Rob Liefeld is a busy man. Along with his growing list of regular credits at DC Entertainment, the Southern California native has just announced that this summer he will be reuniting the many members of his Extreme Studios for a complete comic book adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s massive 94-volume novel series, La Comédie humaine.
“Most of my Marvel and DC work was obviously a direct ripoff of the many works of Émile Zola and Marcel Proust, I admit that. But I always dreamed of doing a proper study of Balzac’s definitive magnum opus to end all magnum opuses,” stated Liefeld in a recent phone interview. “Specifically, his La Comédie humaine- though being a historical fiction account of the Restoration- could well serve as a roadmap for how the United States might survive the coming years. And of course, being a precursor in so many ways of more topical political themes such as feminism and how such may affect intergenerational society in general. I think it will all go over really well, particularly in today’s economically depraved climate.”
When asked about the reunion of his popular 1990s studio, Liefeld commented “And getting the band back together will be the rad icing on the big fat devil’s food cake. Marat Mychaels, Dan Fraga, Chap Yaep, and everyone else have all really grown over the years. Not artistically, I mean they have all survived cocaine addiction and excessive bible studies, working on crappy animation jobs and rap albums, so the timing is right for Extreme to make comic books Extreme again!”
“And aliens,” Liefeld teases, “there will be aliens. And Blood. Extreme blood.”
The first arc, titled Etudes de Moeurs au XIXe siècle, will be written by Liefeld with Robert Napton and Eric Stephenson, and illustrated by Cedric Nocon, Anthony Winn, Chuck Jones, PEDI, Paul Scott, and Liefeld, with a badass cover by Mark Pacella. Look for it on the stands in July. Or as Liefeld puts it, the Three Glorious Days of the July Revolution, 2.0!
