DIVINITY III: Stalinverse #4
The Stalinverse endures! The world has gone red, and now the epic final confrontation begins as Divinity, Ninjak, Shadowman, Komandar Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, and the Red Brigade all choose their side on the lines of the coming battle… Wait, you think we’ll tell you how this one ends? Nyet, comrade! The universe as we know it hinges on this, so make sure you read this one first, Valianteers!
BLOODSHOT REBORN #0
Perhaps the most important issue in Jeff Lemire’s continuing Bloodshot epic. Don’t miss this very special story…as we unveil a shocking new revelation in the Bloodshot saga. The next chapter of Bloodshot starts here!
Last call for this Valiant collections sale!
Including the origins of your favorites from Valiant High, like Coach Bloodshot…
BLOODSHOT Vol. 1: SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE
Every mission is a suicide mission.
Your name is Angelo Mortalli. Your brother is trapped behind enemy lines and on the verge of — no. That’s not right. Your name is Raymond Garrison. You’ve retired from the dangers of the field, but a desperate plea from your oldest friend plunges you into a vicious firefight that — no. That’s not right, either. You are Bloodshot. You are the shade of gray that freedom requires. The perfect confluence of military necessity and cutting-edge technology. A walking WikiLeaks. A reservoir of dirty secrets that could set the world on fire. And you’ve just been captured.
And many more excellent Valiant titles, including Divinity.
DIVINITY
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union - determined to win the Space Race at any cost - green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent a man farther into the cosmos than anyone has gone before or since. Lost in the stars, he encountered something unknown. Something that…changed him.
Long thought lost and erased from the history books, he has suddenly returned, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity - one who turned the scorched desert into a lush oasis. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. Now the rest of the world’s powers must decide for themselves - will the enigmatic Divinity offer his hand in friendship, or will Earth’s heroes find themselves helpless against the wrath of the divine?
Michel Fiffe @zegas is a Brooklyn-based cartoonist who’s made a name for himself over the past few years with his rigorously produced self-published comic Copra, as well as for his work for Marvel (All-New Ultimates, Secret Wars: Secret Love), Dynamite (Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers), Image (Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies) and Valiant (Bloodshot Reborn Annual 2016).
This week, he launches a new self-published title, Copra Versus, and I got the chance to chat with him about it…
CX: Greetings, Michel. Care to introduce yourself and your work to our readers?
MF: Michel Fiffe is my name and Copra is the comic book series that I write, draw, color, letter, publish & distribute. It’s a violent team book that’s about 26 issues in.
CX: Tell us a bit about your latest book, Copra Versus.
MF: It’s an all-villains limited series featuring the roster of enemies that the Copra team has built. Since the regular book is already pretty jam packed, I wanted more elbow room to spotlight some of these creeps one issue at a time.
CX: One creator we’ve talked about a lot, who we both love and who I know is a big influence/inspiration on Copra, is original Suicide Squad writer John Ostrander. What do you think it is about Ostrander’s writing that attracts you?
MF: Ostrander is technically brilliant and in complete control of the 22 page comic book structure. More importantly, he’s excellent about making you give a shit about the characters he’s writing. A difficult and rare task in comics.
CX: Favorite Ostrander comic?
MF: Suicide Squad #10, “Up Against the Wall”, the quintessential Squad story. Deadshot #1 is a close second, but just barely.
CX: Have you ever gotten to meet Ostrander?
MF: I haven’t! I’ve interviewed him before and e-mailed him a few times but never in person. I would love to.
CX: You’re part of a group of creators, along with Chuck Forsman (Revenger), Ben Marra (Terror Assaulter) and Rich Tommaso (Dark Corridor), whose work is both influenced by and feels, in some ways, like a response to, action movies and comics from the 1980’s. What is it about that particular moment in popular culture that is currently resonating so much?
MF: It all stems from a desire to build and maintain a visceral momentum in our work, I think. Marra was ahead of the game on that one and he’s certainly an influence on me, at least in terms of approaching genre in a personalized way. Whereas before, I was resisting my instincts in the name of some nebulous ideal. It’s something I still wrestle with, but that’s what makes Copra fun and challenging to work on.
CX: Follow up question, are you, Forsman, Marra and Tommaso in a gang? What is your gang called? Can I join your gang?
MF: To tell you the truth we’re not even friends. We despise one another. On a strictly professional level, we had a summit in Vegas years ago and field-tested tons of ideas. We came to the conclusion that, to further our careers, we should all talk about [filmmaker Abel Ferrara’s ultimate anti-catcalling/urban revenge movie) Ms. 45 as often as possible.
(edtior’s note- since Michel didn’t answer, everybody please contact these guys and tell them to let me join their gang).
CX: Finally, can you give us any hints of what Copra Versus has in store for us, and what you plan on doing next?
MF: On top of the regular Copra issues, which are still coming out, the Versus mini will feature Klaus and his gang of cyborg mercenaries, last seen in Copra #4… the Latin-American death squad known as Los Asesinos… the Vitas crew who ambushed Copra in the very first issue… and the four individuals (see Copra #s 11 & 12) who were sacrificed/transformed by a government cult trying to bring forth the Age of Ochizon. Don’t miss an issue!
Read Copra and Copra Versus on comiXology!
Bloodshot
A former soldier with powers of regeneration and meta-morphing made possible through nanites injected into his blood. After having his memory wiped numerous times, Bloodshot is out to discover who he really is and get vengeance on those who did this to him. Bloodshot’s bloodstream contains a billion nanocomputers, enabling him to heal from injuries quickly, interface with technology, and shape shift his mass. However, his oxygen-starved brain has lost its memories.
Get to know the first star of the upcoming valiantentertainment cinematic universe by diving into his action-packed backstory for up to 72% off this weekend.
For Bloodshot, every mission is a suicide mission.
75% off Bloodshot collections & singles now through 9/29.
Handpicked by the fans themselves, we’ve got a selection of some of the best recent titles from Valiant on sale for 99¢ each until 1/16.
Circa 1996: Bloodshot: Last Stand
Everybody loves a good last stand. When the chips are down and the hero is backed into a corner, out-gunned, out-numbered, and out of control what else can you do but go out with a bang? Just make sure you make that bang a big one. Especially if you’re 90’s Bloodshot.
Kevin’s Picks of The Week (8/21/2013)
- PICK OF THE WEEK: Edison Rex #9: Things get Meta in this issue and I personally loved every minute of it. There’s even a few Guided ViewTM Native moments stuck in for good measure. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, you won’t be disappointed.
- Daredevil #30: This self-contained story gives the Man Without Fear a taste of the Power Cosmic and a sweet one at that. If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about with this series, this issue is just what you need to be reading.
- Bloodshot #0: Got to love a good secret origin story. Another self-contained single issue, this one shines a light on the Bloodshot project’s early days with an ending that is guaranteed to shock!
- Doc Unknown #2: This gem of an indie books is fresh from comiXology Submit, yes it’s another secret origin issue but the art is fun and the story top-notch. If you’ve been looking for something new, check out Doc Unknown.
Kevin tweets, tumbles and gives the occasional thumbs up across comiXology’s social media profiles. He sometimes dreams in sequential art.