Rob Liefeld's Most Famous Original Captain America "Heroes Reborn" Art is Going Up For Auction
You all know Rob Liefeld’s 1996 Captain America “Heroes Reborn” art. The ultra-stylized art is well known as it has become a popular meme. I just can’t help but love the charm of this image with Cap’s gigantic chest proportions and how his entire humongous arm disappears behind his shield at his waste. This thing always puts a smile on my face. It’s just the 90s comic art that a lot of us grew up loving, but it didn’t make sense.
This famous cover art is featured over at Heritage as part of a comic original art auction. There’s currently no starting bid or projected value that’s been placed on it yet, but the bidding doesn't open for another week or so.
Liefeld said that he sold the art in 1999, so this is at least the second time the image will have hit the market. Other artists featured in the collection for the event include Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.. When talking about creating the art, Liefeld said:
"I just wanted to draw a big, bold Captain America. Here's the deal: They blew that up at the Heroes Reborn conference in New York City at Marvel Comics. Jim Lee and myself flew out to New York. That was the image and people kept saying 'Oh, look at that Captain America.' I didn't hear anything negative about that image until the 2000s. It was like somebody decided, 'I'll meme it. I'll do it!' I don't mind it either. It doesn't shake, rattle or roll me."
Here’s the description that was shared with the art on the auction website:
Rob Liefeld - Captain America "Heroes Reborn" Promotional Illustration Original Art (c. 1996).
This is it... the most infamous comic illustration ever created! Love him or hate him, Rob Liefeld has made a name for himself in the comics industry as a superstar artist and creator throughout his 35 years in comics. Liefeld worked on Captain America for the "Heroes Reborn" event, which marked his return to Marvel after leaving the comic giant to form Image Comics. His art style has been the focus of debate for fans over the years, with this promotional illustration for the title being an overwhelming favorite of people's love/ire. The piece spawned countless memes and populates any Google search involving "Liefeld" or "Captain America". It is unlikely that any other piece in comics history has been more talked about or gotten more attention, especially since the age of the internet! Ink over graphite on Image Bristol board with an image area of 9.5" x 15.25". Rough upper right side edge, whiteout corrections/touch-ups, blue pencil in the lower right corner, and light handling wear. Signed by Liefeld in the bottom left corner and in Excellent condition.
You can check out the art piece below:
