The Fate Of Serka And Hum Hangs In The Balance In Coda #8
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
In light of the revelation about Thundervale and its alleged Whitlord leader, Serka left Sir Hum in the dead of night. She feels lost. Her purpose is lost, and she needs to find a new reason for being. She hopes to find it in the homeland of her people. Sir Hum had just finished the potion that will cure her of her rage fits, and he isn’t willing to give up now. On top of that, Thundervale and its new leader won’t let Sir Hum get away with the magic he stole. Sir Hum and his Pentacorn must escape Thundervale and find his wife.
Coda #8 presents another turning point for the dystopian fantasy series. It brings the schisms between Hum and Serka to a head, with their next moves deciding both futures.
In previous reviews for Coda, I commended it for playing with the human tendency to idealize the people we love, and this issue further explores the concept.
We learn more about Serka, what she does when she goes away, and why she does it. It’s not as noble as Sir Hum previously said, but it’s not malevolent either. Serka does something that is good for her without hurting anyone else, and that is a good enough motivation.
This further shows how unreliable our narrator is, and it’s cast against Serka being the narrator of this issue. An obvious detail of Hum, the fact he was once a bard and storyteller, becomes more relevant.
It’s a thoroughly cathartic read, and, like prior issues, it leaves me eager to see where the tale goes from here.
Matias Bergara continues to pull the story together with excellent detail work, framing, and sequencing. Coda could not exist as it does without his distinct and interesting art style, and that is as true as ever in this issue. Serka’s journey into her homeland and Sir Hum’s near-suicidal pursuit of her receives its intensity and power from Bergara’s visual work. The color work, with assists from Michael Doig, serves to remind the reader how desolate and alienating the world around Serka and Hum is, emphasizing the importance of their bond.
Coda #8 may very well be the best issue of this fantastic series. Simon Spurrier has constructed a fascinating and relatable tale about two partners trying to navigate a decaying world and their own personal hang-ups, and it only seems to be getting better as it moves to its final quarter. This one definitely earns a recommendation. Give it a read.
Coda #8 comes to us from writer Simon Spurrier, artist and cover artist Matias Bergara, color assistant Michael Doig, letterer Jim Campbell, and variant cover artist Christian Ward.
