Copra #5 Review

by Jay Hill on February 05, 2020


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

The coming of Ochizon has been foretold, and before the members of Copra are even given a chance to digest this information it seems like that arrival may be imminent. A family turmoil that spans dimensions is at their doorstep in issue #5 of Copra.

Last week I said it seemed like this next chapter of Copra was going to be the first one that felt like it truly began from this run at Image, and that seems to be true. This was an issue filled with payoff and the background for that payoff, for the most part, stemmed from these last 5 issues (although some aspects from earlier, pre-Image storylines are present). Last issue Guthie detailed the next mission for the team when she explained the history of her family, Ochizon. And, in this issue, the beginning, or continuation, of her feud with her family takes center stage. Fornax, Guthie’s brother, has been seen in little teases since the #1 and ended the last issue raging and yelling his sister’s name. That’s why this felt, for someone who didn’t read the book before the new #1, that now it was starting to really become its own book. This threat has been one that has been seeded since the earliest issues. Along with that story, other questions have been answered like what was being hauled in the truck and where Dy Dy and Bianca went. Along with paying off earlier elements, this issue also stacked some chips for the future. One particular scene, maybe the best “character” moment, was Sonia putting out feelers to get the team some backup.

But the biggest scenes of this issue can’t be talked about without first mentioning the art. Like the Ochizon bloodline, the art is ever-evolving. In this issue, it was apparent from panel one that the art was using a unique style. The coloring was using gradients and blending giving it an almost psychedelic feel. The first scene to use it involved flame so it seemed to relay the smoke in the air and the flare of fire. That unique coloring then stayed throughout the issue. The reveal of the villains displayed the very creative character style Fiffe uses; it’s not futuristic or sci-fi exactly, but definitely other-worldly. When the action starts in this issue, other than small looks away, it doesn’t let up. The art was on another level in this issue. The usual way Fiffe inks his lines, with thick, expressive outlines, was joined by uses of black shadows and negative space outlining intricate details. One of the biggest draws to this book is how it is visually presented, and this issue does a great job of showing that off. Fiffe has fun with how he expresses the art in this book, and it shows. Panel layout, lettering, coloring, framing, you name it, nothing was presented in a way you’d see in any other book. So much of this issue, action or not, was an absolute blast to look at.

Things are starting to pick up. The story has reached a place where anything can happen and likely will. In this issue, much was delivered on and much was set-up. The action-packed fight scene and the cataclysmic ending leaves no room for it to slow down. With Fiffe at the reins, and his track record as a sign of the future, this book will continue to be one of a kind and one of the most thrilling reads out there.
 

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside