A while back we downright gushed about Copra, the spectacular comic book by Michel Fiffe. In the article, we made specific note of how amazing a feat it has been for Fiffe to self-publish a monthly book that he writes, draws, and colors. If we didn’t make it clear before, any comics fans not reading Copra are doing themselves a severe disservice.
Amid the demanding schedule that Michel has to adhere to in order to meet his deadlines, he was willing to take some time out of his day to chat with us about the book.
The Killray: What made you take on the daunting endeavor of writing, drawing, coloring, lettering, and self-publishing a monthly book?
Michel Fiffe: I’m a control freak with a strict schedule. Collaborations on any level weren’t even a consideration. There’s a time and a place for that, but Copra demands my full attention.
What has the experience been like thus far? I would imagine at this point you probably have a solid system down. How is getting issue #10 out different than getting issue #1 out?
The story is more involved and time consuming at this point, but I’ve gotten faster in execution, so it levels out. Being close to the end helps the momentum, too.
If I’m not mistaken the original plan was for 12 issues of Copra, is that still the case, or will there be more to follow?
I committed to a year’s worth of monthly issues, so 12 is the main goal. By the 2nd issue, though, I had come up with enough backstory to continue if I wanted to, and after a brief hiatus, I plan on doing just that.
That’s awesome. You put out a Suicide Squad fan comic Deathzone! prior to Copra. Unfortunately I was late to the game and wasn’t able to pick it up, and it kills me. Any chance we may see it pop up somewhere, perhaps digitally? I really feel like I’m missing out.
Deathzone!, in its bootleg unofficial glory, will definitely not be represented digitally, no.
Clearly the classic Suicide Squad is an inspiration for your work on Copra, what other books had a big impact on you?
After the 80s Suicide Squad series, I’d say I lean more towards creators rather than titles in terms of inspiration: Miller, Simonson, Baker, Hernandez, Ditko. All these guys, and many more, continually inspire me.
One of the things that first struck me when I picked up Copra was how well choreographed the fight scenes were. Is this something you put a lot of work into?
Yeah, I map out every jab and kick. A fight scene can be used as a necessary step within the story, and given a team book, with all of its potential chaos, clarity has to win out.
The way the panels are set up is another thing that I think really adds to the narrative. Where do you come up with some of these page layouts?
This may sound like a hack, rote answer but it really depends on what the story calls for, or what kind of mood I’m going for.
What established characters or titles would you like to one day work on? Any dream stories you’d like to tell?
You’ll have to wait for Copra #50 to find out!
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A big thank you to Michel Fiffe for taking the time out of his already insane schedule to talk about Copra.
You can find more information about Michel and his work, as well as links for purchasing at his personal site michelfiffe.com.
