Robservations with Rob Liefeld
Robservations is a podcast by comic book legend Rob Liefeld that explores and celebrates comic books as an art form and their impact on culture.
Episodes
The Defenders! In Exile??
Hulk! Dr. Strange! Silver Surfer! Namor! Titanic Marvel Heroes gathered together again at the dawn of the 21st Century, featuring the work of Hall Of Fame All-Stars! Why are these comics not collected in trade or available digitally in any way, shape or form? Rob dives deep into the Erik Larsen era Defenders!
Deadpool 4! Cable! Comic-Con 2026!
Deadpool 4! Cable! Marvel Drama! So much news!! It’s the jam packed Road To Comic-Con episode!
Wacky Marvel Goes West!
Marvel is making moves! New location?? New Editor In Chief?? Will any of it matter? Can their faltering brand be fixed?
X-Men:Elsewhen! The Odyssey!
X-Men! Wolverine! Odysseus! Athena! Byrne! Damon! A tale of 2 Odyssey’s! Rob does a deep, non-spoiler discussion of Christopher Nolan’s adaption of Homer’s The Odyssey as well as John Byrne’s personal Odyssey to reunite with the franchise that he helped launch into the pop culture stratosphere!
The 3 Things Marvel Gets Right!
Even a broken clock is right twice a day, so there had to be some elements that Marvel is succeeding at? Here are the 3 Things Marvel Gets Right!
Daniel Warren Johnson
Transformers! Wonder Woman! Extremity! Chainkata! Today we look at the phenomenal work of Daniel Warren Johnson, the singular most consequential talent of the last decade! Rob celebrates his artistic vision and accomplishments!
Marvel’s The Odyssey
49 years before Christopher Nolan took his shot at bringing Homer’s Epic The Odyssey to screen, Marvel took their own unique crack at it as part of their celebrated Comic Classics Marvel line up!
Holy Terror, Batman? Miller’s Masterpiece!
In the months following 9/11, legendary talent, Frank Miller set out to create a story pitting Batman against the terror network, Al-Queda. Over the course of 6 years, the story, characters and publisher changed. Rob walks you through all of it as it unfolded in real time.
X-Men 97! X-Force Creator Speaks!
X-Men! Cable! X-Force! X-Factor! The new season of X-Men is booming with 90’s excitement and Cable & X-Force creator Rob Liefeld pulls back the curtain on the secrets and inspirations behind the characters and conflicts defining the show!
Big Brad’s Marvel Essentials! Part 2!
X-Men! Daredevil ! New Mutants! Continuing our list of absolute essential runs to better understand the transformative power of Mighty Marvel when it’s most imaginative talents are unleashed, free from the restraints of corporate editorial retreats!
Big Brad’s Marvel Essentials!
Congrats to Big Brad! You got the Marvel job, now you need to make the necessary changes! Rob recommends 5 Essential Marvel Runs to best understand & restore the Mighty Marvel Magic!
Ragebait, A.I. & Hot Topics!
Folks out there be raging, baiting, hustling for engagement! Beware the lies that are sold as truth! The State of A.I., Hot Topics and more!
Anniversary Achievements!
Avengers! Fantastic Four! Justice League! X-Men! Youngblood! Anniversary Achievements examines the big hits and the big misses that have occurred with anniversaries past! Also, Todd McFarlane! Marc Silvestri! Whilce Portacio! Erik Larsen! Jim Valentino! How Rob assembled the most bad ass 60-something’s to contribute to Youngblood #100! And some young gun, Robert Kirkman, a writer no less, made a c
The Mike Mayhew Interview!
No artist is making more noise in the comic book space than artist and entrepreneur Mike Mayhew. His art is electric and exciting. He is bold and bright & excited to share how he has built his comic book business over the past decade. I loved chatting with him, much to learn and apply!
Marvel: The Buckley Blunders!
Marvel: The Buckley Blunders! What happens when the new boss arrives and the curtain is pulled back at Marvel. Decades of failure exposed.
The Crash!
Amidst wide spread concern that the industry is headed for another crash, Rob is joined by retail and convention magnate, Jimmy Jay, to discuss the warning signs & preventative measures for avoiding disaster. Also, the exceptional career of Gerry Conway (1952-2026) is honored!
Jim Lee: Top 5!!
Rob celebrates the career of Jim Lee by sharing his favorite works by the legendary, best selling artist!
The Mighty Mailbag Edition 2026
The Mighty Mailbag Edition 2026! You asked the questions, Rob gives the answers! Thank you for listening!
Marvel/DC 2026 Showdown!
Avengers:Doomsday! Supergirl! Spider-Man! Clayface! Fresh from CinemaCon, Rob shares his impressions of all the upcoming comic book films and their potential impact on Marvel & DC publishing operations!
Image at 34! CinemaCon! Marvel Massacre!
Rob is on the road from CinemaCon in Vegas. He shares views and insights to Image & Youngblood at 34 and on the Marvel Massacre where artists suffered for executive privilege!
Todd McFarlane Hall Of Fame!
4 decades of McFarlane excellence sets the stage for our inaugural Hall Of Fame episode! We look at Todd’s extended body of work. Spider-Man! Spawn! Hulk! Invasion! Infinity Inc! Batman! Which one is your favorite?
Robert Kirkman Speaks!
Invincible! Battle Beast! Terminal The creative powerhouse writer, producer and Image partner joins Rob for a monster, in-depth 2 hour conversation covering his incredible creative output. The future of Invincible, Battle Beast, Terminal, Transformers and the Energon Universe is discussed. Plus, The Kirkman Manifesto from the author himself! Strap in for a great time!
ABSOLUTE Everything Everywhere All The Time!
The ABSOLUTE Episode. Why it works, where it’s going!
Marvel’s Doomsday!
Doomsday! What we know, what we think we know and what to expect from Marvel’s biggest movie in years!
The Decades:1979!
The Decades:1979! Peak AVENGERS & X-MEN! Alien! Star Trek:The Motion Picture! Disco Ruled. Michael Jackson makes Off The Wall! Marvel introduces 11 key characters! A spectacular year, a year so fine, welcome to 1979!
DENIED! Frank Miller’s 1985 Absolute DC Reboot!
Another jam packed show featuring the details of Frank Miller’s far reaching plans to reboot DC’s Icons in 1985. Find out about “The Amazon”, “Metropolis” and “Dark Knight” entailed. Plus, The Juice with Jimmy Jay, covering the insanity that was Megacon and a tribute to the late, great Sam Kieth!
Marvel’s Deep Freeze!
A Jam-Packed Jumbo sized episode! With Marvel as cold as ice what will it take to finally heat them up? Also, Dark Knight at 40! The Untold Secrets Of Dark Knight revealed, art and ideas that reshaped, altered and polished what continues to be the most influential comic of this modern age!
Break Up’s, Shake Up’s & Make Up’s!
Stan & Jack! Chris & John! Chris & Jim! The Break Up’s, Shake Up’s & Make Up’s that shook the industry!
The CON-Fluence!
Wonder Con! Megacon! C2E2! Planet Comicon! Convention Season is here! Rob takes your $500 dollars and spends it for maximum engagement!
Comic Book Camelot!
The Legend of King Arthur never shined as bright as it did in the early 80’s with John Boorman’s Excalibur and Brian Bolland’s Camelot 3000 releasing one year apart. Two seminal works of tremendous influence get their due flowers!
Comic Craze! Fever Frenzy!
D’ORC! WHITE SKY! NECTAR! An avalanche of new titles are dominating the headlines, sending fans scrambling in their hunt to obtain them! Rob is joined by retail/convention magnate Jimmy Jay to breakdown the current comic book market!
Comic Book Rescue Roles!
A pair of Comic Book roles provide essential lifelines for talent in difficult times! The stories of Iron Man and Deadpool, and the transformative cinematic opportunities they provided!
Why Marvel Should Buy DC Comics!
Paramount has won the right to own Warner Bros. and the mountain of debt that comes with it. With $75 billion dollars in debt hanging over them, costs will be cut, channels and labels sold off. Rob proposes a scenario where Marvel steps up to license the DC Comics publishing rights. Is a shared publishing universe a possibility?
Is Marvel Tanking?
All is not well in Marvel-land. They can’t keep talent, their comics are stale and gimmicks won’t save them. What comes next?
Comics Pro!
Rob attends the Comics Pro Industry Conference and shares his adventures and impressions!
The Power Of Perez!
JLA! Titans! Crisis! An episode squarely focused on the most important hire in the history of DC Comics! How George Perez topped the charts, bringing an army of Marvel Zombies across the street to DC with him! Also - Todd McFarlane calls in! A must listen episode if ever there was one!
The Kirby Chronicles!
Jack Kirby left Marvel for DC Comics in 1970 and the industry shook. While his characters, such as Darkseid, are in the spotlight in today’s blockbusters, such as DC K.O., it wasn’t always so. The story of Jack’s sudden exodus and Marvel’s subtle but effective counter measures continues to provide valuable lessons for the industry today!
The 500 Show!
We made it to 500 episodes and Rob celebrates sharing insights and notable quotes from legendary comic book super stars from across the ages. Listen and learn!
Pro's & Cons
This episode is guidance intended for professional eyes and ears only.
Mad About Manga!
Attack On Titan! Kaiju No. 8! My Hero Acadamia! Manga is soaring in popularity but how exactly is it made? What is the process of making your favorite Manga title and how does it differ from the classic American comic book creation process? Rob looks at the history of the studio system!
Sal Buscema:Legacy
Spider Man! Hulk! Rom! The Defenders! Avengers! The Late, Great, Sal Buscema was a pillar of Marvel Comics for over 6 decades! Rob shares his favorite Sal Buscema work as well as interviews and commentary from his peers.
The Jim Valentino Chat!
From Guardians Of The Galaxy to Shadowhawk, his work has entertained the masses! Comic book legend and Image Comics Partner, Jim Valentino, joins the show for an extended chat covering his many accomplishments & his impact on the comic book industry. The man who green lit Walking Dead & Invincible speaks!
The 4th Wall Breakers!
Howard The Duck! Lobo! Deadpool! Ambush Bug! Bloodwulf! She-Hulk! Rob walks through his own progression as a fan, watching the emergence and later, the evolution of the fourth wall breakers in comic books.
Why The 90’s Rule!
The Comics Scene was exploding with new characters and opportunities, until, it wasn’t. How comics went from a creative based model to a curator based model and what was lost in the exchange!
The Whilce Portacio Chat!
X-MEN! PUNISHER! IRON MAN! The creator of Bishop and original Image Comics Founder, Whilce Portacio, joins the show to discuss his incredible art and his impact on the comic book culture! He covers his decades of crafting popular stories and art, building a studio with Jim Lee and Scott Williams, and starting a school in the Philippines that launched the careers of Lenil Yu, Philip Tan and so many
The Kirkman Manifesto! Part 2 - The Industry Reacts!
As Robert Kirkman leaves Marvel in 2008, he releases a call to arms for all creators. In the aftermath, significant industry notables fail to offer their support, sharing opposition instead.
The Kirkman Manifesto! Part 1
A celebrated indie darling signs with Marvel only to find multiple obstacles in his path. In 2008, he would break from his contract, become a partner at an industry rival and record an infamous and controversial call to arms. In Part 1, Rob takes you through how it all went down.
You Fixed Marvel!
The word went out and you responded overwhelmingly, by the thousands, with your ways to FIX MARVEL! I share many of them here today.
The Anniversary Show!
Dark Knight! Superman vs. Spider Man! 2026 rolls in with multiple anniversary celebrations for Marvel, DC & Image! Audio note: Portions of this episode contain uneven or distorted audio levels.
The Mighty Marvel Meltdown!
2025 was a rough year for Marvel across every platform. As Marvel looks to return from rock bottom, Rob brings a sense of understanding and examines what is missing from the current culture inside the Marvel Locker Room.
Secrets & Lies!
Drastic changes in the way the comic book industry operates have lead to massive forays into fraudulent & deceptive information being shared as actual facts? Just why are the rankings and numbers of comic books sales so wrong and misleading? How did we get here and what changes can be made?
2025 Finale!
It’s our last show of the year! Just what did we learn from 2025 anyway?
November 13, 2025
2025 Unwrapped pt. 1
Batman! Battle Beast! Marvel Talent Exodus! As we look towards the end of the year, Rob unpacks & unwraps the year that was 2025! The biggest stories, the big moves and the lessons learned! What will 2026 bring?
1996! Comics In Chaos!
1996! Comics In Chaos! An in depth look at a year that was both turbulent and exciting for comic books and pop culture! Marvel Vs. DC! Heroes Reborn! Mark Waid on being “fired”. Image Fractures! Independence Day Blows the roof off!
The X-Men Fix!
The X-Men Fix! Movies & Comics, let’s fix ‘em!
Marvel/DC! Fight Club!
From Marvel to DC, from Gil Kane to Frank Miller to Daniel Warren Johnson and everything in between, the evolution of action choreography in comic books!
The Best Drawn Comics. Ever!
Marvel! DC! Batman! X-Men! Superman! Dr. Strange! Rob shares what he believes to be the finest illustrated comic books ever published. Listen and sound off, share your views and opinions! Did he make the right calls?
Jim Lee & The Star Wars Gambit!
Jim Lee pursues the Star Wars license armed with generational talent but ultimately comes up short, failing to seal the deal. Would obtaining Star Wars transformed Wildstorm Studios and prevented the eventual sale to DC Comics?
The A.I. Invasion!
Having spent many months talking with multiple A.I. companies, Rob shares his in-depth understanding of the future of A.I. in entertainment and pop culture.
Marvel’s Ultimate Sadness
Ace Frehly! KISS Comic book legacy! Neal Adams! The Lost X-Men Story! Marvel’s Ultimate Sadness! It a jam-packed episode of comic book excitement!
The NYCC Wrap Up!
Drew Struzan Tribute! Inking John Byrne! Talking with Jim Steranko! Meeting With Gary Vee! Image Comics Dinner! What a show!!
NYCC Spectacular! Pt. 1
Todd McFarlane! Gary Vee! Jim Steranko! Robert Kirkman! Brian K. Vaughn! New York Comic Con was an experience like no other!
The New Comic Book Algo!
X-Men! Avengers! Fantastic Four! The Algorithm of comic book publishing is continually changing and lately it’s evolving at a rapid, somewhat troubling pace! We discuss the new model and what comes next!
Comic Art Now!
Comic Art Now! X-Men! Spider-Man! Superman!!A discussion of the tradition of the power of comic art and how it shapes the stories, moments and excitement of our favorite characters & titles!
You’ve Got The Power!
Rob discusses the challenge of changing tastes and how publishers respond and evolve! Batman, Flash, Aquaman, X-Men & Youngblood are part of the conversation.
Follow The Money!
An episode focusing on the business of making comic books. What are you waiting for? Get in the hunt!
Marvel & DC: The Top Team Up’s!
Spider Man! Superman! Hulk! Batman! X-Men! Rob shares his favorites, revealing the secret moves & motivations that brought about the original Marvel & DC Team Up’s!
Fact vs. Favorite!
Masters Of The Craft. Fan-Favorites. The Misconception Of Nostalgia.
The Art Show!
Inkers. Auctions. Artwork.
LIE-FILLED! Smashing Myths!
Legacies. John Buscema. Myths & Lies.
Batman & Deadpool! Comic Book Fall Preview!
Deadpool & Batman! New Transformers! DC Absolute! Today we look to the future, previewing the upcoming comic books arriving this fall with Southern California’s Premiere Retailer! Rob is joined by Mike Kadin, owner of Comics, Toons & Toys for an in-depth discussion of current market conditions! What’s hot, what’s not and what’s on the way!
E.M. Gist: Painting Comics
His covers frequently adorn titles such as Star Wars, X-Men, Moon Knight and soon, Deadpool & Youngblood! One of the most popular and in demand illustrators of the past decade, E.M. Gist, joins the show to talk process, career path and his future projects!
The Dave Finch Interview
New Avengers! Batman! Moon Knight! Join us for an in-depth discussion with superstar artist David Finch as he prepares to launch SKINBREAKER, his new comic book in collaboration with Invincible & Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman! The work he has produced has raised the bar for all that will follow!
Super Summer Round-Up!
Super Summer Round-Up! Batman! Transformers! Supergirl! What were the biggest hits of the summer season? Retail & Convention Guru, Jimmy Jay joins us to break it all down! What hit, what missed?
X-MEN: Influence and Inspirations
Alien. Star Wars. The Warriors. Slap Shot. The power of influence is an incredible thing and The Uncanny X-Men incorporated popular films & television in real time during their most acclaimed and celebrated run. Rob takes you on a deep, deep dive, issue by issue, as the inspirations were unveiled.
The Fantastic Four!
The Comics. The Movie. Rob’s Review. The Marketing. The Box Office. ‘Nuff Said, True Believer.
The 2000’s - “We’re Doomed!”
We look back to the dawn of the new millennium and a comic book industry in disarray. Failed imprints, faltering sales and widespread panic was pervasive. Interviews and excerpts from notables shed light on a tumultuous start to a new era! Erik Larsen! Kurt Busiek! Mark Waid and so much more!!
Jim Starlin: Marvel’s Secret Sauce!
Was Jim Starlin, Thanos Creator and Cosmic King, the key to Marvel’s biggest successes? What is separating the perception on the box office with Superman & Fantastic Four? Comic book trends and more on an extended episode of comic book’s & pop culture’s most candid show!
The Comic Con Wrap Up pt. 2!
Comic Book Beefs! Discussing Super Star writer Brad Metzer, Direct To Consumer Comic Books and Didja Know? with Arthur Adams! Another jam packed Comic Show!
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