Copra is an interesting series in that to the best of my knowledge Micheal Fiffe managed to put out a monthly book as a one man band all on his own including distribution. That’s some Cerebus level of commitment and work ethic there. Now that its being published through Image lets see what’s going on with this series.
The first thing that one notices is that this series is very much Suicide Squad, and Fiffe has been very honest about this. There’s nothing wrong with an homage or even work that is derivative to a degree but the characters of Deadshot and Amanda Waller are so recognizable that I’m kinda amazed that DC has never sent a cease and desist letter to the creator. Unfortunately the comic doesn’t start with any sort of primer about the series or cast info (something that Marvel for instance is usually good at supplying), which is very helpful for new readers, especially coming into this issue. You see the team has recently gone through a tremendous upheaval, there have been deaths, double agents, grievous injuries and emotional upheaval. We are given some info on this in the form of a debriefing but it would have been far more interesting to see it as a flashback or video review, as this issue is rather talkie and lacking any action. Its too bad, given that this is a superhero book at least some action should happen each issue and while some of the plot elements are interesting, it does make the book a bit of a slog at times. In the end this issue does seem to advance the plot of the series but feels a lot like an anime filler episode.
ART
Fiffe’s art is not great but it is serviceable. A large part of the blame has to go to maintaining a monthly schedule as a one man band who always made his monthly deadlines. That requires some sacrifice somewhere and drawing, inking and coloring an entire comic on your own is a grueling process. Heck even just penciling a book can have you sitting at the drafting table for 12 hours or more a day. So my hat is off to Mr. Fiffe. He is clearly inspired by the work of Frank Miller as I can see a lot of common elements in the artwork. Also in a similar style his artwork is colored either with water color paints or in a method that simulates them. It definitely gives the book a very indie feel but that’s really what it is even if Image is doing the distribution these days.
Storytelling is mostly pretty good, as I was rarely lost while trying to follow the flow of events but there are times the creator likes to throw in seemingly random panels of symbols or characters and that was particularly distracting. The comic would have been better served by using that page space to illustrate the story in more efficient or dynamic ways.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Judging by this issue I’d say there is some potential here. Though there is a strong leaning towards the Suicide Squad, Copra still manages to be its own thing. This issue feels very middle of the road for me in terms of story and art but not so much to say I love it or hate it. If you want to try something new give it a look but I can’t give it a recommend based on this issue alone.
SCORE: 2.5 out of 5
Creator:Â Michael Fiffe
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