Copra #2 Review

Written, penciled, inked, colored, and lettered by: Michel Fiffe
Published by: Image Comics

It’s the escape from A.R.M in issue #2 of Image’s Copra. The cliffhanger from the first issue is quickly resolved and most of the story is the action-packed escape attempt. It doesn’t take long for the first kick to be thrown and once it is, the team goes to work to defeat their captures.

This story is surprisingly character-based. I have not read the other issues before the Image launch, so I don’t know if that’s par for the course, but it did subvert my expectations. Not only is the team exclusively in a fight in this issue, but they are developed all while it is happening. The use of inner monologues is the key aspect of this issue. Each member’s thoughts are shown, and each has an interesting ongoing thought process. It takes what would just be a fight scene and turns it into segments from each person’s perspective. Even the villains are given development and introspection. Although, dedicating the issue to one point in time left a feeling that it didn’t move the “plot” forward much. But, with the competence he is crafting this book, I’m sure there’s a masterplan Fiffe is aware of. There are a few other scenes that break up the main escape. This doesn’t just keep it interesting with changes in tone, but also with Michel Fiffe’s changes in style and coloring.

That is the best part of this series so far. It feels like Fiffe is taking chances on every page. Where some would choose to illustrate a comic in one set style, this comic stays engrossing because you have no idea what he’s going to write or draw next, or how he’ll choose to display it. The action in this issue feels different from the action that opened the last issue. In some shots, he still uses that frozen, but fluid style where he outlines movement, but a lot of the action in this story feels like crisp static snapshots. The lettering is just as cohesive as in the first issue. Copra is truly the work of an auteur, Fiffe makes every aspect of the comic eye-catching. When scenes change and then the coloring and illustrating does too, it makes the comic sing. Every shot is executed in a way only he would have thought of doing it.

The backmatter of the comic has an ode to the history and influence of Image comics along with some Fiffe illustrations of classic Image characters. Including Image founders Todd McFarlane’s Spawn and Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon, and later additions like Sam Kieth’s The Maxx and Dale Keown’s Pitt. It shows the inspirations of a creator that took what those before him have done and added a voice uniquely his.

Fiffe is composing Copra into an amazing comic book. He has crafted so many elements into a thrilling read.  With a seemingly endless bag of tricks, he is keeping me excited to see what he’ll pull out next.