readers and welcomes new readers without anyone feeling alienated. In particular, Liefeld highly praised Dave Cockrum’s art.
As Liefeld stated:
So, it’s the simplicity, and Giant-Size Youngblood operates in the same way. You’re going to meet the characters, you’re going to understand why they’re there immediately. Giant-Size X-Men says the X-Men went to investigate an island and they disappeared, and Charles Xavier had to go gather new characters to come in and find the X-Men and save them. Super simple. But I’m going to tell you, there’s an artist named Dave Cockrum. He’s no longer with us, he has been gone many decades. I got to know him, I got to meet him, I got to tell him how much I loved him. That’s the one thing that I’ve loved, is that I really get to look back at all of the greats I was able to hang with, go to their houses, spend time, have meals, and just pick brains. And Dave Cockrum, the art in Giant-Size X-Men No. 1 is phenomenal.
As a kid, you respond to these great images. So, like I said, if Colossus doesn’t look as great as he does, and if Storm doesn’t look as great as she does, and Nightcrawler, it’s maybe a different subject altogether. But that art was so great, those characters, that chemistry, that issue. So yeah, I love it. And I’ve told people before, my biggest investment is a collector. And I’m not kidding you. I have millions of dollars invested in the X-Men, between the amount of original art and the graded books that I have. There is no concept character — I hate the word — IP that I have more personally invested. I try and tell my kids, “Look at these pages. These are important. When dad dies, don’t call this guy, this guy or this guy. Call these two people. Don’t take their calls.” And they look at me and are like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I’m like, “These are valuable. This is of great value.” So the X-Men is a sweet spot for me, and it is why I pursued being in the X-Men office early in my career.
New characters that are introduced in this comic, like Storm and Colossus, are memorable without being overly complex, while even theslight alterations made to Wolverine’s designstands out. As to Rob Liefeld’s larger point,such an approach to artwork is seemingly a lost art form in modern comics.
ThroughYoungblood, Liefeld hopes to recapture the feeling of artwork splashing off the page as a permanent fixturein the minds of readers, evoking the simplicity.Giant-SizeX-Men#1. The comic is more than just a masterclass in storytelling and drawing through the scope of the Marvel Universe, but a masterclass in how to immediately engross comic lovers with simplicity.
