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Copper (comic)
Encyclopedia
Copper is a comic strip
by Kazu Kibuishi
that has enjoyed both webcomic
and print appearances.
In May 2005 all of the 25 web strips that had been published to date were published as a series of 13" square archival prints by Nucleus, together with some other prints of Kibuishi's artwork.
In each self-contained story the boy
Copper and his talking dog
Fred journey through a detailed but economically drawn landscape
- sometimes beautiful, sometimes bleak, sometimes surreal. Fred usually has some concise and forcefully expressive comment to make on their circumstances, while Copper is generally more cheerfully optimistic. The first three strips suggest that their adventures are dream
s. After that the question is usually left open.
Copper is haunted by three mysterious girl
s: a redhead
who appears to be trapped inside a purple bubble
that always floats just out of Copper's reach; a dark-haired girl with amber sunglasses
who always taunts him from a distance,and a blond girl wearing a red shirt with a P on it. Fred also suffers girl trouble when, to his horror, he falls in love
with a female dog owned by another girl.
The 18-page story Maiden Voyage sees Copper building an airplane
from parts purchased at the local Plane*Mart supermarket
, while Fred constantly frets that the plane might crash. In the end his fears turn out to be justified. In the 4-page Picnic Copper and Fred take an aerial picnic
in an airship
, which Fred manages to sleep through.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by Kazu Kibuishi
Kazu Kibuishi
Kazu Kibuishi is an American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology Flight and for creating the webcomic Copper. He is also the author and illustrator of the ongoing Amulet series...
that has enjoyed both webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
and print appearances.
History
The web comic began in April 2002 in a much larger than usual square format. Except for the first strip, the comic is in color.Format and schedule
The large format may account in part for the slow schedule - updates occur monthly at best. The comic went on a brief hiatus at the end of 2004 but resumed in March 2005. Each page tells a self-contained story, but there are a few recurring characters. Copper was named one of the best webcomics of 2004 by The Webcomics Examiner.In May 2005 all of the 25 web strips that had been published to date were published as a series of 13" square archival prints by Nucleus, together with some other prints of Kibuishi's artwork.
Hiatus
In July 2006, Kibuishi put the comic on hiatus again due to work on his graphic novel, Amulet, among other projects, and it returned in September 2007.Short stories
The comic theme anthology Flight Volume One, edited by Kibuishi (ISBN 978-1-58240-381-6, 2004) contains two short Copper stories: the 18-page "Maiden Voyage", and the 4-page "Picnic". Both of these stories have also appeared on the website.In each self-contained story the boy
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
Copper and his talking dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
Fred journey through a detailed but economically drawn landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
- sometimes beautiful, sometimes bleak, sometimes surreal. Fred usually has some concise and forcefully expressive comment to make on their circumstances, while Copper is generally more cheerfully optimistic. The first three strips suggest that their adventures are dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s. After that the question is usually left open.
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s: a redhead
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
who appears to be trapped inside a purple bubble
Liquid bubble
A bubble is a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid.Due to the Marangoni effect, bubbles may remain intact when they reach the surface of the immersive substance.-Common examples:...
that always floats just out of Copper's reach; a dark-haired girl with amber sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
who always taunts him from a distance,and a blond girl wearing a red shirt with a P on it. Fred also suffers girl trouble when, to his horror, he falls in love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
with a female dog owned by another girl.
The 18-page story Maiden Voyage sees Copper building an airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
from parts purchased at the local Plane*Mart supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
, while Fred constantly frets that the plane might crash. In the end his fears turn out to be justified. In the 4-page Picnic Copper and Fred take an aerial picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
in an airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
, which Fred manages to sleep through.