Copper [Paperback]

Kazu Kibuishi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

From Kazu Kibuishi, creator of AMULET, comes an irresistibly charming pair of characters!

Copper is curious, Fred is fearful. And together boy and dog are off on a series of adventures through marvelous worlds, powered by Copper's limitless enthusiasm and imagination.
Each Copper and Fred story in this graphic novel collection is a complete vignette, filled with richly detailed settings and told with a wry sense of humor. These two enormously likable characters build ships and planes to travel to surprising destinations and have a knack for getting into all sorts of odd situations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up—This collection of comic shorts details the wildly imaginative adventures of a boy and his talking dog, Fred. Most of the stories take up a page or two; others are a bit longer. The variety of full-color cartoons makes the book interesting to go through. Readers never know what type of comic format to expect on the next page but will be assured that it is another fun adventure. In a 12-page concluding section, the artist shows how he creates a "Copper" comic. The stories are humorous, and sometimes deeply philosophical, making them appeal to a wide audience.—Nancy D. Tolson, Mitchell College, New London, CT
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Kibuishi, editor of the high-quality Flight graphic anthologies and author-artist of the powerful Amulet series, brings his fantasy sensibility and melancholy tones to the classic adventures-of-a-boy-and-his-dog model. Originating as a webcomic of mostly single-page tales, Copper reverses the classic Charlie Brown–Snoopy dynamic by making the boy, Copper, a bright, optimistic adventurer and plaguing the dog, Fred, with deep existential angst: Do people care about me? Why can’t I stop worrying? Will things ever get better than this? Despite their differences, their bond remains strong through many flights of imagination—navigating a dangerous forest of giant mushrooms, surviving a crash landing in a homemade airplane—that run from the lyrical to the downright apocalyptic. Illustrated in a deceptively simple style, its solemn tenor and deep strangeness will make the book a hard sell to casual readers but will likely inspire heavy investment from those who prefer a somewhat off-kilter read. Includes highly informative back matter on the production end of comic books, from first concept to final color work. Grades 5-8. --Jesse Karp --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: GRAPHIX; Reprint edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545098939
• ISBN-13: 978-0545098939
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kazu Kibuishi is the writer and artist of the New York Times Bestselling AMULET graphic novel series, published by Scholastic. He is also the editor/art director/cover artist of the EXPLORER and FLIGHT Comic Anthologies. His debut graphic novel, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, won a YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Award.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kazu moved to the U.S. with his mother and brother when he was a child. He graduated from Film Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2000, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. He currently works as a full-time graphic novelist. Kazu lives in Alhambra, California, with his wife, fellow author Amy Kim Kibuishi, and their children, Juni and Sophie.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, thoughtful series of vignettes April 3, 2012

By Peter Buxton

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this for my daughter. It's cute, yet a little bit existential, in that Peanuts way. The steampunk-esque tech design is also a bonus. Themes of maturity are dealt with, but the pictures and text are free of sex and violence (as opposed to romance), so any age capable of reading can do so. A great book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kibuishi solidifies his position as...an exciting, vibrant storyteller January 27, 2010

By GraphicNovelReporter.com TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Almost immediately, Copper draws to mind the great '80s comic-strip series Calvin and Hobbes. Only this is the story of a boy and his talking dog. Beyond that, it's also more esoteric in many ways. Just as he did with his highly enjoyable Amulet series, Kazu Kibuishi shows here that he is masterful at paying homage to his childhood influences while building on them and expanding them into new territory.

First published as a series of webcomics, Copper expands on the collection with new stories. All are wild and full of adventure, both of which give Kibuishi ample room to display his artistic talents. Kibuishi has a wonderful eye for movement and his perspectives--switching from wide shots to closeups, broad angles to narrow--are impeccable. A personal favorite are the water scenes in the book--and there are several: deep-see diving, waterfalls, tidal waves...they all are marvelously rendered by Kibuishi here.

Included within the many one-page stories here are some larger tales, including the brilliant "Maiden Voyage" and the finale, "Lunch Pack." The stories always have a sweetness and an innocence to them without crossing over into saccharine fare.

Capping off Copper is a "Behind the Scenes" section offering a peek into Kibuishi's studio and his artistic process. This alone makes the book indispensible for aspiring artists and storytellers. Kibuishi's take on his own art is as charming as the rest of the book.

Once again, Kibuishi solidifies his position as not only an exciting, vibrant storyteller but also one who writes with a wide-eyed optimism that's simply infectious.

-- John Hogan

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled with Awsomeness July 20, 2010

By Steven R. McEvoy TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

This is the definitive collection of the webcomic Cooper by Kazu Kibuishi, creator of the amazing Amulet series of Graphic novels. This volume enclosed the archive of the webcomic, a few new comics, a special introduction by the artist on how the series came about, and a step by step guide to how Kazu creates a cooper comic.

Cooper is the story of a dog and his boy, just trying to make their way in the world and find their place. Cooper is curious, creative and adventurous, and Fred his dog is fearful and disillusioned. The stories grew out of some of the darkest days in Kazu's life, and yet the comics always seem to end on a note of hope and expectation.

The artwork is amazing. To me it reads like Calvin and Hobbs - a little older, more mature and more productive and helpful. The variety of layouts and designs is stunning. From single-page story lines to multipage pieces it is visually stunning, with a wide variety of pallets and feel, yet always remaining true to a form and style. This will be a book I go back to again and again, sometimes just for fun, sometimes, when life gets difficult, to remind me to hope and try again. It is inspiring, and I am terribly glad I read it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Comic Book! March 5, 2010

By Lynn Ellingwood VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Copper is a series of comics strips from Kazu Kinbushi, an American writer and illustrator. His comics are a series of funny strips about a boy and his dog who go on a series of adventures or get themselves into different situations. The humor is sweet and charming. I read about this book on the Amazon Daily blog and knew I had to buy it. The book is wonderful and the strips are terrific. The comics also appear on the web. I will be using my comics in the classroom. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun March 1, 2010

By M. R. Nelson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been a big fan of Copper since Kazu started putting it on-line as a web-comic, and I am glad to be able to hold the book today.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a "boy-and-his-talking-dog" style of story. Think Calvin and Hobbs.

The most recent stories can be found at his website ([...]).

Copper can also be found in many of the Flight Anthologies (Flight, Volume One).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: LibraryLoungeLizard.com February 18, 2010

By Darcy Wishard

Format:Paperback

Copper is curious, Fred is fearful. And together boy and dog are off on a series of adventures through marvelous worlds, powered by Copper's limitless enthusiasm and imagination.
Each Copper and Fred story in this graphic novel collection is a complete vignette, filled with richly detailed settings and told with a wry sense of humor. These two enormously likable characters build ships and planes to travel to surprising destinations and have a knack for getting into all sorts of odd situations.

Copper's good cheer always smoothes the way---and Fred can usually be won over if there's food involved.

A beautifully drawn collection of previously published web-comics that follow Copper and his dog Fred through a series of adventures in a somewhat quirky-mystical world. For the most part each page is a comic that is its own little narrative, although its easy to see the complete story/theme throughout the book.

I really enjoyed Kibuishi's artistry and the mini-parables of each story. The overall meaning of some of the comics may go over the head of your average middle grade reader but the simplistic dialogue will keep them reading and enjoying this wonderful collection.

Another fun note to this book is that the last few pages are dedicated to author/illustrator Kazu Kibuishi's method of creating his comics which is fun for anyone to discover especially the budding artist!