On April 16 from 2pm to 6pm, creator Rob Liefeld will celebrate the anniversary of Image Comics' formation at Hollywood's Golden Apple Comics with the release of Youngblood #1, a brand-new 33-page comic that offers the perfect jumping-on point for first-time readers and longtime fans alike. Fans should RSVP for the event on Facebook, but also be sure to order Youngblood #1 through Liefeld’s webstore in order to pick it up in person and have it signed by the master himself.

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YOUNGBLOOD Is Back: Rob Liefeld Returns To the Historic '90s Series That Launched Image Comics

After a seven-year hiatus, Rob Liefeld is once more returning to "Youngblood," the pioneering series that helped establish Image Comics in the 1990s.

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ScreenRant interviewed Liefeld in advance of the event to preview the new story beginning with Youngblood #1, as well as the exciting new changes found in his Youngblood Deluxe, the fully remastered first issue of the original series. The comic legend didn't stop there, even teasing future titles and additional merchandise to accompany the celebration of what he calls "my greatest legacy."

What To Expect From Youngblood #1

“It’s A Love Letter To The Team Books That I Grew Up With”

ScreenRant: This marks your return to Youngblood after 16 years. What inspired you to come back to the comic now?

Rob Liefeld: I think probably having the book not available to me for five years, because it was licensed to another entity, really was a come-to-Jesus moment of "I may never work on these characters again!" But I had to own it to sell it in the first place. Scott Rosenberg ed Image Comics, we got back together and had a great time. We cut a new arrangement.

Like you said, the last time I did Youngblood, Barack Obama is on the cover. That is a place in time; that is a marker of history. He was maybe a month into his first term as President of the United States in 2009, so we have obviously traveled a lot since then. Now, here we are, 16 years later. The minute I started drawing them, I was just blown away. I started doing two different Youngblood stories at the same time. They were competing with each other. I would do about two pages a day, and one was a very specific story that almost lent itself to a one-shot, while the other had more echoes. And I said, "You know what? If I'm going to make my deadline, I have to make a hard cut right now, and one of these has to be sidelined." And I went forward with the book that's coming out Wednesday at Golden Apple.

It’s a love letter to the team books that I grew up with, like The Avengers, The Titans, The Justice League, and The Fantastic Four that I grew up. Those books don't exist anymore, and let me tell you something, I miss them. There's a different dynamic. They don't approach these books in the same way. So, this is my love letter, and I think it's kind of a How To Do Team Books manual.

I could not be more excited to share this with people, but I have not shown anybody this comic yet. I will not reveal this. You will see it for the first time at the store. Back in the day, say I was buying Frank Miller's Daredevil and Elektra had become my favorite character. I walked into the store, and there were no preview catalogs to tease the death of Elektra. I didn't know Elektra was dying! I walked into the comic store at 12 years old, flipping through the pages, then I got in my mom's car and cried.

But the element of surprise has been lost nowadays. "Here's the entire PDF of my comic book, order it." "Hey, everybody, I've put 15 pages online. But there are only 20 pages in the whole comic book." We're giving away the farm now so that the stores order comics at whatever discount. I'm like, "Screw that. I ain't showing you s--t."

ScreenRant: Is this Youngblood story a one-and-done issue, or are we looking at the beginning of a larger Youngblood saga?

Rob Liefeld: Youngblood #1 starts a storyline, but it is actually is 92nd issue of Youngblood. In eight issues, it will be the hundredth issue. And at that point, I'm flipping to legacy numbering, so you'll soon be picking up Youngblood #100, #101, #102... I originally didn't want to come back with issue #92, but my publisher, Eric Stevenson, helped me and said, "Rob, you're at this many issues. You should consider that going into it."

It's a brand new storyline. There is a new menace that they're encountering, but some of the things that he's doing tie back into events of extreme comics in the past. As issue #2 will reveal, there are some big consequences coming. If you've ever read a Youngblood comic, you know who they are on page 3; they're each identified. Then each character has a "get to know me" moment.

The great thing about having a 40-year career is that every 10 years, you get to reintroduce yourself. Somebody who bought my GI Joe comics or my Snake Eyes books, or picked up some of my Deadpool for the first time based on the movie hype, can now get behind Youngblood and start a new journey. This way, fans new and old can jump on and enjoy the same story.

The other comic that I'm going to finish here in the next few weeks, because of the 50th anniversary of Giant-Size X-Men #1, is Giant-Size Youngblood #1. That's the standalone story that I think people are going to totally dig. I was drawing it as an homage to the X-Men one, which I believe is the most influential comic of the last 50 years and changed the game. It will be out in the Summer.

It's funny that now I'm an old man. I did a book called Youngblood as a young man, and now that I'm 57, it still flows in me despite my gray hair. I am thrilled to get this into people's hands, and I'm going to publish what we make off this book. Lately, the new trend is, "Hey, look at my orders," but what they don't tell you is, "Hey, we're selling these for 20 cents." Well, then it's a promotional item. No, I'm going to give you the box office. And this book is going to be one of the most profitable books of 2025 because the fans have already spoken. It's that moment where the people want the stuff that you're doing, and it feels good as an artist. It really does.

ScreenRant: Which Youngblood character was the most fun for you to revisit in this modern context?

Rob Liefeld: Diehard. I view X-Force as my test template. It's the first team that people saw me assemble with my curations: Cable standing next to Deadpool, Domino, Shatterstar. But I've got to tell you, there's something about these characters that look so good together. I feel the same about Jack Kirby's New Gods, although I know it wasn't received in the same way.

Here's the funny thing: Diehard was the very first character I ever designed. When I was a kid, his name was the Mighty Ion. I have pages, and he looks just like him. It's a very basic design: he has a stripe down his face and some eyes. But seeing him red, white, blue, yellow, and drawing him again? I may or may not have given him extra pages because I was having so much fun. I was like, "I'm not ready to stop, let's keep going." I didn't really anticipate it, but I love drawing him. Part of it is that I haven't drawn him for 16 years, but he's a blast. And I think I went big for his moments. There's some big stuff in here; some big, fun Diehard moments in here that I think people will totally dig.

Also, in that 2009 comic book, I introduced Chapel's son very briefly. He was on Barack Obama's Secret Service detail - because we killed the real Chapel. We make reference to that, so the Chapel that you're seeing here is the son of Chapel. You'll understand that in the book very quickly. It's just fun doing some of this legacy stuff. But when people say, "Hey, are they older?" I'm like, "Not really." Peter Parker never ages. We're picking up where we left off, and we're just having a blast. From beginning to end, you will have a blast. It plays to all my strengths, and I try and give you a lot of fun character bits. And there are three cliffhangers in the same issue, so I'm hoping I grab people and keep their attention.

How The Remastered Youngblood Issues Will Enhance The Original Series

“It’s Like A Director’s Cut Of Youngblood”

ScreenRant: You're also releasing Youngblood Deluxe #1 this April. What makes that the ultimate way to experience the series?

Rob Liefeld: That's taking you all the way back to the original. I did that on a whim in 2007 and 2008, and we collected it together in a hardcover, and the hardcover sold out. I remastered along with Joe Casey; we reshuffled pages, we made them new, but we never released them as singles. I went to get a hardcover because we were running low - and my wife lets me know when I break the cardinal rule of not having enough family copies - but they're like $150 bucks. These hardcovers are really hard to obtain.

It was supposed to be out this week, but tariffs delayed it by a week. Thank you, tariffs. But I think the buzz about Youngblood will be there, so you can jump on board. We're releasing one issue a month of the original series, remastered and recolored, as an all-new presentation of this original material. You get to see directors do it in film all the time, right? It's like a director's cut of Youngblood. I think it's a perfect storm of having something new with the classic material. Trust me, there are more exciting Youngblood merchandise and licensed products to come.

It's exciting because the comics that I've done in the last year, called Last Blood, have detailed the future of the Extreme Universe. I'm like, "If these characters are going to have an end, I should be the one who ends them." God forbid I croak and didn't get around to that, so I just was trying to put my stamp on everything. Those comics exceeded all expectations, even though I was just making them for myself. But I knew that Youngblood was the highest profile direct-to-consumer launch that I think there's been in comics, and I am the beneficiary, so I hope to make them proud.

ScreenRant: What were you most excited to tweak or enhance in this new remastered edition of the original series?

Rob Liefeld: Taking pages from the opening of issue #2, where we introduced Prophet. For both the uninitiated and the well-versed comic historian, one of the most significant contributions that the original Fantastic Four series gave to comics was that it was a doorway to all these new characters: Black Panther, Silver Surfer, Galactus, the Inhumans. So many characters came to life through this run.

When I was doing Youngblood, issue #2 has Prophet, the Berserkers; Shadowhawk is introduced in the flipbook. It really became kind of a showcase book. Bloodstrike, Brigade... All of these were introduced in these pages. And so, taking the pages from issue #2, which is a prelude to what's about to happen, and putting them as the first pages of issue #1 was inspired. You've got these characters from this other dimension racing to make it through this portal, and then you find out what happens to them in issue #2.

It was a really great opportunity to reshuffle some moments and give the characters a little more impact. Honestly, it's wild what a fresh coat of paint will do for anything. Getting it re-lettered, re-colored, and re-scripted means these pages are going to meet a fresh audience because if you didn't buy the hardcover in 2008, you have never seen this work. Now we're going to recollect them all over again, so it'll be fun.

Looking Back On Image Comics’ 33-Year History

“No Matter What You Do With All Seven Of Us, It's Our Biggest Legacy”

ScreenRant: I grew up a huge Youngblood fan. This marks 33 years at Image Comics. Looking back at 1992, could you have imagined that Youngblood would be making waves in 2025?

Rob Liefeld: I would not have imagined that. But let me tell you, that day is as crystal clear to me as it was 33 years ago, and the ride got crazy fast. We opened the day with the big g at Golden Apple, which is a legacy store. I feel like it's a monument of Southern California, of the LA comic book scene, and of the LA scene period. It's been serving people for so long.

So, when Bill Liebowitz said, "Rob, I want to have a big g for this," the next thing I know, the LA Times is doing a front-page story. There are police helicopters, news choppers, and thousands of people in line. It really opened Image Comics with a giant exclamation mark. But at the time, when you're young, you don't really think ahead. I was 25, so I wasn't thinking about 30, 20, or even 10 years ahead.

But that's why we started that company, so that we could determine our fate. Here's the deal: I created this entire library of characters, which I called the Extreme Universe. And my right in doing that was that, eventually, I could sell a piece of Youngblood for a partnership to someone else and bring in investors and all this different stuff. But that's open to you because you have to go forth to do it and to break the mold.

The proudest thing about Image Comics is what me and my fellow founders did. It's hard to look back and go, "For 33 years, these guys have kept the rule of the company." If you walk in with a comic book creation, you walk out owning that book. Image still does not take a piece of your media or your licensing; you own it. They are there to facilitate the publishing. The deal is the standard deal that's been there for 30-plus years, and it is there to empower creators, and that is a powerful legacy. In the last couple of years, I've realized that no matter what you do with all seven of us, it's our biggest legacy.

To be back at Golden Apple, April 16th, 2025, 33 years later, it's really like the cosmos have aligned. I really did not know if I would be interacting with these characters in this manner even a few years ago. So, to be reunited is a blast.

ScreenRant: When Image Comics launched, it really disrupted the industry. In what way do you think that same energy is still alive today in comics?

Rob Liefeld: What's not changed? If you were to put the Golden Lasso around all of my former founders, current partners, and even the execs, Image is a source of contention to this day. Image is spoken of as a serious competitor, and there are meetings taken at the big two companies about, "How do we get some of these sales from Image back into our corner?"

For the people who weren't there, the biggest single day for Image was in August 1992 with seven comics, and the charts will show you three of those were Youngblood books. One was Youngblood #0. We became the number two biggest comic company. DC was putting out 50 comics, Marvel was putting out 60, and we had 7. We became the number two comic company, and our market share just rocked the industry. I believe it's because the company's been true to itself and offered the best for creators, and it's offered the best conditions.

The pre-sales that I have done on Youngblood have floored me. People really want this book back, and they want it done by the guy who made these characters in the first place. I've said that before. They want Spawn to be written by Todd, Wildcats to be drawn by Jim [Lee], and for Marc [Silvestri] to do Cyber Force. We are synonymous with these creations. This is a giant movement. People when Image launched and, like you said, it was a disruptor because no one saw it coming.

If I can be honest, they said we would fail. They said, "These guys are going to go out of business in nine months." The beauty of it is that we all knew what we wanted out of it. We wanted to create a library of characters that we would control the rest of our lives, so we created these incredible stories and kept doing it. One day, you have a Bloodwulf comic, and 33 years later, you have a Bloodwulf action figure that's one of the best, most badass action figures on the planet. But this is creator ownership: I cut that deal, I signed that contract, and I got paid for this action figure.

But what I've also learned is that the characters they want me doing the most are the Youngblood characters, without a doubt, because they're the launch characters. The fans and the customers have been very open in sharing that with me, and it's great getting the . I always am very keen to listen to what they're saying.

Rob Liefeld Will Not Stop Advocating For Comic Creator Rights

“The Big Two Do Not Adequately Treat Creators How We Deserve To Be Treated”

ScreenRant: Over the years, creators like Alan Moore, Mark Millar, and Robert Kirkman have all touched Youngblood. What does that legacy of collaboration mean to you?

Rob Liefeld: It's badass. I have had some of the best writers in comics on Youngblood, and each of them told me what a blast they were having. And that doesn't happen unless I leave Marvel, launch Image, and create my own stuff. You just sit there and go, "Why didn't I appreciate this more at the time?" These are giants, and each of them was eager. None of them was a hard sell. Each of them showed up with a very distinct pitch. And I don't think we're done.

It's so humbling when people tell you how much they love the work that you've done and how much it meant to them. But people are already calling: "Can I do this? Can I do that?" Based on the response, we will have opportunities to expand. I probably shouldn't say it, but there's already a Badrock comic that I'm deep into [with art by Seth Damoose]. He's a different animal himself. Just too much damn fun. But I am taking the profits from this book and putting that into production on other Extreme comics because this is such a wide cast of characters.

But it's just a blast. I have had a career that exceeded the career I dreamt about. When you're on a phone call with Alan Moore for two hours talking about Quentin Tarantino, you're like, "We're just on a different plane. This is a different world." And none of that would've been available to me if I just stayed the course and done work for hire. I think my greatest legacy, which I share with my partners, was Image Comics.

It continues to be bigger than the characters. They may make a Deadpool movie every six years, but there'll be Image Comics 24/7 every day of the week, every week of the year, publishing comics. And it is a terrific legacy.

ScreenRant: You've been a vocal advocate for creator rights since the Image revolution. How do you see that movement evolving today?

Rob Liefeld: I wish it would evolve more. I believe the Big Two do not adequately treat creators in the way that we deserve to be treated. We are the George R.R. Martins. We are the Stephen Kings. Unless I put Deadpool on paper, you're not making a movie. You're not making toys. I was 20 years old when I negotiated these contracts, and they have kicked all sorts of ass. No one at Marvel can ever tell you that I asked for a better deal than the original one that I negotiated. I was a good little businessman. If you write a Deadpool comic, I got paid for it. That's a pretty damn good deal. That's what I left when I left Marvel.

But I knew that there was so much more. I say it all the time: we're the dreamers, and if we don't fill those pages up with characters and conflicts and consequences, then they're not making anything. They should be so much kinder. It costs nothing to treat the families of these creators better. You know what? 20th Century Fox treated me above and beyond; I was shocked at how kind they were and the recognition they extended to my family. I knew that when it went to Disney, I would get treated like s--t, and I did.

Regardless, I don't wake up anything other than so excited every day. But what does it benefit me to be quiet? I don't need anything from Marvel. They hold nothing over me. I'll be honest, after the Deadpool premiere, I turning to my wife and saying, "I don't think I'm going to finish this series." But she said, "Finish it. You'll want it collected and completed. You owe it to yourself. Then walk away and don't look back." She gave me great wisdom, so I shut my mouth and did my work. I think the best Deadpool comics we got last year were the ones I did, period. But when it was over, we were done.

I will always hope that they treat the next guy better, though. I understand how difficult it is out there for creators. We're just asking to be treated with the same respect that you give the people who perform our characters for us. Maybe realize that those transformational roles don't exist without us, so give us a little extra respect and kindness. No one's asking for more money; this is not a financial situation. It's just simply, "Why do we have to work so hard to make sure that our credits are buried at the bottom of the scroll?"

What I'm telling creators is, "If you are doing an issue of X-Men that outsells all the other X-Men issues, maybe it's time for you to move on." "If you're doing a Spider-Man issue that's outselling, maybe it's time." This is what Todd [McFarlane] and I said to each other in 1992. "Bud, if we screw this up, there's always DC Comics. Maybe Marvel will never hire us again, but DC will." The big two exist to play. I saw everybody play them off each other my entire career, so stop being so scared. Empower yourself. You are the talent. You're the special voice. You are a great writer who is wowing us, so know your worth. That's all I'm saying. Know your worth.

If you're wondering why I queued so closely to Deadpool for the last 10 years, it's me making sure that I'm going to be the focus of that character when that character is getting some spotlight. That's called management. I have an equity share in these characters, toys, and games, and that is more than me drawing an issue of Spider-Man. An issue of Spider-Man to me is a paycheck, but anything that I created at Marvel, I had equity in. Now, that period of my life is over, but I've got all these other characters.