“I like the idea of this strong-willed, independent woman who can be very feminine and maternal, but also a kick-ass, hard-nosed cop.” Jay Faerber discusses Image Comics’ upcoming sci-fi western Copperhead
In Jay Faerber’s upcoming science-fiction western, Copperhead from Image Comics, no-nonsense Sheriff Clara Bronson arrives in this frontier town with her young son and sets about making her mark on the unruly natives.
Copperhead mixes elements of science fiction and the wild west, why do you think those two genres seem to blend so well together? When you set out to create Copperhead, which genre were you drawn to first?JF: I think the whole “western in space” thing got started with Gene Roddenberry. The original Star Trek was pitched as “Wagon Train in space” if I remember correctly. Although there may have been examples that pre-date Trek.
I think science fiction blends well with just about any genre. Look at how many crime/sci-fi stories there have been, for instance. Or even horror/sci-fi. I think blending genres – any genres – allows you to take the best elements of both and with the right emphasis in the right places, come up with something new. Or new-ish. Like the man says, there are no new ideas. It’s all about the execution.
But with Copperhead, I wanted to do something with a sci-fi western that I hadn’t really seen done before – the sci-fi take on the frontier town. I know that Deep Space Nine was sort of the Trek take on that, with the town being updated to a space station. But it never really felt like a western to me. Copperhead is set firmly in a mining town, on a dusty, grimy planet. I honestly can’t separate which genre I was drawn to first. I didn’t set out to work in either genre – the idea sprang almost fully formed into my head. I’ve had it kicking around for years and years, and finally got around to doing something with it.
Copperhead has a very strong female lead character in Sheriff Clara Bronson, how important was it for you to have a woman as the central character? Was that always an integral part of the story, and does it help you shape the story in a more interesting direction as result?
JF: I didn’t really give a lot of thought to our lead being female. I mean, it wasn’t a calculated move to hit a quota or strike more balance or anything. I just thought it would be interesting. I like the idea of this strong-willed, independent woman who can be very feminine and maternal, but also a kick-ass, hard-nosed cop when she has to be. In fact, she’s probably a little more hard-nosed than is necessary, particularly in her dealings with Deputy Boo. She’s kind of a jerk to him.
Inevitably you’re going to get asked this question a lot as gender in comics is quite a hot button issue at the moment, do you think having a female lead character is even an issue worth discussing?JF: Sadly, I think it is. There should be greater diversity in comics altogether, both in terms of the material presented AND who’s presenting it. But at the same time, I don’t think there should be quotas to fill or boxes to check off. When I approach a story, it’s from a story-first perspective. If it makes sense for a character to be a woman, great. Or some other ethnicity, great. But that should inform their character. I never want to just take a role written for a man swap out the pronouns. When I said that Clara’s a bit more hard-nosed than she needs to be, that’s an expression of her character. Unfortunately, she’s learned she has to behave that way, as a form of overcompensating for people dismissing her because she’s a female cop. And yeah – it looks like our society hasn’t improved all that much in those regards in the 24th century.
The other part of the story which stood out for me were the ‘artie’s’ (or artificial humans, who are owned by the town’s richest resident, Benjamin Hickory) I’m presuming these are your story’s equivalent of slaves from the old west? How integral a part of the story will this become and how important is it for you to take issues from the real wild west and weave them into the world of Copperhead?
JF: Yes, the arties are kinda like slaves and they’re going to be very integral to the story, which will become very clear in issue #2. I didn’t really think about finding sci-fi allegories from the real wild west, though. Honestly, it was more of a result of us (co-creator Scott Godlewski and I) looking for western archetypes to explore and update.
Artist Scott Godlewski seems to be having a great time drawing the world of Copperhead, in particular the various aliens – like the argumentative Sewell family and the brilliant Deputy Boo – how did you and Scott team up and how involved was he in the creative process for creating all the characters?
JF: I first saw Scott’s stuff when he was drawing Dracula: The Company of Monsters and Codebreakers, both at Boom. I just loved his style and storytelling. I dropped him a line and we decided to work together on something and Copperhead is the result. He’s been very, very involved in the plotting of the book. I have dozens and dozens of emails between us, brainstorming and riffing on ideas. It was really helpful to flesh things out as I ramped up to write the first issue. And because I was getting really busy with my TV job and was kind of pressed for time, Scott agreed to work “Marvel-style” on issues #2, #3, and #4. This means that I wrote out a rough plot, charting the action over the course of the issue without breaking things down by panel and with no dialogue. So much of the pacing and framing in issues #2-4 is all Scott. And it’s brilliant. I haven’t started writing #5 yet, and since the show I was working on was cancelled I have more time on my hands so I don’t know if I’ll write that one full script or stick with Marvel-style. It’s up to Scott, really.
Who is your favourite out of the motley roster of aliens, both in terms of who do you like writing and also who do you like in terms of who Scott has helped create?JF: I really enjoy Deputy Boo. He’s funny, with a real droll sense of humor that I enjoy. And Scott has brought everyone to live visually in really exciting ways. I think the town doctor, Doc Mosley, is shaping up to be one of my favorites mainly because of how Scott depicts him. You’ll meet him in issue #2.
The book is being marketed by Image as “Brian K Vaughan’s favourite new comic” – how big a compliment is that for you as a creator and do you think it will help you get more recognition as a result? Copperhead does have quite a similar look and feel to Saga, are you hoping there will be some crossover?
JF: Brian’s quote was incredibly complimentary. He and I are good friends, he was the best man at my wedding. But he’s very careful about doling out endorsements. He’s very carefully built up good will among his many fans, and he’s not going to tarnish it by recommending a crappy book by a buddy of his. So despite our friendship, I remain really flattered by the quote. And I sure hope it’ll help get some more eyeballs on the book! I never set out to appeal to fans of Saga, since Copperhead has been in development for years. But sure, if people want to lump us together with Saga, I can’t think of a high compliment.
What is the long term plan for Copperhead? WIll it be an ongoing series, and if so how much have you got mapped out so far and is there anything in particular we can look forward to in the coming months?
JF: Copperhead is an ongoing series and like a certain other book (er, Saga) we’ll be taking short breaks in between each story arc to allow Scott to catch his breath a bit.
I’ve got a pretty loose map of where things go for the first year and I keep building on that plan. I keep a “series bible” document that I update regularly and it just grows and grows as the series progresses, so I’m always able to keep track of where we’ve been and where we’re going.
We’ll get to meet more of the inhabitants of Copperhead in this opening story arc, and also learn more about the war some of them are still recovering from. Basically, everyone you meet in the first issue is an important player and we learn new things about each of them throughout the first arc. And at the same time, more questions are raised. So if you like a good sci-fi story with classic western elements… or if you like a classic western story with good sci-fi elements… or if you just like Saga… check us out!
Copperhead #1 will be available from ComiXology and the Image Digital Store on September 10th
December 21, 2025 @ 1:43 pm
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