A licensing manager for trading card giant Topps recently misdirected his outrage and disappointment over the untimely death of actor Chadwick Boseman towards comic creator Rob Liefeld.
On September 1st, Topps’ Entertainment Licensing Manager Adam Levine posted a message that featured “A List of People I Wished Had Died Instead of Chadwick Boseman” and included a singular name on the list: Rob Liefeld:
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While it appeared to be a misguided and inappropriate attempt at humor, the death wish did not sit right with Liefeld himself, posted a screenshot of Levine’s post to his own Facebook page alongside a caption that stated “People continue to prove how atrocious they can be.”:
The short post would conclude with the creator asking, “TOPPS, you employ this person?”
Liefeld would further assert that the post was “ugly”, “inappropriate”, and “shouldn’t be tolerated”, state that his “kids are of an age that they have Facebook accounts now”, and express his disappointment that he “shouldn’t have to explain to them why a stranger publicly posted his desire that I be dead.”:
The creator would also note that his “family heard of this before I did. Really shameful.”
Following his post Liefeld would receive an outpouring of support from friends, including those involved with the comic book industry.
The creator of the Danny Ketch version of Ghost Rider, Howard Mackie, stated that “The ONLY solace I take when I see something like this is when I search and discover this p.o.s. is not a FB friend of mine.”:
Writer Frank Tieri expressed his amazement at “how it’s like we’re not real people with actual families to people like this.”:
Comedian and former Deadpool writer Brian Posehn simply stated that the post was “really f—-ing gross.”:
Though Levine has since deleted the offending Facebook post, he has yet to offer up any form of apology, instead telling detractors “that’s hardly the most offensive thing i’ve ever posted.”:
Related: Deadpool Creator Rob Liefeld on DC Comics: “Just Vaporize It and Begin Again”
Levine would continue to double down by stating, “Clearly the most offensive are my posts supporting antifa, BLM, and LGBTQ rights, because those seem spark a LOT of hate from right wing nut jobs!”
As of writing, Topp has not publicly commented on this event.
What do you think of Levine’s post? Was it a joke too far or a genuine attack? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!