Monkeys Fighting Robots had the chance to speak to indie comics creator Michel Fiffe (Copra/Zegas) about his new continuation of classic Extreme Studios title Bloodstrike, the appeal of 90s comics, and communicating with Rob Liefeld via albino ravens.
MFR: First off, thanks for taking the time. I know it’s convention season and everyone is crazy busy!
Michel Fiffe: No problem. Let’s do this!
MFR: Alright, so I know from reading the afterword you and I came into comics at roughly the same time (I’m from Miami, too and A&M was my LCS!). What do you think made that such a great period to get into comics (because I love it, even though it gets SO much hate)?
Michel Fiffe: Comics were a fairly common, ubiquitous hobby that got bit [by] the speculator bug. Some corny things came from it but some raw, batshit crazy things came from it, too. Shout out to A&M, peddlers of filth and dreams.
MFR: Oh and one thing, props for the D.R.I. reference on Deadlock’s shirt! What made you choose D.R.I.?
Michel Fiffe: Deadlock is the kind of guy who would be found in the pit at one of their shows when not stealing cars or lurking behind alleyways.
MFR: What comic (or comic artist) made you want to make comics?
Michel Fiffe: The original He-Man mini-comics that came with the toys. First comics I read.
MFR: What was it about Bloodstrike that made you want to bring it back from the dead (pun intended!)?
Michel Fiffe: A deep down desire to see their costumes in print again.
MFR: What was your process like for Bloodstrike?
Michel Fiffe: I plotted the entire thing before anything. That was the biggest challenge, to fit as many elements into a tight narrative as I could. Scripting and drawing it was next. Every step of the way was really fun, to tell you the truth.
MFR: Did you have a lot of contact with Rob Liefeld?
Michel Fiffe: He would actually send little notes strapped to albino ravens that would say “keep up the good work.”
MFR: What do you hope a reader gets from Bloodstrike?
Michel Fiffe: A fun experience that can only be found in comics and that will be reward upon subsequent rereading. I stuffed this thing to the gills.
MFR: What comics/creators do you follow today?
Michel Fiffe: I had a tiny shred of everyone I like do contribute to the Brutalists book: Paul Maybury, Chuck Forsman, Ed Piskor, Benjamin Marra, Buster Moody, Gianis Milonogiannis, Matthew Allison, Zack Soto, and Andrew MacLean.
MFR: What’s going on on the Copra front these days?
Michel Fiffe: I have the “COPRA VERSUS” mini-series that I have to wrap up. After that, it’s right back into the regular series.
MFR: Are there any other projects you want to talk about?
Michel Fiffe: COPRA is all I have on my mind. I cannot wait to get back to it.
Thanks again to Michel Fiffe for taking the time to talk with us. Bloodstrike: Brutalists #0 is available now at your local comic shop and you can check out michelfiffe.com for Copra and more!
All images courtesy of Image Comics and Michele Fiffe.
