As we approach the end of “Copperhead”, reviews will be handled in batches of two or three issues. Issues 13 and 14 further develop story arcs introduced in the last chapter. After the last lackluster installments, do these entries restore the excitement of the first ten issues?
Written by Jay FaerberCover by Scott Godlewski
Illustrated by Drew Moss
Colored by Ron Riley
Lettered by Thomas MauerClara gets closer to the mayor’s killer as another body drops; Clara has a violent encounter with the mayor’s killer—while a new threat closes in on Copperhead.
Sadly, these two entries continue the downward trajectory this series has been on since Godlweski relinquished his role as regular artist. While he continues to provide covers for the series, “Copperhead” #13’s cover is by far my least favourite. It feels rushed and lacks the polish and attention to detail that makes his work such a joy to behold. Having already endured two disappointing entries, the reader is filled with a feeling of apprehension that the interiors are just as uninspired.
“Copperhead” #13 continues the familiar structure, favored by artist Drew Moss, of opening with a splash page. In this case, he showcases a minor, imposing character featured on the cover. To his credit, it’s a fine piece of artwork that makes the character seem menacing. This character, however, has such a small role in the story and only serves as an obstacle for Clara in her efforts to apprehend the mayor’s killer. As such, the first 3 pages only reinforce how much of a badass she is while barely advancing the story. There was also a plot point that felt forced. Issue 12’s cliffhanger saw her quit as Sheriff of Copperhead, so the fact that we see her actively doing police work at the beginning of the comic makes the climactic events of the previous issue seem inconsequential.
Clara’s investigation leads her to the discovery that the mayor was cheating on his wife with a prostitute thus giving his estranged spouse a motive for his murder. As she pursues leads on the case, Hickory increasingly asserts his dominance over Boo while hinting at his plans for the town of Copperhead. This was one of the comic’s weakest subplots and it became repetitive when the same beats were repeated in “Copperhead’ #14. In addition, the anatomy of these two characters is way off at times. Boo seems smaller than usual while Hickory has been made much bigger and even seems to loom over Boo in a few instances.
Meanwhile, back at the Space Station, Clay and his companion encounter various difficulties in their attempts to escape to Jasper. It had been implied that Clay is a dangerous man and we finally got a demonstration of what he is capable of when he single-handedly beat up a group of armed outlaws. This moment would have been spectacular had Godlweski drawn it.
It is unfortunate that we have to constantly compare the two artists, but the fact is that the original penciller had an extraordinary command of pacing, camera placement, chiaroscuro lighting and inventive panel shapes that made him excel at rendering dynamic action sequences. Moss does his best but still, Godlweski’s absence is felt with every page. I wish he put more detail in objects and the environment. There’s a panel where Clay is threatened by a gun-wielding alien but the gun looks absurd, almost toy-like. Additionally, his facial work falters sometimes. For instance, at the Space Station, notice the first panel that features Clay and his companion. Clay doesn’t even have a nose while her visage is basically a sad face emoji.
The reveal of a teleporter at the end of this subplot is such a convenient development that makes it seem like the writers needed a quick way to get these characters to Copperhead and begin the conflict with Clara.
The most exciting sequence occurred about halfway through the comic when Clara fights the assassin. The pencilling was Moss’s best in these 2 issues. The panel layouts were good and the kinetic action flowed quite well. The colouring was my favourite element of this particular sequence. The sinister yellow skin tone of the assassin versus Clara’s pale complexion, the contrast between Clara’s bloody red injuries against her adversary’s blue blood was exquisite.
The splash page that ends the issue could have been better. The final arrival of two characters whose presence has been teased for the last few chapters wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it would be. Probably because the build-up wasn’t well handled. Also, the artwork on this page had some of Moss’s failings — the facial work on one character looked odd. The lightning flash may have been used to make the characters more ominous but something didn’t quite work in the execution. Thankfully, the confrontation that has been teased for some time now will finally happen soon. Hopefully it’ll be worth the wait.
