Interview with Michel Mulipola Pt. 2
This is an ongoing series where I interview API comic writers and artists with questions that dig a little deeper into who they are, how they got into comics, and what their thoughts are on API identity in the comic book industry.
Quick Bio: Michel Mulipola is a self taught comic book artist from Auckland, New Zealand. He’s been immersed in the world of comic books since the tender age of five and has wanted to draw comic books from that moment on. He’s done work for various anthologies and is currently working on the U.S comic book, Headlocked: The Last Territory. When he’s not doing comics, he spends his time dropping people on their heads as a professional wrestler for Impact Pro Wrestling. As one of the few Samoan comic artists, Michel has also dedicated some of his art/time to honor Samoan heroes.
Here we go with part 2 of my interview with Michel, where he shares more about the roots of his passion for comics, and ultimately his community.
Where’d the name “Bloody Samoan” come from?
Bloody Samoan was one of those negative terms I heard a lot as a kid. If myself or someone else did something wrong, you’d here, “Bloody Samoan!” Sometimes it’d be used in a racist tone by a white person who just didn’t like the look of you.
Polynesians are natural storytellers. We love to spin fantastic yarns and have a good laugh amongst ourselves…
I decided to take that name and turn it on its head and make the negative connotation into a positive one. One thing that also helped was that with the Samoan flag being predominantly red, I was able to do up a cool looking logo of the Samoan flag made out of blood splatter. When people ask about my website and other social media handles, they usually have a chuckle when I say Bloody Samoan. So owning it and turning it into my brand has de-powered the term of any negativity that is was founded on.
I’ve been doing a lot of research, scouring the web to find more Pacific Islander comic writers and artists. There doesn’t seem to be too many. Why do you think that is? How do we increase PI representation in the comics world?
It’s weird. Polynesians are natural storytellers. We love to spin fantastic yarns and have a good laugh amongst ourselves, I think that’s why there are a lot of successful Polynesian artists. Polynesian artists who have excelled in dance, poetry, books, painting and acting. They are all telling wonderful stories but not many are using the comics medium to share their tales.
Because I grew up with comics and loved comics since I was a kid, it became my way of telling stories. In high school, lots of talented Polynesian artists loved to draw the comic book characters but no one really went that extra step further to draw comic stories. I don’t know why more Polynesian people draw comics but I’ve taken it upon myself to create a public profile and be the ‘face’ of Polynesian comic book artists. The more Polynesian people that become aware of my work, the more they realise that comics can be a career.
One thing I absolutely love to do is visit schools, especially low decile schools, to talk to the kids about who I am and what I do. Showing other little brown kids that no matter what your dream is, regardless of how different or uncommon, it is still attainable through hard work and determination. If I can encourage just even one little kid to do what they love, whatever it is, then I’m happy. I always try to be the person I wished I could look up to when I was a kid wanting to draw funny books. In New Zealand, there are plenty of resources open to Polynesian artists to gain funding and recognition.
The reason I do comics isn’t for recognition but because I love the medium. I vowed to never let my work be a reflection of everyone else’s expectations…
In my experience, I’ve often found that my chosen art discipline (comic books) is sometimes deemed ‘too white’ a medium to count as ‘Polynesian Art.’ On the flipside, my work is usually seen as too mainstream and myself deemed too brown to be included in the general New Zealand comics scene. The reason I do comics isn’t for recognition but because I love the medium. I vowed to never let my work be a reflection of everyone else’s expectations, and concentrate on creating the best work I can. Being able to be in control, promote myself and really let my work speak for itself has made it harder for the naysayers to ignore me.
Not only are there few writers/artists, but that means fewer PI stories and characters out there in comics. What Samoan stories still need to be told in comics? What PI characters would you like to see in mainstream comics?
I was fortunate enough to work on the Samoan Heroes book last year where I illustrated the myths and legends of the Samoan culture. Being a New Zealand born Samoan kid, we grew up learning about Maori myths and legends in school. And while I enjoyed learning about Maori stories, I never knew much about my own Samoan stories. Working on Samoan Heroes, I was able to not only learn about my people’s stories but create my own versions of the legendary characters. The Samoan Heroes book ended up winning a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016 which was pretty awesome. The book is found in public and school libraries around New Zealand so children around the country can learn about the stories of Samoa too.
One thing I am always asked when people find out I’m a comic book artist is, “Have you made a comic about a Samoan superhero?” And I usually reply with, “No.” Have I thought about creating a Samoan superhero? Sure. Do I want to make one? Not yet. There have been people in the past who have tried to create Polynesian superheroes but honestly, they were horrendous. They were created by sub-par ‘artists’ who were looking to cash in on an ethnic superhero with no regard for the craft of comics. As a comic book artist, telling a story is my prime directive and if I were to ever create a Samoan superhero, the story would have to be right. I won’t create a Samoan superhero just for the sake of it because in the end it becomes an empty representation and serves no-one in the long term.
Polynesians are more than just tattoos, grass skirts, bare feet and savagery. We are normal people living in a modern world.
I would love to see non-stereotypical Polynesian characters represented in comics. Polynesians are more than just tattoos, grass skirts, bare feet and savagery. We are normal people living in a modern world. Though I do not draw Samoan superheroes, I do incorporate Polynesians and other ethnicities into my crowd scenes because that’s the community I was raised in. I would just like to the world around me reflected in the comic stories I read and as a comics creator, I have the power to show that.
What’s your latest comic project? What’s the best way for us to support your work?
My latest and most well-known comic project is Headlocked. Headlocked is a comic about a young college dropout who thinks he has what it takes to make it into the world of professional wrestling. Along the way, he gets beaten, tortured and broken down in his journey into the seedy underbelly of pro wrestling. My experience in both drawing comics and being a pro wrestler gives me unparalleled insight into both worlds and making sure the action and scenes in the book are respectful and true.
As well as the Samoan Heroes book I previously mentioned, I have just finished up illustrations for the Tongan Heroes book featuring stories of the Tongan people. Originally, we looked for a Tongan illustrator to draw the images but unfortunately the people who put their hand up for the project pulled out and so the job came to me. It’s sad, really, because this was a great opportunity to showcase a Tongan artist but comics and professional illustration is an uncommon art practice for Polynesians. By being vocal and creating a higher public profile, I hope to change that attitude and show people what we can really do.
The best way to support my work is to purchase my books which are available on my website: www.bloodysamoan.com also keep an eye out for future Kickstarter campaigns for Headlocked graphic novels.
You can also find me on:
Facebook — www.fb.com/bloodysamoanart
Twitter — @bloodysamoan
Instagram — @bloodysamoanart
