Coda takes place in the dredges of a post-high-fantasy world as everyone fights for what little of civilization remains. Some people are trying to rebuild society, some people have become marauders or rebels, and some people have become like the hero of this book. Hum could be one of the most intriguing anti-heroes that I’ve seen in some time. He keeps making decisions that surprise even me and yet feel completely in line with who he has become and what his ultimate goal is, which after the first three issues has been turned completely on its head in this fourth completely on-point issue.

Hum was a Bard before the apocalypse, and we begin this issue with a song detailing what all went wrong. I’s scarily allegorical to what many of our countries face right now. Basically, what if the bad guys finally got what they wanted. The other portion of this comic deals with Hum’s wife. Up until now, Hum has made it seem like she’d been kidnapped, and, in a way, she had, but the story is a little… a lot more complicated than that. And a lot more problematic. I don’t want to spoil the surprise of reading this issue, only to say that what’s going on is incredibly intriguing and continues to say more about who Hum is and the extents to which he’ll go to do what he feel he needs to do.

Is Hum a good man? I don’t know. His motives would suggest that even when his actions don’t, but his actions are becoming more and more questionable…more desperate. Is love really worth that? Is it love if it becomes that? Or is it something else?

I love that Simon Spurrier has chosen to walk this fine line, this balancing act. The fact that the characters are more important to him as a creator than moving the plot along means the world to me as a reader. Hum’s wife, after one issue, is a freaking intriguing character. I’ll talk more about her as the stories unfold, as I’m not sure thematically where this is all going. I’m excited.

Matías Bergara, working alongside Michael Doig, is really making the visual aspect of this book a triumph. I love the look, the feel, and the textures. For a post-apocalyptic world, it’s stunning to look upon.

Creative Team: Simon Spurrier (story), Matías Bergara (art), Michael Doig (color assist), Colin Bell (letters), Marie Krupina (designer), Eric Harburn (editor)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
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