After the previous issue’s surprising conclusion, there were so many interesting directions Faerber and Moss could have taken the story. They could have given further insight into Hickory’s schemes, provided a glimpse into Clay’s motivation, or given Zeke more to do in this new story arc. Despite the fact that some narrative progression takes place in this chapter, the reading experience feels as if the storytellers are spinning their wheels in preparation for major events to be unveiled in future instalments. As a result, “Copperhead” #12 is the series’s most underwhelming issue so far.
Written by Jay FaerberCover by Scott Godlewski
Illustrated by Drew Moss
Colored by Ron Riley
Lettered by Thomas MauerWhile Doc Mosley conducts the most shocking autopsy of his life, Clara continues her investigation into the mayor’s murder… which puts her on a collision course with the interim mayor.
The comic has a rather intriguing opening scene that saw the return of the charismatic Doctor Mosley. Alone in his clinic, Dr. Mosley is performing an autopsy on the recently deceased mayor when he realises that the stab wounds on the corpse aren’t actually stab wounds, but rather, bite marks. While pondering the implication of this discovery, an alien worm leaps out of the cadaver and takes shelter in his office. This shocking turn of events is the first time the ‘Copperhead” series has delved into the body horror sub-genre. There could have been plenty of interesting story material within this scenario but sadly the storytellers chose not to explore this particular story thread too deeply. The ultimate purpose of this development is that it complicates Clara’s investigation into the murder. It remains a mystery whether the creature killed the mayor or someone planted it in his office to do the deed.
Meanwhile, Clara and Boo’s already testy partnership becomes strained when she realises that he has become her superior and thus must follow his orders. From her point of view, she sees it as yet another underhanded attempt by Hickory to undermine her authority as Sheriff of Jasper. Boo on the other hand, takes offence at the implication and insists that he intends to remain independent and won’t be controlled by anyone.
The most underwhelming character interactions occurred at the Sheriff’s home. Mrs. Sewell, now settled into her role as Zeke’s babysitter, becomes protective of the lad when Luke makes some bold attempts at ingratiating himself into the boy’s good graces. The tension between Mrs. Sewell and Zeke was not written well. After the buildup of Luke’s character, he has become a disappointing addition to the cast whose only purpose appears to be to get Clara back.
Jay Faerber is a talented writer with a knack for witty dialogue and has a gift for blending exposition within conflict in an engaging way. Those gifts were not showcased this time. In this issue, the interactions between characters felt off. There was a lot of predictable, on the nose dialogue and the characters lacked the vitality readers have enjoyed for the last 11 issues.
Overall, the artwork is a vast improvement over the previous installment, but pales in comparison to the outstanding work done by Scott Godlweski, whose presence is sorely missed. Drew Moss retains some of the structural techniques often employed by Godlweski. For instance, the selective use of splash pages to bookend the comic is an effective way to start the book and adds extra oomph to the cliffhanger.
There’s also been improvement in the way he draws faces. The characters, except Mrs. Sewell, resemble the people we’ve become familiar with. The establishing shots on some panels also mirror Godlweski’s style. For example a shot of Clara’s house, illuminated by the moon looks even more dynamic with the inclusion of a tortoise-like creature in the foreground. Godlewski tends to incorporate flora and fauna into his compositions and it’s good to see this stylistic flourish has been retained.
“Copperhead” endeared its readers from the beginning with a unique premise, endearing characters, spellbinding writing and exceptional artwork. Maintaining such a high level of quality throughout its run would be a difficult task to accomplish. Hopefully this rare dip in quality is merely a setup for dynamite stories yet to come and not an indication of a promising comic in decline.
