Hester spent the almost the entire first issue establishing Ahmad as an unlikable person.

Dying and being resurrected as a plastic superman has been the best thing for him.

But this issue, when Hester’s got to write his dialogue, his narration, as this new good person… he can’t do it convincingly. Instead, he writes all of Ahmad’s lines in short sentences, his narration describing events more than emotions. He’s so detached from the character, Hester gives the epilogue to the villain, avoiding a sincere emotional moment.

Those complaints made, the Coffin ends well. The last issue is the most action oriented of the series and Huddleston illustrates those scenes well. He has to keep the nightmarish elements intact, action or not, and does. With a different artist, the Coffin might have just looked like Iron Man.

Hester’s emphasis on metaphysical hooey seems to have hampered the series, but not significantly.

CREDITS

Writer, Phil Hester; artist, Mike Huddleston; letterer, Gary Peterson; editor, Jamie S. Rich; publisher, Oni Press.

Hester changes it up again this issue, to similarly good results.

This time, he doesn’t just spread the issue out, he actually lets time pass off panel, which he didn’t really do in the second issue. This issue, for example, doesn’t open with a resolution to the previous one’s conclusion. Instead, Hester takes a little time out. He eventually gets to a big scene suggested last issue… but a lot happens before it.

Huddleston’s art lets Hester get away with not having action set pieces. Huddleston doing a talking head scene between Ahmad, looking pretty much like a robot, and another scientist… it has all the action one needs. Maybe it’s because Ahmad’s suit (the titular Coffin) is always giving off steam or smoke, there’s this hint of motion, of action.

But Hester goes even further, coming up with a fantastic plot twist.

I’m sad there’s only one issue left.

CREDITS

Writer, Phil Hester; artist, Mike Huddleston; letterer, Gary Peterson; editor, Jamie S. Rich; publisher, Oni Press.

The pacing on the second issue is completely different from the first, which is both good and bad.

On the good side, there’s almost none of the Hell stuff in this issue. There’s some, but it’s so visual, I can forgive it to get to see Mike Huddleston draw some demonic sphinx.

But on the bad side… Hester gets loose with the logic of the plotting. He creates the protagonist’s pseudo-adversary in less time than it took the protagonist to be created (or recreated). Then the ending is on some weird fast forward too, as the protagonist–Ahmad–walks through this endless night (while his daughter’s babysitter is learning the daughter is now an orphan) and the adversary is created.

It makes tonal sense as a montage of sorts, sure, but it doesn’t make any sense in terms of the Coffin’s established plotting.

Small quibbles about a good comic.

CREDITS

Writer, Phil Hester; artist, Mike Huddleston; letterer, Gary Peterson; editor, Jamie S. Rich; publisher, Oni Press.

A lot of the issue is spent in Hell. Well, at least a third of it. There’s a lot of visuals of Hell and those are cool because it’s Mike Huddleston and I love Mike Huddleston. Unfortunately, the stuff in Hell is totally unimportant. Even when it seems like it’s reaching a point of being useful, turns out it’s not.

But it’s a really nice read. Hester’s protagonist is a complete jerk (he does go to Hell after all) and the issue is plotted something similar to Swamp Thing’s origin. Only, you know, the guy’s a jerk.

There’s a little too much science too, but only at the beginning.

It’s kind of strange to talk about the series so far, since there’s little hint of what’s to come–except the “hero” going after his killers. Hester spends the issue showing why he can bring the protagonist back and then kills him.

CREDITS

Writer, Phil Hester; artist, Mike Huddleston; letterer, Gary Peterson; editor, Jamie S. Rich; publisher, Oni Press.