Copperhead #18 Review

Copperhead #18 Review
Written by: Jay Faerber
Art by: Drew Moss
Colors by: Ron Riley
Letters by: Thomas Mauer
Published by: Image Comics

A review by Cory Webber

This issue of Copperhead picks up right where the last issue left us. With the relationship between Clara and Boo still strained, they each find themselves in situations that lead to them having to trust, and work with, each other again. Boo, recently assigned to be mayor of Copperhead, is out following a hunch that inches us closer to realizing Mister Hickory’s true reason for being in town. Clara finally faces off against Clay in a tense back-and-forth in front of Zeke, as she tries to shelter him from the truth.

First things first, Clara is a fierce, independent, butt-kicking woman. And she makes that very clear in this issue. However, we do see a softer side in her as she deals with Artie’s situation. It’s a humility and affection that she has never shown, and all for an android, to boot!

The strength of this series has been in Faerber’s characterizations. Each character has a unique voice and personality, and we sympathize with most of them, to some degree. Well, except for Mister Hickory; he’s just a greedy, corporate-type jack-hole who has had his grip on this town and its people long enough! So, it was nice to get a glimpse as to what his true motive is, even if it is just a last page reveal that leaves us with more questions than answers.

Now, the art, and I mean this as a compliment, is simple and conveys only what it needs to convey, nothing more. There are no fancy layouts, no eye-popping splash pages, or mind-boggling spreads. There is not much detail in the backgrounds; however, the strength of Moss’ art is in the characters themselves; the facial expressions are some of the best in comics today. The panels flow with such ease and fluidity that the story never seems to have any pauses…whether it’s a cruiser speeding across the desert, a tense standoff, or a conversation between two people. This makes for a quick, enjoyable read that doesn’t leave you feeling like you’ve been short-changed. Riley’s colors are well-suited for this story. He uses a pretty small palette of primary and secondary colors, along with some earthy tones, which I think helps maintain the scope of this story taking place in a small town on a small planet. There are no flashy pops of exotic color to grab your attention. That is taken care of by the well-written characters and the pacing at which this story is told.

Verdict:
Buy it! If you’re looking for a fierce, butt-kicking woman character to follow and inspire you. Also, if you’re into space westerns. Who knew space westerns were a genre I needed more of in my life?!