Written by: Jay Faerber
Art by: Scott Godlewski
Publisher: Image
Boy oh boy, two issues in and I think that Copperhead may very well be one of the biggest surprises of this year. There have been a ton of great new books this year, but, barring Undertow and a few others, they were from well established creators, and it was pretty much ensured that they would be great. Copperhead didn’t have the same level of hype surrounding it as most other new books do, and yet, it definitely deserves levels of hype that are either equal to or greater than most other new books. Copperhead is a damn good book, and it does so not by being outlandish, but by simply telling a great story. Look, if a book has a great plot two issues in, chances are it’s a great book.
This issue wastes no time jumping right back into the story, and picks up pretty much where the first issue left off, with Zeke and Annie encountering a strange figure in the Badlands. All of the tension built up in the first issue is still there, though the second page acts as something of a release valve, reeling back the tension, but only for a single moment. Despite how great the main plot is (and we’ll get to that in a second), I think the scenes in the Badlands are the best. The dialogue is minimal here, and so the story telling is left up to artist Scott Godlewski. Despite the scenes being largely action oriented, there is some great visual storytelling and character development for both Annie and Zeke, simply through their facial expressions, and that’s amazing.
Back in Copperhead, Clara and Budroxifinicus continue their investigation into the deaths of the Sewells. For those who don’t remember, those were the unforgettable green creatures from the first issue. This is equally great, as this is where all the genre bending comes into play. These scenes are equal part science fiction, western, and crime. The best part about this is that it works. It’s like the writer Jay Faerber just took all his favorite genres and mashed them into one book. Unlike most instances of this occurring, however, this tri-genre blend actually benefits the book. While there is undoubtedly a lot going on as a result, it’s awesome.
The character dynamics are what really make this book great. There’s awesome tension between Clara and Boo, as the two vie for power. It will be interesting to follow this dynamic into future issues, as the two are forced to work together more. Even now, it’s cool to see Boo taking shots at Clara, and Clara simply ignoring them. She is the perfect example of a strong female character. She’s really just a character, and she happens to be female, which is great. Faerber isn’t reinventing the wheel here – he’s just writing a great character. In addition to the existing cast, this issue establishes more members of the supporting cast. Two of them are great characters, the third is barely given anything to do. Unfortunately, there’s not much more to be said without getting too deep into spoiler territory.
There’s not much about Copperhead #2 that isn’t good. pretty much every aspect of the book has me longing for more. There’s so much complexity and nuance to Clara’s story, and this issue really illustrates that.
