Entry tags:

comics, internet lawyers, liefeeeeeeld!, person: randy queen

This is not the response Rob Liefeld would recommend.
There's this Tumblr called Escher Girls, which dedicates itself to critiquing flawed female anatomy in comics, often with various re-draws of a more human proportion.

One of their more popular subjects is the work of Randy Queen and his sex-bomb good-ol' down South girl of dreams and nightmares, DarkChylde. Oh, memories. I used to read DarkChylde when I was young and naive and looking for good comics with girls in them. Personally I used to think the art was beautiful, until I realized it was actually the colouring I loved. Sorry, I deviated.

Well, Mr. Queen wasn't too happy about this and filed a bundle of DMCA notices to have the critique taken down. Oh, and he also threatened to sue the woman behind Escher Girls for defamation.

Gail Simone and John Scalzi tweet their thoughts.

Randy Queen tries to clarify his position: "You're mocking 18 year old work. You think it's so bad, YOU make a comic!"

Rob Liefeld facepalms.

Full write up on The Mary Sue.

As of four hours ago, he apologized!

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to clear up a few things that happened this past week. I have been having a very hard time in my personal life with the loss of my mother and my marriage having fallen apart and found myself in a very vulnerable and fragile state of mind. There were posts on the web criticizing my artwork that were brought to my attention and added to my stress. I reacted without thinking it through, but have now stopped, realizing my response was the wrong one to take. I am doing my best, each day, to get myself back on my feet and getting my life in a better place and realize now that I have just try to move on and get back to my art, the thing I find the most joy in these days. I want to thank those professionals, friends and family who have been giving me their support, understanding and love.
Thanks for listening.
~ R

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	lady7jane 2014-08-06 08:07 pm UTC (link)
	I forget, was Liefeld an asshole or just a bad artist? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	anarchicq 2014-08-06 08:11 pm UTC (link)
	Just a bad artist. I can't think of any especially wanky occasions with him, but maybe I'm forgetting. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lady7jane 2014-08-06 08:16 pm UTC (link)
	Okay. I don't know which I'd prefer. It would be funnier if he'd gone through something similar, but now it's just good advice from a wise man. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	anarchicq 2014-08-06 08:24 pm UTC (link)
	I saw it more as "Dude, grow a thicker skin. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about" (Reply to this)(Parent)

	white_serpent 2014-08-06 08:24 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, we have tags for Rob. http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/tag/liefeeeeeeld! http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/tag/person:+rob+liefeld (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	anarchicq 2014-08-06 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, I know we did. hey, lookit that. I actually posted one of those wanks. I'm losing my memory in my old age. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	sepiamagpie 2014-08-06 08:33 pm UTC (link)
	You think it's so bad, YOU make a comic! I tried and it was Eschergirls material too. covers face not boobs and butts, just an inability to figure out where legs attached under dresses after years of letting my doodle muscles atrophy (Reply to this)

	iczer6 2014-08-06 09:51 pm UTC (link)
	Darkchylde! I remember really liking the comic back in the day. (Reply to this)

	ashenmote 2014-08-06 10:41 pm UTC (link)
	That apology was embedded in grief like you would embed reporters in a war effort. Not bad. (Reply to this)

	dragoness_e 2014-08-07 01:34 am UTC (link)
	You missed Ken White over at PopeHat commenting on Randy Queen's foolish legal threats. (Reply to this)

rhiannonmr
2014-08-07 06:35 am UTC (link)

Yeah he apologised AFTER he spoke with an attorney who probably told him; "Dude, you don't have a chance in hell with this one." And with all the flap about it, people who wouldn't know him from Adam know he's an asshole.

I don't read comics, but I did go look at some of the examples and yeah, dude does not know anatomy at all. He also needs a good lesson on proportion but he's like a lot of other artists who exaggerate tits and ass and leave very little in between. And his poh wittle feelings got hurt when people called him on it. He needs to grow up.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	white_tean 2014-08-07 10:25 am UTC (link)
	Yes, and after big comic people like the amazing Gail Simone said that they'd help fundraise for a legal defence for eschergirls. So he definitely knew he was running up against a lot of opposition before he apologized. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	hopsandbarley 2014-08-08 06:29 pm UTC (link)
	Hah, I KNEW no attorney would take his case seriously. My faith in the law is restored just a little. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	taterbird 2014-08-09 12:48 am UTC (link)
	And with all the flap about it, people who wouldn't know him from Adam know he's an asshole. Truth. I'd never even registered him as a person before this, and I follow Escher Girls. Now he's pretty much mentally flagged as a douche. Hopefully he's got some positive stuff to tip the balance back to neutral. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	the__ivorytower 2014-08-07 05:32 pm UTC (link)
	I actually follow EG, and after they posted about the DMCA, he contacted them AGAIN to try to get their 'slanderous accusations' down. Because, you know, they simply conveyed the information that if someone was looking for Randy Queen's work and found it missing, it's because he had it taken down. He r a star, that one. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	the__ivorytower 2014-08-07 06:30 pm UTC (link)
	The most recent post from EG, it seems like things have been resolved, and she's contacted tumblr to get the posts restored. Here. (Just tried to highlight a word and add a link to it. Toooooo much time on tumblr, and I thought trying to find the little heart button was the first sign.) (Reply to this)(Parent)

	deliciouschaos 2014-08-07 06:54 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, son, when Liefield facepalms at you, you done goofed. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	spawn_of_kong 2014-08-08 06:58 pm UTC (link)
	Heh, MTE. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	taterbird 2014-08-09 12:42 am UTC (link)
	Dude, Rob Liefeld told you to shut up and deal. Listen to the man. He's practically the king of Escher Girls submissions. (Reply to this)

	were_lemur 2014-08-10 01:23 am UTC (link)
	The Streisand Effect is a beautiful thing. (Reply to this)

	soc_puppet 2014-08-14 03:26 am UTC (link)
	"You're mocking 18 year old work. You think it's so bad, YOU make a comic!" He's defending 18-year-old work. He thinks it's so great, I'd hate to see how little he's improved in the nearly-two-decades since then. (Reply to this)

embyquinn
2014-08-24 04:27 am UTC (link)

Hell, I mock my own 18-year-old work ALL THE TIME!! I'll be the first one to admit how mockworthy some of it is.

As for the "apology"? Feh. Maybe I'm getting too cynical in my old age, but...

Just wanted to clear up a few things that happened this past week.

Let's watch a man backpedal like Lance Armstrong trying to cycle backwards up an oil-slicked hill to avoid falling into a pit of hungry crocodiles at the bottom.

I have been having a very hard time in my personal life with the loss of my mother and my marriage having fallen apart and found myself in a very vulnerable and fragile state of mind.

Aaand here we have a bid for sympathy and a plea of temporary insanity!

There were posts on the web criticizing my artwork that were brought to my attention and added to my stress.

See? SEE?! His mom died and his wife left him and he was all vulnerable and shit and then WE started kicking him when he was down! We're meaniebutts!

I reacted without thinking it through, but have now stopped, realizing my response was the wrong one to take.

Pitty he didn't realize it before he made a complete public ass of himself. Not that he's the first, or will be the last.

I am doing my best, each day, to get myself back on my feet and getting my life in a better place and realize now that I have just try to move on and get back to my art, the thing I find the most joy in these days.

Actually, I don't think his art is the worst on the planet. I've seen much, much worse. It's not even the fanservice that bothers me because there was such great demand for it for such a long time. It's kind of sad and dated now, though, and a lot of artists can't seem to stop drawing oversexed, deformed females.

I want to thank those professionals, friends and family who have been giving me their support, understanding and love.

What about those who gave you a much-needed and well-deserved kick in the ass to bring you to your senses?

Thanks for listening.

You're welcome, dumbass. Now STFU.

(Reply to this)