Coda is thematically rich. Every turn of the story, every introspective thought, and every dialogue exchange relates back to the core of what’s really happening. Yes, there are big events, chaotic battles cascading with vibrant colors. There are cities with walls and giants! There are rotting Ylf heads that speak. There is raw fuel that creates magic called Akker, but everything is, ultimately, in its simplest form, nothing but background noise to the character flaw of our hero, Hum.

Hum, an ex-bard turned thief, finds himself in a post-fantasy world, alongside his barbarian wife Serka who is hellbent on revenge. She disappears into the desert for weeks or months on time, raging. She has suffered some sort of trauma, and she can’t let it go. Hum, who genuinely loves her, and she him, wants to save her, but the Ylf head he carries in his satchel to whom he tells his inner-most thoughts, accuses him of wanting to change her.

Control. Who is in control? Who is allowed to be in control? When Hum and Serka discover the secret of the giant they wish to overtake, it’s chilling, because, as a reader, you make a connection that Hum can’t seem to get through his head.
Needless to say, the end of this issue takes another unexpected turn, one that finally gives Hum the opportunity to make a really big mistake . . . in the next issue.

And that’s why we read. We want these characters we fall in love with to make the right decisions. We want them to become better, because we want to feel like we can become better. Whether Hum does or doesn’t make the right choice, I’m sure a lesson will be learned. I want to save any real thematic digging for closer to the end of the run, because, at this point, I don’t know where the story is going to go – only that I’m on the edge of my seat for the next issue.
 

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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