Maverick’s Scoop in Mad Cave’s imprint goes into finding the weird in the bad. Because in a world where absurd scandals are the norm, feeling the rush of reality’s quirks should come in different shades.
Maverick’s Scoop Summary
When the news breaks, she fixes it! Sophie Cooper was just an average, Cuban-American high school freshman, until her dad got accused of a crime he didn’t commit. To prove his innocence, Sophie now interns at Miami's worst TV news station, where she studies investigative journalism — and accidentally uncovers a vast supernatural conspiracy connected to her dad’s case. UFOs, Miccosukee ghost tribes, Chupacabras, alligator men, and time travel are real and can clear the Cooper name…if Sophie lives long enough to report about it!
#NewsBreakingYou
Have you ever had one of those days where you wonder why the world around you is insane? The news alone is full of those things. Usually it’s political scandals or people’s arrests over the darnedest things. Maybe it’s the fact that people keep it going despite how bad the effects get. If so, you’re in the head of Sophie Cooper our intrepid protagonist.
Richard Ashley Hamilton gives the layered characterizations famous in his Dreamworks bibliography. While Sophie does want to prove her father’s innocence there is some truth in her excuse to her guidance counselor. The media world is making her life unbearable and she is hoping to adapt to it for survival.
But the thing is, that’s the same for everyone trying to get through the day even if they fumble over each other. Sophie’s family and co-workers for example are extremely dysfunctional in dealing with situations beyond their control. Whether that’s Sophie’s family getting hounded by reporters after her dad’s fallout or the studio running itself ragged since it’s in danger of shutting down. Every quirk in juxtaposition with the situation at hand is a memorably human moment that connects readers to them all.
The Past Always Comes Back
What’s at the heart of Scoop is the theme of trying to bury the past. Sophie’s arc of trying to redeem her family’s image is complemented and contrasted with other characters. The studio uses old, basically obsolete, equipment due to budget cuts, practically saying that it’s on its last legs. Yet, it’s this same obsolete equipment that sends Sophie towards the truth and reconnect with her family. Because one of the… “antagonists” is tired of hiding from his traumas that some powerful people want to cover up.
Without giving up the ending, it’s a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t tie up all plot lines. It’s not even for sequel bait, but dealing with the hard truths in coming-of-age. Before you can get your life back on track, you need the strength to get through the emotional weight. Why’s that? Because throughout Scoop, Sophie finds what she needs to help her family heal. Things will still be tough, but it gets easier to live with thanks to the right people.
Maverick’s Scoop Staff
Joseph Cooper makes every plot beat something to remember. Like when Sophie is dealing with her life the day after a long night, her position on wide panels starts in a bleak vulnerable place on the left, while the next panels have her figure move to right, almost on guard as her hands raise. But on the last wide panel of the page, despite her raised arm, she’s back on the far left, vulnerable and in the dark. Thanks to the colors by Simon Robins the transition from dark colors to bright display a juxtaposition between how she acts in public to how this act couldn’t last. The lettering by Dan Lanphear also shows how like when Sophie speaks with her father, connecting with his sense of hopelessness. Unlike the rest of the page where she doesn’t speak at all and the last panel is practically empty space.
It gives the sense that unlike the news staff, every artist in Maverick’s Scoop is working to deliver the most coherent picture.
Ready For The Next Sensation?
Maverick’s Scoop feels like the beginning of a coming-of-age journey for anyone going through a hard time. It’s a great reminder that while you think your world’s come to an end, it isn’t. While it’s full of stuff that can get you down, some of the weirdest things you find with them make it easier. In fact, I’m gonna leave a link to a song that describes the feeling (NSFW). So with all of that here’s a 9/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.