The town of Copperhead is about to be shaken up. In issue 11 of Copperhead it was revealed that Boo was voted, with Hickory’s involvement, to be the next mayor of Copperhead. As a result, this only adds to the various problems Clara has to face as she is investigating the mayor’s death, her ex-husband Clay slowly coming to Copperhead, and her new boss Boo who wants her gone. Things are about to become very complicated in the town of Copperhead.
The Good:
For several issues we have been beating around the bush how Clara and Boo feel about each other despite being police. Clara has always felt superior to Boo from the very day she started her job as Sheriff. Boo, being there before Clara, has always felt he should become Sheriff and not Clara, as Copperhead is his home. With these thoughts and bias it was only a matter of time before the two of them clashed. This issue captures that clash as Boo, recently elected mayor, is set on ruining and making Clara’s life difficult by demanding reports and investigation updates. Boo has felt slighted from when Clara first arrived and wants her out of Copperhead as a means to satisfy himself. Throughout their interactions we begin to see how both Boo and Clara really feel and the natural bias they have as humans and creatures toward each other. This interaction is further heightened as Clara and Ford’s past relationship is exposed and the reasons it failed. This was that Ford never took Clara’s judgment seriously and wanted to control several aspects of her life. It makes it clear as to why Clara feels like she needs to be in a position of power at all times due to her past relationships. With Boo being her boss and having power over her we begin to see Clara’s true personality and her insecurities.
The Bad:
The problem with this issue is that it does not seem to be consistent with how Clara has been developed in the previous issues. Clara has been characterized as being a strong, bad-ass, no nonsense Sheriff who’s goal is to keep and restore justice. Yet, her actions suggest the opposite of what has been previously developed, creating a major inconstancy with her as a character.
The Verdict:
Copperhead, issue 12, explores Clara’s relationships and personality while slowly beginning to set up for the end of the arc. In this issue we learned that Clara, due to her past relationship with Ford, has issue with being controlled. With Boo as her boss this is a new level of control she does not feel comfortable with. Clara shows her true personality and how she reacts in those situations. While all this is being revealed we slowly start to see clues of how and who might be behind the murdering of the Mayor, which has caused most of this tension to occur. Copperhead, issue 12, further explores Clara’s character while setting up the ending of the story arc.
Copperhead can be picked up here.
