Coda #9: Broken Promises and Itchy Dragons

I may go on about how great this book is, but it earns it with every issue and this issue is no exception. Spurrier and Bergara blend words and art to give a heavy impact to every emotion in this issue.

After the events of issue #8, Hum is at his absolute lowest and looking for a fresh start. Spurrier masterfully captures Hum’s confusion, as a man recently lost and alone in life, with a subtle mix of phrasing and using Hum’s journal (including scratched out entries) as narration. It’s interesting to see the changes in Hum’s internal monologue as the issue progresses.

Bergara’s art, as usual, captures every emotion expertly. On the very first page we feel Hum’s loneliness and despair before reading a single word because of the use negative space and cool colors and the layout of the frames. This continues throughout the issue as end colors change with each revelation and change in emotion.

Even in an issue that could have easily been a simple segue from the events of last issue to what comes next, this series manages to keep things interesting and emotion with a perfect amount of comedic relief, sometimes in the form of an imobile dragon skeleton with and itch on it’s “arse.”