Jeremy Love talks about Fierce, the newest addition to the Rocket Comics line!

My brothers and I own and operate Gettosake Entertainment (www.gettosake.com), an illustration and animation studio. We started in 1998 with a self-published comic book. We’ve since moved on to various film and TV projects. Last year we jumped back into the comic business full force and we plan on playing in this sandbox for while.

Tell us about Fierce, where did the idea for this character come from?

I’ve always loved man-on-the-run action thrillers like Three Days of the Condor, North by Northwest, and The Bourne Identity. It is always more interesting when the protagonist can’t even trust his own mind, much less anyone else. I wanted to mix that aesthetic with hardcore action and I needed a way to make the lead a total bada@#. I also knew I wanted it to take place on the mean streets of Kingston, Jamaica. So the story just evolved from there.

How would you describe Fierce? Is it more psychological or action oriented?

I would say it is more action-oriented with psychological undertones. As each issue progresses the action-quotient overtakes the psychological aspect. The final issue would make Michael Bay proud. So yeah, I would definitely call this an “action-thriller” rather than a “psychological thriller”.

Fierce’s psychic powers aren’t perfect; do you find flawed heroes more interesting?

Definitely. One of the first things I did when I created the character was to set limits and parameters on his powers and stick to them. There has to be a sort of logic and suspension of disbelief. I didn’t want to turn his powers “on and off” at will, for convenience. Fierce’s flaws actually tie directly into certain story elements, but I don’t want to reveal too much.

This comic has a distinctive look, who were some major influences on the art style?

There is a mixture of various influences from Arthur Adams to Jason Pearson. Our secret weapons are inker Jeff Wasson and colorist Chip Zdarsky. Jeff has a strong line that compliments Robert’s pencils. Chip brought it all to life with his earthy, gritty colors. We wanted this book to have the look of a Tony Scott film, and by and large I think we succeeded.

There are some nice moments in the first issue where you get a peek into Fierce’s past, how much of his background will we come to see?

The full story will be revealed over the course of the series. Fierce’s past will come full circle by the end of the story. Every event in this series is a result of a choice Fierce made. I wish I could say more, but everyone will just have to pick it up to find out!